Winter BBQ

There were two outdoor activities I planned to accomplish this year. One was to have a pig on a roast spit, which is a little difficult when you don't have a pig, a spit or anywhere to have said event unless you want to burn half the grass in the garden to a charred mess. The other was a winter BBQ and this Saturday it was ticked off the list and a was a lot easier to organise than the pig.

I had spent the entire week weather watching. On Monday it looked ominous but then again not even a seasoned pro can predict weather patterns that far in advance. By the close of the week, the outlook had improved and Saturday was a glorious winter day - cold blue sky and a slow December breeze that had little impact on the trees because they bared not a single leaf. Indeed, the few orange leaves that escaped raking remained scattered across the lawn slowly turning brown.

After a difficult attempt at lighting the charcoal, the BBQ soon got underway and all manner of meaty treats were thrown on to heat up those who braved the afternoon chill - although a few hardcore guests chose to wear nothing but t-shirts - brrr!

It being a winter afternoon, it was not long before it was dark outside and our huddled mass surrounded the heat emanating from the hot embers and alcohol was consumed to stave off the cold.

By early evening we had amassed a mountain of food for snacking on later and we retreated into the warmth of a coal-fired living room to exchange secret Santa presents.

The jolly man in red must have been eavesdropping this year because I received a very fine wine rack of which to hold my many bottles of empty rioja!

Presents were passed out and smiles were put upon many faces. Thanks to Jenny for the above photos and you can find more of her pictures here. However, I did take a few myself which you can see below.

The party went on well into the night and into the small hours but it was just a little too much for some ;)


Thanks for stopping by. I hope you had a great weekend yourself and come by tomorrow for another installment in the Top 40 Albums of 2006 countdown!