Thanksgiving in Sydney

Can't have a party without pretty flowers.

Full bellies.

Ouch! Oven mits were useless.

A fine man. I made my first apple pie crumble and a pumpkin pie from scratch. Pumpkin's not a seasonal treat here but an every day side dish, so to try it as a dessert was something different for everyone (except for Holly and me).

Jeremy (my tennis instructor), his wife, Marielle, and Clive (Andy's hubby). For most of my guests, this was their first Thanksgiving, and...... most were English. The McFarland Family are from Pete's hometown, St. Albans, England (north of London). They've lived in Sydney for the past 16 years (give or take). I was thrilled they were a part of the celebration.

Andy (from Pete's hometown, St. Albans, England) and Holly (a Texan) havin' a laugh. Even without hubby Mark, Holly had a good time. Mark shared a bottle of his favorite Pinot Noir which was a nice treat.

Andrea and Clive's kids - Iona, Aidan and Ross Aidan goin' for seconds

Before

After

Pete hard at work. He loves to cook. Thank goodness for that! Menu included Mr. Turkey (who I was told was running around his pen just a week before the Big Day), classic stuffing which included dried cherries, mashed taters, tarragon beans, squash and sweet potato dish, cranberry and orange chutney, and last but not least..... an apple pie crumble and pumpkin pie. Pete was flabbergasted that the stuffing recipe called for 2 loaves of bread (which was cubed and dried on cookie sheets). It was difficult to find fresh cranberries and certain types of squash so I improvised. We found the cranberry and orange sauce at Simon Johnson which is a great gourmet food shop. I enlisted Martha Stewart for the recipes and gameplan. I was never a big fan but I found that she rocks for Thanksgiving! She even had a 4 day timetable that really helped.

2nd Anniversary - Jonah's at Whale Beach

Whales have been spotted in this area (if you couldn't guess) but... alas... we didn't see any. Only surfers. It's a great weekend escape though and such a nice anniversary surprise from Pete.

2nd Anniversary - November 9th

Flowers delivered with a note that read "Pack an overnight bag and I will pick you up at 5:00pm....."