SECRETS OF THE RED LANTERN

This afternoon I string red lanterns (purchased ages ago in Chinatown in Melbourne) around our verandah in preparation for our New Year's Eve party. We love entertaining our family and friends. With the house tidy and the food preparation completed I snatch half an hour to finish reading a fabulous Christmas gift from our friend, Alex (currently in India. Well-travelled. Lover of things Vietnamese).

Secrets of the Red Lantern is so much more than a cookbook. It tells the story of the lives of a family of Vietnamese refugees and how they make new lives in Australia. The story is gripping. The recipes outstanding.

I open the book and begin to read. It says...

"To raise a red lantern outside your home is a symbol of honouring good company."

I knew that.

MERRY, MERRY...

May your days be merry and bright and may all your Christmases be...

filled with laughter,
family,
frivolity
and food

(well, those are my wishes).

Merry Christmas wishes everyone.

A MAVEN CHRISTMAS

The Maven Christmas party was this year held at the wonderful Villa Margarita. A Cuban theme. Cuban (well South American) fancy dress, archery, frisbee golf (whatever that is?), a pig on a spit, black beans and rice, margeritas, Cuban band, and salsa dance lessons. Fun.

And to top it off the Thorns stayed at Villa Margarita for the night. Great venue for a corporate function or a romantic night away. Check out their website

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That's me in the red having my first archery lesson. I won the prize for being the most useless at it. One of my shots totally missed the target and surrounding area and shot over the fence on the top of the hill and threatened a sheep or an alpaca or something! I'll stick to scrapbooking!

LINES OF SIGHT

I've been a bit quiet on the blogging front lately. Too busy working. For Lines of Sight. Check out our (soon to be re-vamped) website.

GOODBYE MOVEMBER

"Well it's finally over. A small group of Maven Men have been participating in this worthwhile cause to raise money for prostate cancer research. Some results were more tangible than others. There has been a steward's enquiry into one man's effort as it may have been aided by artificial stimulants like hormones, or possibly sucking the fluid out of a monkey's pituitary glands.

The team has raised more than $2000 over the one month period. Thanks to all those of you who contributed.

In an effort to raise his first million
He tried a mo' like any civilian
Succeed he did not
He looked like a twat
Should have just had a brazilian"

words by DH, not me!