Country Christmas in Kiwitea

There was a loud knocking on the caravan door this morning at 6.30am.  “Get up, Nana and Grand-dad, we’re going to open the presents now”, Emma declared.  And how old was this excited child who could hardly wait?  Why, she is only 21!  Christmas is alive and well on the farm in Kiwitea.  The presents were stacked up under the tree and Emma nominated herself to have the very important job of handing the gifts out.

All shapes and sizes of gifts under here

The gifts were duly passed out and the recipients wasted no time in taking off the the wrapping paper.  This was tossed in a heap in the middle of the room and the pile of discarded wrapping paper got bigger and bigger.  Never mind, we will pick it all up at the end.

The pile of paper is growing

Our Christmas morning breakfast is a family tradition of warm croissants with freshly sliced ham off the bone and cheese.  All washed down with rich plunger coffee and how about a glass of orange juice as well?  How delicious!  It may be Christmas Day but Robert still had to move some stock from one paddock to another.  Tui the “eye dog” was more than happy to have a run around and take those lambs to where ever Robert wanted them to go. 

Tui working the lambs

While Tui was busy working, the elderly Border Collie Babe was enjoying herself lying on the grass as she gnawed on a bone.  Henny Penny the chicken wanted a taste too, but Babe was keeping that bone for herself.

  Get away, it’s my bone

We don’t usually have a big traditional Christmas dinner.  Lunch was another family tradition, chicken cooked on the barbeque.  (Something I prepared earlier, as the TV cooks say).  Made from chicken breasts sliced thin, wrapped around a dried apricot soaked in Campari – that’s what I found in my daughter’s drinks cabinet, or you could use brandy, sherry, or whatever you can find in the cupboard.  This little parcel is then wrapped up in streaky bacon and secured with toothpicks.  Robin was in charge of cooking them slowly on the BBQ, turning them frequently.  They smelt wonderful, and tasted delicious.   We enjoyed them with potato salad, pasta salad, and green salad, and toasted each other with a glass of bubbly.  These chicken roll-ups taste just as nice cold the next day, that is, if there are any left over.  For dessert we enjoyed a slice of rich decadent homemade chocolate cheesecake, one of my daughter’s specialities.  Now that was a Christmas lunch worth having!

Robin cooking the chicken and bacon roll-ups