Catching up: Australia Day 2010 on Planet Baby

Ah, sweet Planetarians, I’m back after another unscheduled break in transmission. How I’ve missed you! Thanks so much for all your heartfelt comments of concern about Graeme. His funeral in Hobart on Monday was attended by hundreds of people, many of whom had flown in from all over Australia, just to have the privilege of being there. His elder daughter gave a moving and insightful eulogy and all up, it was a fitting tribute to a gorgeous man. I finally had *those conversations* with my godmother and her daughter, my dear friend, which was comforting for all of us. So life now goes on. Mother Nature continues to wreak havoc in north Queensland in the form of Cyclone Yasi but so far, lives have been spared. I think it’s time Mother Nature took a Bex and a good lie down!

Joshie sporting his tattoo proudly

Now I have time to share with you how we spent Australia Day 2010 on Planet Baby – better late than never! For the non-Australian Planetarians among you, Australia Day is our national day. It is held annually on 26 January and commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet of British soldiers, convicts and settlers in Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788 to commence the colonisation of Australia. Of course, the Aboriginals who witnessed their arrival with great surprise had an entirely different take on the concept! But that’s a tale for another day. Australia Day is celebrated by a national holiday which is often spent relaxing with family and friends over a barbecue. Which is exactly what we did on Planet Baby this year.

We loaded up the trusty chariot and headed off on our longest drive since returning to Tasmania in September 2009. Bushy Park was only 40 km away – my, how our radius of movement has shrunken since we arrived on Planet Baby! Mind you, there was still a lot of “Are we there yet?” chorusing from the back seat for most of the journey☺! We found our favourite spot near a creek which is a small tributary at the start of the River Derwent. Mr PB and the older pixies found some kindling and then we showed them how to light a fire. Then both sets of grandparents arrived to share in the festivities. I’ll let the photos tell the tale.

Here are the two grandfathers cooking the sausages, using Dad’s 40 year old wire mesh tray. That’s my father-in-law on the left and my Dad on the right, stoking the fire. The blackened tin can is the billy can I made as a Girl Guide back in about 1983. It always appears at family barbecues for tea boiling.

Here’s a close-up.  It’s all pretty basic but does the trick, every time. 

Here’s Joshie, proudly displaying his toasted (er, *slightly* burnt) marshmallow.

Then he had a go at cooking damper which we rolled into a long sausage and then twirled around some green sticks. We cooked them over the fire until they turned a toasty golden brown, slid them off the sticks and then poured honey inside. Mmm!

India enjoyed the wide open space for running around. Here’s our gorgeous girl.

Sam, meanwhile, enjoyed chasing Sophie the giant poodle around. Here he is in a rare moment of stillness.

Here they are, eating their sandwiches. At a barbecue. Go figure!

And here’s my pièce de résistance – my pavlova with raspberries hand-picked by the older pixies. This is one view taken just as we left home. Yep, that’s my hand holding  it.

And here’s the table shot before we all dived in! Just scrumptious. My fail-proof recipe is here if you think this looks enticing.

And then we attempted a photo of the five of us. Again. We *nearly* nailed it.

But then it ended in tears. Again. Keeping it real here, lovely Planetarians!

The pixies loved the open space, collecting water from the creek for the billy tea and then making trips back and forth from the creek to fill up the billy can with water so we could douse the fire completely. I hardly sat down at all as I was constantly chasing Sam away from the fire, the creek and the thistles. The older pixies played cricket with Mr PB while the grandparents relaxed in their armchairs and enjoyed their wine. All up, it was a brilliant afternoon and one we know the grandparents cherished just as much as the pixies. I hope you enjoyed this little outing with us. And do let us know if you try the pavlova recipe!