We went to Maggie and George’s house today for the after-wedding Barbecue – the purpose of which was so that everyone who was not invited to David and Katie’s Wedding itself could celebrate their happy occasion. The rain stayed away, and although it was a bit windy, it was a lovely day for being outside. We arrived early, and my cousin Lisa, who had been David and Katie’s “Wedding Planner” was buzzing around, attaching Congratulations banners and balloons to every possible nook. It was great to see Stuart (another cousin, Lisa’s brother), and hear how his holiday went. He couldn’t make the wedding as he was travelling around Australia and New Zealand, living in a caravan and seeing long lost family members.
I do love Barbecues at Maggie and George’s, the food is always just so good. Once again, I ate too much. It was tempting to drink too much too, but I refrained. A few bottles and a few cups of Moon Juice was good enough for me. What is Moon Juice I hear you ask? Well, it’s a kind of improvised Sangria as far as I can tell. The ingredients are pretty much all alcoholic – Red Wine, Rum, Gin, Vodka – all massive amounts, poured into a huge pitcher! When enough alcohol has been poured in, the small space left at the top is filled with orange juice. Oh yeah, there’s chunks of apple in there too. Damn, it’s potent stuff. Quite strong (obviously), but absolutely delicious, if I had had any more then I think I would’ve been too volatile to survive Jane driving us back home!
It was great to see the family (some of whom I had not seen in years), and it was quite a stark reality check when I realised just how many family members my age (or thereabouts) have children now. And although it was the second time I’ve said goodbye to Gran thinking that it’ll be the last time we’ll ever see each other, at least this time we weren’t too sad as it was a happy occasion rather than a sad, last goodbye.
