Our Mate???

Jenna's started kindy and all's well; i felt quite emotional which i didn't expect, but she's skipping off quite happily and coming home with lots of stories about playing "mums and dads", so i'm not worried! Things have gotten very busy all of a sudden, especially with all the millions of Christmas parties we have to go to. At last count i have

• Christmas Music party #1 for Jen and Heidi this friday(bring a plate)
• School Nativity Play and picnic ( he he he - have i ever mentioned that i'm not quite used to Christmas in the sun???!!!) for Leah at lunchtime on friday (bring a plate)
• My postponed birthday evening on Friday ( no plates to bring but getting v drunk is a requirement of the evening)
• Adrian's work Christmas do on Saturday ( as all food and drink is free, getting drunk and extremely full up is again a requirement)
• Kindy Christmas party on Monday for all the parents which not only do i have to go to, i also have to organise and make a speech ( and bring a plate, naturally)
• Playgroup Christmas Party on Thursday morning (bring a plate)
  
• Another kindy party for the kids on Thursday (suprise suprise.......bring a plate)
• Christmas Music Party #2 for Jenna and Heidi next friday ( need i say it......bring a plate)
• And another one where i get to get drunk ....Paddie and Daz's Christmas party next Saturday, where i don't mind taking a plate because it will be full of crackers and blue cheese and i get to eat some of it!

So that's 9 parties between friday and next saturday and 7 ideas for plates of food that i have to come up with.

I went supermarket shopping yesterday and noticed on the shelves a familiar package up on the top shelf....my good friend Marmite. Except it isn't, and it's called Our Mate. (Thanks to Pat for the tips on this by the way!) Although VEEEEEEERRRRY similar to Marmite, it is in fact an imposter posing as Marmite. the difference is subtle, but i can conclude that Our Mate is distinctly saltier than Marmite, and not quite as nice. It will do, however, and it is a darn sight nicer than the tar they pass off as Marmite here.

Well, here's some photos of the girls the other afternoon when it was rainy and hot - we made an awesome tent and they sat out there for ages whilst i sat under the covered deck and drank tea and dunked Tim Tams, and read a pile of 15 Vogue magazines i had bought from the library earlier that day for a single dollar - bargain. My kind of afternoon!

xxxx

*ok, photos not working at present, will endeavour to post them in the morning :) *