Australia Day Re-Cap

Yesterday was Australia Day and wonderfully, also a public holiday.  Don’t you just love a mid-week public holiday!

With a forced day away from the office we were in the mood to celebrate.  Fortunately we were invited to our friends’ home for their annual Australia Day get-together.  The teenagers didn’t join us of course, having soooooooo many other offers, but we took Alfie who is getting used to traveling with us like an only-child,  and we arrived just after 12.

Alfie had such a great time throwing himself in and out of the pool and scampering down to the beach and playing with all the other boys etc that he forgot to eat anything.  Carl thought that because we were able to walk home that that provided enough of an excuse to celebrate the Day with a few extra beers.  And as for me, well, like Mary Poppins, I was just perfect!


I don’t know where the time went.  We were clearly enjoying ourselves so much that we didn’t notice the hours slip by and suddenly it was well into the evening.  That was when we felt we should make a polite exit or risk not being invited back in 2013.

Always choose two responsible males to be in charge of the barbecue

One must drink beer from an Aboriginal beer cooler on Australia Day

Is that Charlie Louie with an empty glass? She was well behaved!

 

You must have pavlova on Australia Day

And green and gold lamingtons are an absolute must

And of course, it's just not Australia Day without ANZAC biscuits

And stay tuned for tomorrow’s post because I’ll be telling you all about the other reason we were celebrating yesterday.  Very exciting stuff.

How do you celebrate your national day?

 

Comments

  1. Looks like quite the party.

  2. BBQ. Pav. Violet Crumbles. It’s tradition.

  3. The perfect way to celebrate Australia Day! That pavlova looks spectacular!

  4. John Blaxland says:

    How do you get invited to these parties?! 😉

  5. How fun!! I’m not familiar with those treats you pictured….will you be sharing some recipes, I hope!!

  6. What a fun celebration! And the lamingtons look delicious!

  7. Those Lamingtons look amazing! We spent Australia Day at home, just the family, relaxing, and baking, baking and then some more baking!

  8. It looks like you really enjoyed Aust Day! Very good to see. 🙂 We had to cancel our plans because my parents were sick of celebrations following the busy Chinese New Years dinners as well as my brother’s birthday on Wed. I just spent Aust Day shopping. 😛

  9. Love to socialize and hang with friends:) Looks like a great party with lots of food and fun – Thanks for sharing! Have a Great Weekend:)

  10. how fun! I love the insight into your country and holiday! Here, as you probably know, we picnic and/or barbeque on the 4th of July. And, of course, the fireworks. (Here’s a joke my kids love, (in which you can insert any country of your choice) “Does Australia have a fourth of July?” Of course, one’s first response, is NO! But, of course, you do…you just don’t celebrate American’s Independence Day on that day! As, sadly, I failed to celebrate Australia Day. Perhaps next year…

  11. I, too, love the insight into how you celebrate your national holiday. Looks like fun–and all those traditional foods make my mouth water.

    We celebrate American Fourth of July with a barbecue as well, but as for Mexico, where I have lived for almost 25 years…well life is just a glorious fiesta here, with too many celebrations to count! And the food! The food!

  12. I’ll look forward to tomorrow! I’m on a cruise at the moment and they made pavlova and lamingtons for dessert. It was delicious!

  13. Sounds like a great time was had by all. The food is fabulous.

  14. A sneaky midweek public holiday is always welcome.
    Sounds like you had lots of fun!

  15. Here it’s burgers and potato salad and barbecue. I can’t wait for summer, it’s snowy and cold here…

  16. Looks scrumptous: at least you guys are having a real summer there while here in Auckland it still feels like the end of winter, with all the rain. Thanks for stopping by my blog – we have something in common, that is, one rejection too many made us start a blog!

    • hotlyspiced says:

      Thanks Heddi, actually, our summer has been pretty appalling as well. We’ve had rain, rain, rain and more rain and plenty of cool temperatures. Humidity and dampness are a real problem. I’ve been calling this, ‘the summer that never was’.

  17. Practically perfect in every way!
    We had some visiting rellies over, and chucked a butterflied leg of lamb and some wagu sausages on the BBQ finishing off with a pavlova. Yummo!
    Its always nice to sneak in an extra day off!

  18. Happy Australia Day! Sounds like a lot of fun. And, this reminds me, I’d like to make lamingtons one of these days.

  19. What a fun celebration. I believe pavlova is uniquely Australian? I’m also interested in the lamingtons.

    • hotlyspiced says:

      Yes Tammy, it’s a very fun day. The Kiwi’s would be screaming by now if they could see your comment because they believe pavlova is THEIR invention not ours and there’s been a century long debate over which nation first came up with the recipe. But, lamingtons are Australian. They are slab cakes cut into squares and coated in runny chocolate icing then dipped in coconut. But on Australia Day someone turned up with a plate of green and gold lamingtons, being our national colours.

  20. Oh my!! What a yummy holiday! I haven’t heard of some of those dishes. (American stererotypes are true!)

    Pavlova, particularly looks delicious. Would you be able to post any recipes that you would recommend?

    Great blog!

  21. Now that’s a celebration! Good food. Amples drinks. A nice assortment of dessert nibbles. And a good time was had by all … Happy Australia Day!

  22. Looks like you had a perfectly relaxing day!

  23. Haha yes lamington and pavlova sales must skyrocket on Australia Day!Looks like you had a wonderful time! 😀

  24. What a great post Charlie. And that deck is to DIE FOR! To have that view of the water!!!
    Canada day has fallen mid week and we usually host a BBQ with friends; but when it’s close to a weekend, we usually head to the cottage where we have similar views to your friends deck. Thanks for sharing your wonderful day. I adore Anzac biscuits, really yummy stuff. I’ve been baking them for years since my Mom introduced me to them through a Martha Stewart recipe: http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/christmas-baking-2011-anzac-biscuits/ and http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/2007/12/23/anzak-biscuits-recipe-from-martha-stewart/

    • hotlyspiced says:

      I know. That view is amazing. I could sit there and watch it all day – if they’d let me! And incredibly, it didn’t rain. Thanks for your ANZAC cookie recipe. I remember when you posted it but I just had another look. Your biscuits certainly look like the real thing!

  25. Hi Charlie – you’ve been tagged. Please play along if you can.
    Thanks and have a great Sunday !
    Me

  26. Aaaah, that pavlova looks awesome… and the lamingtons too… so pretty!

  27. What a way to celebrate – we ALWAYS celebrate with a braai (barbecue) – we even have a day dedicated to it on 24 September!
    🙂 Mandy

  28. ANZAC biscuits? I’ve never heard of those before. Will you be sharing a recipe with us one day? 🙂

  29. Happy Australia Day 🙂 Gosh I miss Australia hehe Barbie, Lamington and Pavlova ~

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