A good way to get the house clean and tidy :-)

When I was a young bride, my friends and I all worked fulltime so housework tended to  not be done to the standard of that of our mothers. We used to say that the best way to get motivated to do a thorough house clean was to invite people over...and it still works :-) And so it was that in a whirlwind of action, I got the house ready for me to host the annual Christmas lunch of one of the groups that I belong to...The Newmarket Mums. We meet the last Sunday of each month in a local coffee shop, but in November it had become a tradition to bring food to a member's house for a lunch get together.

I volunteered for that role this year. And what a lovely time we all had...fine food and wonderful conversation with lots of laughter. Our side veranda gets the most delightful breezes and last Sunday was no exception. We started off with drinks and nibblies...

This is my friend Carmel; we taught together in the 1970s, had our children at about the same time in the early 1980s , and later sent our children to the same school

 Then it was time to move on to the main course...

We laid out all the food on the dining room table, so people could help themselves...

Merry Christmas everyone! And a great New year in 2013...

And then it was time for Secret Santa... I had cut up a sheet of paper into 10 squares with each square numbered. Everyone then drew out a number. This was the order that people went in to select a present from under the little tree...

If you look closely you can just see that little tree between Sandra and Liz...

As each person chose a gift, we all watched while they opened it...

My friend Margot had drawn #1...

A sweet little trinket box with Australiana images on it!

One of my friends had drawn #10 but I knew she had to leave early and this gift opening was taking a while, so I got her to swap her number for mine which was #5. Then I started to wonder if I would be left with the gift I had bought. I watched as #6 and 7 were chosen...my parcel was still there! Then Robyn with #8 chose that parcel! Phew! (although I did rather like what I had bought, but it's not a surprise! lol)

I had bought this lovely fabric basket at the St John's Christmas Craft markets. I also popped in some Lindt chocolates

Closeup of the Japanese folded flowers placed in the middle of the cathedral window patch...so effective!

And what did I get from Secret Santa? A rather large box of lindt chocolates...DH is ecstatic as now that I avoid sugar, they're all his!!!!!