A new grandchild arrives at the solstice

June 23. 2015

Everything happened on Sunday. Wayne’s baby arrived mid morning whilst I was busy cooking and cleaning for the mid winter feast. Edd had worked in the bathroom finishing off the tiling round the basins so that we could have all the building gear cleaned up and put away before the party. Putting the mosaic fish onto the wall proved to be much easier than I expected. I did the mosaic design on a board and then covered it with clear contact paper. We separated the two fish and then just stuck them up with waterproof grout.

For the feast we cooked a turkey, a joint of lamb and some venison from Indi and Ben. I made a cheesecake and lots of vegetables and we found plenty of salad in the garden. Beni brought a plate of entrees and Bo brought cheese, bread and a crumble.  Her mother in law cooked a Pavlova and Al brought corn chips. Everyone brought wine so it really was a feast. I put tables in the sunroom in alcoves made by the pot plants and once it got dark and I lit the candles it looked great.  Like dining in a tropical garden.

We had the stove on and the fire all day so it was really very warm even in the sunroom. In fact Al, as usual, complained of the heat. No one else minded. It has been minus 4 degree C over night recently and most peoples’ houses are very bad at retaining heat. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and a huge amount of food was consumed. One of our guests remarked on how rare it was for people to have a party at their house these days. Mostly everyone meets at a restaurant.

We had to wait until next day to drive into Melbourne to see our new Grand daughter. She had been moved from the hospital to the Park Hyatt hotel where they have a newborn program with a nurse checking them at intervals but otherwise it is like being in a very up market hotel room. When we entered the hotel we found ourselves in a massive foyer with a red marble floor inlaid with modern patterns in gold marble and huge marble pillars. The centre of the foyer was a mezzanine over a similar lower hall. Shiny decorative silver rails and modern artwork made a dramatic Hollywood type feeling.

Edd and I thought it was a very impressive way to start life! Wayne’s room was very comfortable and we got to hold the new, and still nameless, baby. She was asleep all the time we were there but we are told she has greenish colour eyes. She has long silky very dark hair and long fingers. Dani looked very glamorous for someone who has just given birth and Wayne was still very emotional. We are so happy for them.