Christmas in LA

Sorry for the late update, but our feet haven't touched the floor since we got here. Christmas Eve was spent preparing for the evening feast and for the Christmas Day feast. Michelle and Luke worked like trojans to provide a sumptuous meal for all the guests. We had 9 guests for the Christmas Eve meal and 17 people for the Christmas Day banquet.

Luke and I drove around on Christmas Eve, picking up extra tables and chairs for the Christmas function and dropping off sound equipment to free up some space in Luke and Michelle's unit. At one of Luke's acquaitance's place I got to meet Billy West. Who's Billy West you might ask? He provides the voices of Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr Zoidberg and Zapp Brannigan in the animated TV series Futurama. Rachel and Colin please note as they are huge fans of this show, as I am too.

Tables set for Christmas dinner

Christmas morning we all piled into the car and went to Josh and Sam's pad for breakfast. Pad is an adequate description as it was originally a garage that has been converted into a complete self-contained unit. We had cinnamon scrolls and fresh-ground brewed coffee and opened our Secret Santa presents, although most people knew who their "Secret Santa" was.

Luke's turkey smoker

The Christmas Day menu was as follows: Turkey that had been soaked in a brine mixture of salt, sugar, oranges, maple syrup and spices for two days, then cooked all day in a special smoker, roast potatoes, cauliflower au gratin, french beans, brussel sprouts, bacon-wrapped sausages, honey-roasted ham, with trifle and apple pie for dessert. Needless to say it was delicious, especially the turkey and the cauliflower au gratin! We did not sample the pork products but the people who did said they were also very good. It was a very good night of good food and good company where the stragglers finished up playing Uno and Cranium till 2am! Needless to say we slept in this morning, with poor Michelle coming down with a cold and has retired to her bed after having breakfast.

Today we are going shopping for clothes and shoes as the prices here are insanely cheap compared to Australia. Luke, Joshua and Gill are all going cruising in a hired Mustang convertible down the Malibu coast and other destinations along the Pacific Highway.

Luke and Michelle's unit