Monday, September 11, 2006
Socializing
A rather nice weekend that. Sunday was glorious and we had a horde of family over. LL had an aunt pass away some years ago, and as she had no children herself she left everything to her nieces and nephews. As is the way with such things, it hasn't been an easy thing. The will was poorly drafted and hadn't been changed as the dears life changed in those last years.
This was not yet the final chapter, but all her jewelry (not particularly valuable, it was mostly sentimental stuff) had been left to split between the four nieces. Yesterday was the chance to get them together and split the booty. LL was wound up tighter than a very tight string. She and her sister have an uneasy relationship, and her father and uncle (the father of the two other nieces), barely are able to talk to one another. Oddly, his children don't talk to him either, there's a nasty divorce in the background.
However, the weather was perfect, and we laid on a big BBQ. I did up some fresh sour dough rolls, roast Mediterranean vegetables, cous cous, green salad, sirloin steaks marinated in white wine, sage and rosemary, and a half a side of wild salmon. Pud was a summer pudding and homemade raspberry ice cream. Good food always helps ease tensions.
Thankfully everyone arrived happy. The girls got on famously, and the takings were amicably split up, with everyone being overly polite. Lots of, "No, you take it, its your colour," and "Why not you, it would suit your daughter". We lads just sat on the terrace, drank lots of wine, and joked about how four women from this particular family should not be in the same room together as they could easily plot and succeed at taking over the world.
Even the kids were happy. Sometimes a group of cousins just fight, sometimes they just click and play. Thank heavens it was the latter. So, all in all, a nice old weekend.
This was not yet the final chapter, but all her jewelry (not particularly valuable, it was mostly sentimental stuff) had been left to split between the four nieces. Yesterday was the chance to get them together and split the booty. LL was wound up tighter than a very tight string. She and her sister have an uneasy relationship, and her father and uncle (the father of the two other nieces), barely are able to talk to one another. Oddly, his children don't talk to him either, there's a nasty divorce in the background.
However, the weather was perfect, and we laid on a big BBQ. I did up some fresh sour dough rolls, roast Mediterranean vegetables, cous cous, green salad, sirloin steaks marinated in white wine, sage and rosemary, and a half a side of wild salmon. Pud was a summer pudding and homemade raspberry ice cream. Good food always helps ease tensions.
Thankfully everyone arrived happy. The girls got on famously, and the takings were amicably split up, with everyone being overly polite. Lots of, "No, you take it, its your colour," and "Why not you, it would suit your daughter". We lads just sat on the terrace, drank lots of wine, and joked about how four women from this particular family should not be in the same room together as they could easily plot and succeed at taking over the world.
Even the kids were happy. Sometimes a group of cousins just fight, sometimes they just click and play. Thank heavens it was the latter. So, all in all, a nice old weekend.
