Summer garden party

What could be more fun on a perfect summer day than a garden party for some of Abby's friends! The garden has matured very nicely; the sunflowers near the deck have grown another 15" since these photos were taken. My favorite feature is the revamped fountain, formerly nothing more than a breeding ground for mozzies. Now it showcases some Australian natives and some flashy petunias.

Abby made garden party invitations and mailed them to her friends, all of whom were able to come. On the day, they arrived in summer frocks and Abby presented them with flower lei bracelets. We began by coloring tropical butterflies and diving into the snacks. Pink food was the major theme, so we had fruit kebabs, topped with real American marshmallows which I had brought down in my luggage. Pink punch, of course, which is called cordial here. The fairy bread is a little-girl tradition, just dreadful, but popular: white bread (yes, it must be white), spread generously with butter, then sprinkled with multi-colored non-pareils.




Next, the girls decorated little fairy boxes with garden stickers, glitter and paste-on jewels. They really were very cute!

The giggle level was reaching ear-splitting conditions, so Jack hid under his earphones and worked on a computer game.

Most of the girls had seen the stage production of Mamma Mia, and know all the songs and dances, so of course we danced out in the garden.




It is the Australian custom to send party guests home with a "lolly bag", a bag of sweets. That seems like such a bad idea after all the sweet things the girls had eaten, so instead we potted up marigold starts for the girls to take home. Not too messy.

The final activity was making dessert, worms in dirt. The girls had never seen this uniquely American concoction, and were most eager to try it. A dollop of chocolate pudding goes in the bottom of a cup, clear being better so the worms are more visible. Next, you deconstruct oreo cookies, eating the creamy part if you want. The cookie part you put into a mortar and grind it up very fine. This cookie powder is sprinkled on top the pudding. Finally, you drape at least 2 gummy worms over the edge of the cup, pushing the ends down into the dirt. Delightful!

There was just enough time for a few play-acting games with Abby's extensive Webkinz collection, then mums retrieved the weary ones, slightly gooey-faced from the worms in dirt, clutching their fairy boxes and marigold starts. Abby had also chosen little white stones decorated with words like "friend" & "love", which she put in little chiffon draw-string bags for her guests. I was so exhausted I literally sat still and quiet for about 2 hours!

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