I guess we in the southern hemisphere are lucky. As the months stretch ahead of us between the end of Downton Abbey, and the start of Season 2 of Outlander, we squeeze in a summertime and holidays. While you all in the north are huddled in front of the fire, looking hopefully at the screen for entertainment and finding, frankly, not much – we will be OUTSIDE (if you live in New Zealand). Probably doing this:
Still, we’ll be ready for Season 2 when it comes. I’m not looking forward to missing the banter and tweets we’re lucky enough to get from the Outlander stars and crew while they are filming. Once they all go after filming the next season to their well-deserved rest – and who can blame them? – it will be pretty quiet on that front as well. I guess I’ll have to fill my time with more lucrative forms of employment. After the holiday of course.
Christmas for our family is usually a bbq or cold meats and salad – eaten outside on a porch table under an umbrella. It’s an occasion we all enjoy, and after the food and presents, we all go off on our various ways and chill out somewhere. I usually end up nibbling on leftovers from the couch, watching reruns of Christmas movies on TV. Yes, we get ‘A Christmas Story’ here, as well as some version of Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’. A couple of times in the last five years I’ve been lucky enough to be in the UK over Christmas and had a traditional Christmas feast, such as we Kiwis can only dream about. It’s just too hot to have plum pudding and hot roast here. It felt like stepping into a Christmas card to stand outside in Bournemouth, England on a frigid evening and sing carols to candlelight with some neighbours, with mince pies and mulled wine on a table nearby.
But I’m meandering. This Christmas day will be spent outside, with ham and salads and pavlova again. Yay. And afterwards I’ll join my sister and others in the general rush to the beach/lake, where I’ll set up a tent along with everyone else in the country (or so it feels). It’s going to be a hot summer, so the coasts will be busy. And for a few weeks at least, I’ll be away from my devotion to laptop and devices, and distracted by the sound of waves and seagulls.
Just as well Outlander doesn’t start until a few months later.
Hen & Ink 
I would like to enjoy a summer such as that but usually have to work looking after all those lucky to have a holiday. Hospitality never sleeps during the holiday season.
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Ah yes, as you can tell, I’ve never worked in hospitality. Sorry you won’t be on beach – bet you’ll be sunning yourself on your wide verandah though
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I’d gladly join you on the beach after a summer Christmas feast! No snow for Christmas here this year. xx
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That’s a shame. Snow would be nice
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I’ll be spending my Christmas here in the warmth of South Florida, eating some local catch from the sea and daydreaming about how wonderfully my new boy-crush Richard Rankin is going to fare as Roger Wakefield! I was so hoping he’d at least be considered for the role and now he’s got it! He’s not a perfect match physically (like the other actors), but he’s a Scot! And he can sing! And he has gorgeous blue eyes! And he can act!! Have you seen THE CRIMSON FIELD, Jenny? He’s in that, marvelous!! Anyway – Merry Christmas, enjoy your lovely holiday! Take lots of pictures for us Northerners!
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Thanks Carol and you too! Yes, I think he’ll bring a lot to the role
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Mmmmm….pavlova!!! One day I hope to try that yummie dish 😍 We are lucky to spend Christmas with some friends in VA. There we are treated to roast beast and Yorkshire pud and all the trimmings. It is very warm this year so our after dinner walk may be in shirtsleeves! I’ll be thinking of you lot lounging about in shorts and T’s ☺🎄🍷🍸🌴🌺🍹🌊😚
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Yours sounds perfectly lovely too! Enjoy
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