Caley cocktail hour

We had six friends over for cocktails and a light dinner yesterday. Our hospitality was motivated by two things. First, we wanted to clean out the last of our Christmas leftovers before going on a cruise this weekend. Second, we'd offered to host a birthday gathering for Jacqui, a friend living in Moore Park Gardens.

Everyone came over at about 4pm for cocktails and one of my famous charcuterie cheese boards. The weather was perfect for a rooftop afternoon, sunny and warm. We then progressed to BBQ sausages and onions on brioche buns, before finishing the evening with birthday cake, homemade Christmas panettone pudding, and brandy snap ice cream.  The last of our guests finally departed at about 1am.

The moon also put on an impressive show.  A brilliant amber orb rose above the northeast horizon at about 9pm and sent all of our Facebook and Instagram-friendly guests scrambling to capture the best photo of the night. I'd watched a similar moonrise the night before and had been stunned by its size, colour, and brightness.  The shadows it cast had made me think momentarily that we'd left an outside light on.

All in all, it was a fun evening and a wonderful way to make full use of our rooftop balcony. I’ve also learned that making cocktails is a lot of hard work (even if you pre-mix the margaritas)!