The Experts, having found themselves a lovely home about 4 fields away from our smallholding (and about 2 miles away by road), decided to throw a winter solstice barbeque with us as their extended family group.
Waiting for dinner 
Cooking dinner 
The spread 
Scoffing trifle 
hogging the space heater
It was freezing cold, so the Experts had set up the bbq in the shed with a space heater. A Christmas tree on the wood turning machine and a festive swoop of fairy lights over the shelves added to the festive atmosphere (along with our breath freezing in the air). In addition to the Nativity feel of a barbeque in a shed at Christmas time, we had the Needy Blonde begging for scraps (ignored, but she remains ever hopeful) and Margo the ferret. The hot food was very tasty, but I had brought along trifle and cheesecake which were a bit cold to eat (but the Experts and the GS family persevered, full marks for that). I think if the Experts do this again, I will bring a hot dessert, maybe our hot chocolate fudge cake with custard in the slow cooker.
Needless to say, although the wind chill was -1’C, the sky was clouded over (see pictures below) and we did not get to see Saturn and Jupiter collide (from our Earthly point of view). This happens all the time here, any interesting astronomical events are usually not visible due to the resident clouds, sigh.
The Geordie Smallholder 