Silent night

The parties are over and everyone has gone home. For the first time since about July, the Bonnevie hospitality pad has altogether emptied, leaving Sue and I home alone and thoroughly disorientated.

Christmas lunch - Frank (he's the bloke mostly hidden behind his wife Allie) runs Caterhelp; a restaurant and catering company. We contracted them for the lunch - which included Frank- hand-carved turkey and lamb. That's the Roberts at the table too, and good friends Mark and Jo Dennert who are doing brilliant work here in business training and counselling. In the background - the great bit of art given to us last Christmas by Sopheap, and painted by her father. We cleared out our furniture to get four tables into our downstairs room - no worries!

It has been a fun and active month that has included two home invasions - a mid-week staff Christmas party over lunchtime and a Christmas Day celebration that succeeded in getting 30 people into our place. Present on Christmas Day were the Scott family from Christchurch (Donald, Janice and sons x 4 and fiance x 1) and the Roberts family from New Plymouth (Craig, Loretta, Sophie and Katie) - plus assorted Kiwis, Aussies, three Khmer and one American .

Staff Christmas lunch (sorry Donnie; terrible pic of you but I wanted to get baby Naan!) - top - and pressies time. Rather than girlie smellies, we changed things around for gifts this year and gave money for them to buy what they wanted. There were two motorcyle helmets, clothing, shoes, a streaky hair-do, handbag, teddybear and other assorted goodies in their choices!

Donald, Janice and family stayed at a flat a couple of kilometres from us during their two-week family time here in Phnom Penh. They headed out to Vietnam early on Boxing Day. Craig, Loretta and girls left us that afternoon for Aussie. Susie promises not to go anywhere ....