Surprise Lunch Guests

Sydney friends up for a Mudgee wedding ring on Saturday afternoon to propose a Sunday lunch visit.  Yay.

The Producer (she) and The Playwright (he) arrive more or less at the promised time (which is pretty good since they haven't been here before).

The Dog seems to take a shine to them and no-one is more surprised than me when she sidles up between us for a photo opportunity (The Dog is not usually one for over-crowding).  Things don't go quite so well when I take the camera and The Producer snuggles up to The Playwright for one last photo.  The Dog is sandwiched between them.  The expression on The Dog's face is the one you get at a wedding when your fat, jokey, champagne-addled uncle sidles up a bit too close and you can tell he's looking for an excuse to clamp a hand on your breast-

When I got The Dog a friend advised me:  Never admit your dog has ever bitten anyone (she knew what she was talking about, having inherited a giant German Shepherd with PTSD).  So let's just say there was a proximity problem between The Dog's teeth and the guests' arms, as in:  not enough proximity.  Not as embarrassing as the Boxing Day Incident where the proximity problem occurred between The Dog and The Nephew (what is it about 2-year-olds and wagging tails??)

Full marks to the guests for saying all the right things.  'It didn't hurt a bit' and 'it was just my sleeve' and 'I've had that deep gash on my arm for weeks now'.

And after a lovely lunch of basil, fetta and sundried tomato quiche with cannilini bean salad followed by scones with home-made fig jam and lashings of whipped cream, we sadly saw them off (after an all-is-forgiven soccer game with The Dog). 

And it occurred to me that - while not officially candidates for Best Guest, considering the by-laws stipulating only overnighting guests can compete - there's a lot to be said for visitors who sweep in, entertain The Dog and I with witty banter and intellectual chit-chat, then head back to the Big Smoke without requiring a turn down service.

Definitely winners of the Best Surprise Lunch Guests for the year to date...