Christmas ... tis' afternoon tea season

Now I belong to various groups and clubs and as Christmas approaches it seems one has to have morning  coffee or afternoon tea, .. this "Silly Season" as they call it here really does stand up to it's name. 

This is a fairly new thing for me as I have only been in  NZ for almost 11 years and still trying to come to terms with Christmas in the middle of summer.
I have lived in 12 countries around the world and this  "season " is not celebrated in anyone of them like it is here in NZ ... I guess this is because not only are all these groups etc stopping for Christmas but of course most are stopping for the summer break as well, so you have two things to celebrate.

Now my silly season started on November 24th  when one of my groups finished for the summer so afternoon tea was the order .... and since then I have been to at least 3 or 4 morning or afternoon teas a week and it has not stopped yet.

 .. now like most people the sight of lovely chocolate cakes and shortbread, strawberries laden on a cake  or dipped in chocolate, scones with jam and cream get  taste buds flowing and I try so so hard to resist them, but you are encouraged to indulge and someone has gone to a great deal of trouble to produce all this lovely home made goodies so you have to do it justice  .... 

Also the ladies of NZ are a nation of wonderful "home bakers" well that is my excuse and I am sticking to it ... but the trouble is it is sticking to my hips I can feel every mouth full of cream and yummy things just sitting there ... my intake of sugar, butter  and cream must have quadrupled

 or more  in the last 3 weeks.

Plus NZ has the richest and best dairy foods in the world as most people of the world know and scramble to import into their country

So I am going to forget breakfast this morning as I have another morning tea at 10am

 OH! how I dream of nice savory things or even just a slice of toast and pate'