The castle

In a little over a week my castle will be invaded by Queenslanders! You think I'd defend it with all my might, but this invasion is different to others so instead of shooting arrows and crossbow bolts, firing catapults and hurling rocks and pouring boiling oil down upon the foe, I'll be lowering the drawbridge, raising the portcullis and inviting the invasion inside.

The invading Queenslanders are my brother, his wife and my nephew, the four year-old little boy I call Mr. Bonkers.

They're not really invading to be honest, they're invited guests coming to spend a few weeks with me over the festive season. I'm really looking forward to it but it's also going to be a challenge from a catering perspective and also just because my house is a really private place for me, somewhere I allow few to come, and having people here constantly for a few weeks will be quite strange for me, even though they're my family. It'll not be awkward though, just that I'm reasonably house-proud, have things set up in a way that suits me and my girl-person and to have others here, especially a little boisterous lad, means things will be thrown into a degree of chaos; hopefully organised chaos.

Over the last couple weeks I've been getting things prepared for their invasion arrival including their bedroom and ensuite, and have been ensuring my outdoor entertaining areas are ready to go; we will eat most of our meals outside considering it's summer here. I've also illuminated the front of the house with Christmas lights which look really nice. I've lit up a tree in the front yard with fairy-lights also; it's all very tasteful and looks quite magical really. My whole street lights up their houses which looks nice at Christmas time and I like to join in; I'd show you but I don't really want pictures of the front of my house on the internet.

I'm fortunate to have a fairly generously-sized house and it'll accommodate my guests easily, although I think my nephew will give it a good workout. I plan not to run around after him fixing things though, I want him to think of it as his, but it'll be a little stressful for me I guess.

This weekend I'll be finishing things off and making sure I'm completely ready which means a weekend spent cleaning and tidying inside and out; I like to have a neat and tidy home and to present it well when people come here, rare that that is though. When my family arive I want them to feel at home and comfortable; I don't see them much due to the distance between where we live, so want to make the most of the time. I think it'll be a really cool time for all of us and provided my nephew doesn't tear the place apart I think my castle might survive their visit.