Annual Party

We all gathered at the old schoolhouse, Mount Stewart estate, County Down, this morning.

There were at least a dozen of us, National Trust Strangford Lough Group staff and volunteers.

During the morning we worked in and around the back yard and garden of the schoolhouse.

I managed to get two sacks of logs.

The main purpose of the day, however, was the annual Christmas party lunch, a very informal affair.

We all contributed to it: Tomasz brought home-made wild mushroom soup.

Phil provided his game pie.

Others brought sausage rolls, vol-au-vents, quiche, bread; Pavlova, chocolate cake, Christmas cake, and more.

I've written about the schoolhouse before. It's an historic building, some two centuries old.