Charlotte Delaney has sworn off men. After one relationship disaster after another- including turning a guy gay!- Charlotte is so over the male species.
Isaac Fletcher had his heart cruelly broken. Yes, it was years ago. No, he never got over it. I...
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There are some things about the Delaney family that I will never be able to get my head around. Always fabulous and extravagant, I was naive to think that their Christmas celebrations would be anything like what I had experiences in the past. Normally, Christmas in Australia involves getting up early, catching a wave in an ugly Christmas rashie and then vegging out for the rest of the day while exchanging gifts at a random time. Here, though, it was a whole different ballgame.
There's a tradition of putting a lit candle in the window, something that I learnt was an Irish thing that Jimmy was keen to continue. Then there's the overplaying of a song called Fairytale of New York, and finally mandatory attendance of midnight mass. On top of all that, we also have Camille's French tradition of Le Réveillon to contend with, as well at the Delaneys' own Christmas quirks, such as putting on a pantomime performance, wearing Christmas jumpers first thing in the morning and then going for what they call a Walrus Dip. When I shook my head in confusion to this yesterday, Lucas was kind enough to explain that it's when the family- mainly the men and a few of the women- go for a lap of the lake that was on the ground of the property. Knowing how cold it is outside, there was no chance in hell I was doing a Walrus Dip. I'd take part in any of the other things but that was a step too far for an Aussie like me.
I was still trying to get my head around the Le Réveillon idea, where the Christmas dinner was a feast to behold, according to Charlotte. There'd be apératifs, entrées, main courses and desserts, all extravagant. I saw some lobsters this morning and caviar, too. I really wasn't looking forward to the lunch, especially since we all had to wear evening dresses. I mean, what crazy notion was that? Who wears an evening dress to Christmas lunch? I'm pretty sure Meghan Markle won't be doing that this year and she's dining with the Royal Family.
That said, I'd picked out a dress that was to die for. It was low cut at the front, and had a deep v at the back to match, with embroidery on the front and a bow belt at my waist, the chiffon fabric falling just below my knee. I was pairing the dress with a pair of strappy black heeled sandals, minimal make up and only a few items of jewellery. I wasn't sure if it's what Camille had in mind when she text me to tell me what I needed to pack but Charlotte had approved it and that was good enough for me.
