Eating on a holiday

It's Sunday of a three-day weekend, and it feels like there's no urgency to do anything. I guess that's the holiday feeling. Though I have plenty to do - I've got 8 people to cook dinner for tonight. Have a barbie, I hear you say.

Sorry - the whole entertaining thing is not mine. I read lots of house and garden books and magazines (because I love design and seeing what's possible), and I'm so over the whole indoor-outdoor flow thing. Isn't there anyone in suburbia who can honestly admit, 'actually I hate entertaining a crowd, can never think what to feed them, and wish I could afford to eat out with people instead'? No. Those people don't spend a squillion dollars renovating their houses. We are the ones whose aforesaid crowds would have to slum it on a rotting deck and eat whatever vegetables are left in the bottom of the fridge 2 nights before shopping day.

So why am I doing it? Because my daughter and her partner (both university students) come to dinner after they work on Sundays, have a regular family meal sitting at the table telling jokes and reminiscing about the time Dad got his leg stuck in the deck after stomping on it in his size 8s to see which bits were rotten (and other such family treasures), and then we watch 2 episodes of Buffy (we're half way through season three). Now that's what I call entertainment.

Only tonight there are complications. My brother-in-law offered to come and set up new email addresses in the wake of getting broadband (since I remain stubbornly incompetent about this sort of thing, and still know more than the man of the house) and so I asked if he wanted to come for dinner at the same time. His response was suspiciously rapid - it must be a while since I last invited him. And my sister (the English one) is currently on her own as Dad (with whom she is staying) has gone off on a road trip with his marginally younger brother (they are both in their 80s) to see my ailing cousin, so I suggested she come as well, so she can catch up with weekly-visitor-daughter (and partner) and brother-in-law (and partner).

So there's me (who doesn't normally eat an evening meal, and no starchy foods), youngest daughter (vegetarian, hates carrots), second-youngest daughter (carb queen, no vegetables), s-y-d's partner (fussy eater like myself, but not as easily managed, as I haven't known her long enough), sister (prefers raw food only, but willing to adapt for company), and three men with hearty appetites who will eat anything, thank goodness, though one likes his food as spicy as possible and the others are fond of mild curries only. Where do you start?

It's going to be roast venison (the man of the house is a hunter - it's our staple meat) sliced and served with a bed of rice and whatever vegetables I can find in the bottom of the fridge 2 nights before ... cut up large so they can be extracted as necessary, in a rough approximation of a moderately spicy Senegalese dish technically based on fish. Plus falafels. And a completely indulgent dessert because everyone likes Eton Mess (except possibly second youngest daughter who, inexplicably, doesn't like cream. But there's ice cream as well). The barbecue (and Buffy) won't even get a look-in.

PS We managed to see the comet on night 2, only just, as the clouds were at the horizon, but McNaught was barely above them, then last night it rained, so no luck on night 3.