Crayfish

This weekend we joined some friends with their Crayfish festivities.

The menfolk had already been out collecting the crayfish.

They go out on boats and put out pots which are left overnight.

The contents are collected later the same night or in the morning.

The photo below and the one of the sunset

were both taken by Mike in 2006 when he went out

on the boats for the crayfish,

needless to say he didn't stay out all night

but the others did I believe on that occasion,

building a camp fire on one of the islands.

It was quite an experience.

In this photo you can see the type of pots that are used.

They are freshwater crayfish

and need the freshest and cleanest of waters to survive.

This year Mike and I only joined them for the Saturday evening

when the crayfish have been cooked.

They are usually boiled in water flavoured with salt and dill.
Of course it is traditional to serve the crayfish with plenty of alcohol!
Akvavit (Snaps) is generally served.

Our host however had bought a special drink for Mike!

He was well chuffed!

Our host as always had provided a lovely aray of food.

But it was so delicious that I'm afraid I tucked in before taking any photos.

Well I didn't want to hold up the proceedings!

I did take a photo of dessert however.

It was a lovely evening

As usual we dined outdoors on the terrace overlooking the lake.

As it got later and a bit cooler

I moved to sit by the fire

where we sat and chatted

Rounding the evening off nicely

leaving a feel of warmth, reflection

and mellowness.