We were warned by Matti and Edwina to be there early so we went down to Balmain with our Qantas blankets early to stake out our territory armed with the best of the Italian district delis and a box or two of goon just to take the picnic down a key, plus a bottle of rum for good measure. We drank and ate and made friends and swooned at the lovely lights and delighted in our good fortune at being all together for the New Year in such a setting. It finshed up, like any good party, with Annie getting kicked awake by police after having passed out in the park, and Carmel being de-gooned behind a tree.