brand spanker

Wait, it’s 2007 already?

And I’m back! I was away, of course. New Zealand was great, I was at my parent’s bach, just below the Bay of Islands. Weather was good (far surpassing Melbourne, where it apparently hailed on Christmas Day), and my activity level was set to Low, my mental level was set to Sudoku, and my eating level was set to Catch Of The Day. Can’t show you photos yet because of camera difficulties, please stand by. Be assured there is an intriguing mix of stunning scenery and dog backsides.

Back in Melbourne, the sky is again filled with bushfire smoke. My house, although clean when I left, has become a mysterious abode full of dust and, somehow, feathers. The Christmas tree remains alive – this and the peace lily seem to have enjoyed their three-week break from water, although all the other plants are unimpressed. I try to tell them that I’m just acclimatising them to Australian drought conditions, but they remain obstinately dead. I had 1400 emails and 3000 Bloglines entries to read through (actually, 1370 emails to delete and if I couldn’t be bothered opening a Bloglines entry, I unsubscribed… decluttering! That is probably someone else’s New Years Resolution, but I will help you!) I had to get a new toothbrush halfway through the holiday when we discovered my friend’s grandmother with Alzheimer’s was using it as a hairbrush. My knees are peeling but the cuts on my feet from rocks & oyster shells are healed. And that pretty much brings us up to date.

I hope you’ve all been well and enjoyed Festivus (or Newtonmas, which I may celebrate next year thanks to Kate). We will now return to our regular scheduled nonsense.