Joyeux Noel!

Happy Christmas/Yule/Late Solstice and very lake Hanukkah to all my F-list.

I hope that you are spending the holidays in ways that you're enjoying; whether that be the full festive fiasco, or the relaxed barbecue under a tree.

If you, like a few of my friends in far-flung cities are actually having a rubbish time, I can at least offer the comfort that it will make all future holidays look better by comparison, and the suggestion that you spend the time reading that novel you've been putting off and ignoring the chaos around you. Because buying into it will only cause you pain. Fake nausea if your attendance is being demanded!

Our house is having a very calm time with lunch postponed to late dinner (should get onto that in a minute ...) and fabulous gifts including the complete House of Eliott for me (costume fiends of a certain age will know what I am talking about) and Banksy's book of art for J.

This year Sydney is deliciously cool, so we were able to take the new Nerf torpedo down to the park and throw it around until our arms gave out. If you lack a boat, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as faffing about down at the park with something to kick or throw. We briefly considered stealing one of our neighbour's children so we didn't look like idiots being the only Nerfy adults about, but decided that I'm short enough to get past a cursory examination. There were two other sets of adults, one with a remote-controlled plane, one with a new football. Brilliant.

My resolution for 2008 is to play in the park at every available opportunity.

I hope that for all of you, 2008 brings joy, peace, and plenty of time for play.

Joyeux Noel!

Happy Christmas/Yule/Late Solstice and very lake Hanukkah to all my F-list.

I hope that you are spending the holidays in ways that you're enjoying; whether that be the full festive fiasco, or the relaxed barbecue under a tree.

If you, like a few of my friends in far-flung cities are actually having a rubbish time, I can at least offer the comfort that it will make all future holidays look better by comparison, and the suggestion that you spend the time reading that novel you've been putting off and ignoring the chaos around you. Because buying into it will only cause you pain. Fake nausea if your attendance is being demanded!

Our house is having a very calm time with lunch postponed to late dinner (should get onto that in a minute ...) and fabulous gifts including the complete House of Eliott for me (costume fiends of a certain age will know what I am talking about) and Banksy's book of art for J.

This year Sydney is deliciously cool, so we were able to take the new Nerf torpedo down to the park and throw it around until our arms gave out. If you lack a boat, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as faffing about down at the park with something to kick or throw. We briefly considered stealing one of our neighbour's children so we didn't look like idiots being the only Nerfy adults about, but decided that I'm short enough to get past a cursory examination. There were two other sets of adults, one with a remote-controlled plane, one with a new football. Brilliant.

My resolution for 2008 is to play in the park at every available opportunity.

I hope that for all of you, 2008 brings joy, peace, and plenty of time for play.