Fave song- Skinny Love by Birdy

I will never get sick of this song. The original by Bon Iver is also soo lovely.

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Where to start? Christmas has jogged up, sped by, and gratefully limped into Boxing Day. Perhaps a summary of how things went down might help- although, being in holiday mode, my brain's not all here, so you might need to fill in the gaps yourselves.

On Friday, as the last day of work drew to a close, we all went a little hell bent crazy and roared into party mode by bringing in the sauv blanc and bringing up the YouTube on the big screen tv (ordinarily reserved for video conferences). It was officially P.A.R.T.Y time!!!!

We danced rocker style to Bon Jovi, Cold Chisel, watched Mr Jujitsu's weird heavy metal clips, ballet spun to Birdy's Skinny Love and had an incredibly fun disco dance-off. We were classy in an unclassy way if you know what I mean (we got totally tipsy in the privacy of our office, no mess, no embarrassment-- even if a bit nerdy), cheap, and so very memorable. Best final day of work ever.

Then it was Christmas Day and my sister and I cooked and cooked and cooked. We had:

• snapper that was baked in a salt crust
• brocollini panfried with garlic and anchovies
• seafood salad with prawns, rocket, avocado
• baked sweet potato
• baked regular potato
• mango, capsicum, tomato, and rocket salad
• berry and apple crumble with vanilla icecream

Most tiring cook off ever. But really really yummy:

And then it was today. We watched The Iron Lady while gorging on popcorn (see below). One of the best movies I've seen in ages. Meryl Streep is amazing- in the words of my sister: "She's old school good".

The laidback crooner...

Last night, I had dinner with Miss CalmFarm and as always, it was spiritual, enriching and contemplative.

We had Thai in a cute little Thai spot on Pitt Street.

Then we walked through to park en route to Central station, where we came upon a man who looked a little like a hippy, chilled out, blonder version of Julian Assange. He was seated on a bench, with a keyboard mounted on a stand and he was pressing down a bunch of chords while singing in an in-tune, nasal and easy listening version of Kelly Clarkson's "Because of you". He was smiling, nodding affably at us, while the wind ruffled his floppy mop (like Hugh Grant in Notting Hill) and not at all putting in the angst that Because of you requires. It is a break-up song after all.

Think the beginning of If God was one of us by Joan Osborne-- before she launches into the song-- but ten times slower. That's how he was singing.

As compared to:

It was hysterical.

CONGRATULATIONS PONY!

On Sunday, Pony and Manly got engaged!!!!!!

I'm super excited for them. Together they've conquered distance, life's challenges, dashed dreams (don't worry Manly- you'll get it next year!), and continued to support each other in that steadfast, constant way that solid couples do.

I can't wait until they have exotic Eurasian babies with olive skin, hazel eyes and long long limbs.

Happy wedding wishes Lamington Shipp!

As I catch up on the hectic Friday & weekend that was, I come to Saturday.

On Saturday, I had lunch with my sister, had a manicure in her office, met her cute and hugely entertaining lawyer buddy Miss DimiPheebs (because she's diminutive), analysed the death out of a couple of email chains in an attempt to help Miss DimiPheebs decipher the double meanings in the many emails exchanged between her and Mr Desirable ("do you think he likes me??"), concluded that it was just too early days yet, before meeting up with Pony to come together for Lamington Shipp's fiance's birthday.

We enjoyed Vietnamese wraps, Vodka Cruisers, a brilliant lunar eclipse and some plain old good conversation. One of the nicest evenings of the month.

[Mr Shipp (furthest left), Lamington Shipp (third form the left) and the rest of us:]

[Amazing lunar eclipse that hit at around 1 am]

[The happy couple at the end of a long, lovely night:]

It smells of Christmas, Grass and Alchomohol!

It feels like a lifetime ago now (I've just had the chockest weekend known to mankind and I won't be able to fill you in on it today- there's just too much), but on Friday, it was our work Christmas party.

Theme: 1920's

Weather forecast in the week leading up to it: Dubious, swirly and grey at best, torrentially rainy and wintry at worst

Weather on the day: Miraculously phenomenal. We couldn't stop stating: "We were sooo lucky with the weather"- as if we had anything to do with it

Sport of the hour: Lawn bowls

Food of the Friday: Snags and rolls

Final hour: Lowenbrau

It was the loveliest Christmas party of my life. Flouncing around in our outfits, taking the train to Erskineville for an afternoon out on the greens, ignoring curious bystanders and posing like we just didn't care-- Could you ask for anything more from a WORK Christmas party?

[Smart and suspendered:]

[Gloriously attired:]

[Waiting for the train like Miss Daisy:]

[Miss DB, Mr Funky Glasses and I:]

[Walking to the Bowling Greens:]

[Miss DB: the best of the bowlers:]

[Me and Miss Tiny:]

[The absolute definition of four eyes:]

Happy Birthday Pony Express!

Today is Pony Express's birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLD SPORT!

Yesterday was her party. It was meant to be lawn bowls in the sun, but this crazy Winter Summer (tops of 19 degrees today, fellas) meant that it was snags and chair dancing under the awning. Her man, who she calls "Manly" (because he is, by all accounts, manly), organised the whole do-- including the back-up plan.

It was a grand mix of exemplary planning, good food (including the rogue salad that flipped in the car, except it was okay because "most of it landed in the cling wrap!"), suitably lovely friends and those vintage happy snaps embedded in polaroid film; standing as a happy reminder of the special day that was-- Pony's 27th birthday.