Happy New Year next week

Hey All;

I'm back at work today...by choice. Call me odd, but I actually enjoy working these few in between days. No phone calls, skeleton staff - I can get on top of things...once I get this update out of the way.

Over Christmas, I had time to reflect on the year that was and lessons learnt.

My time as a labourer for example, introduced me to a number of building techniques which have an equally useful application in the real world. Take expansion joints placed in brick walls/concrete etc. (allowing for expanding and contracting without cracking). It was observed yesterday that the one God placed between my chest and hips has been proving its worth. Now, you may niaively assume it's due to festive feasting (which Mum and The Lovely Samantha did their best to lead me into temptation with their gastronomic Christmas day spread), however the actual reason is much more grounded in technical rationale. That being the colder Melbourne weather contracting my hips and chest thus giving my mid riff the illusion of an optical overhang. With her new found personal training knowledge however, much more grounded in anatomical theory, Sam is somewhat more sceptical.

Christmas was pretty much like all before it. Presents, eating, sleeping, cricket (actually more like a lesson in how not to pick a cricket team) and remeniscing. Sam discovered a cracking new salad and we've made a resolution to work through her new present (Damian Pignolet's Salad cookbook) over the summer.

Have a cracking few days.

see you next year,
Minas.

Playing Catchup

Hey Gang;

Just looked at the date on my last update. So much for my commitment to write more regularly.

We flew to Sydney this weekend. Aside from seeing the Annie Leibovitz exhibition at the MCA, I did everything else I set out to do.

On Saturday we had the Italian side of the family over for a pre-Christmas lunch which had everything. Prawns, oysters, roast lamb, salads, fruit cake and a family round of binge eating induced torpor.

Later in the afternoon, once my legs had braced themselves to carry the extra kilos, The Lovely Samantha, Bodhi the reindeer and I went over to the Greek side of the family to catch up with them. My uncle has been poorly of late with a spot of the Big C so it was nice to see him back up and letting everyone in on his secret tip of Souths winning next years premiership.

That night Sam and I caught the ferry to Manly and spent the night at the skiff club catching up on the last few years worth of London gossip courtesy of Shane who was passing through for Christmas.
I'm thankful for seeing him, but I'll be suggesting London as our next catch up as I'm sure the flight back is quicker than the public transport fiasco back home - two hours of my life I'll never get back.

Sunday started late, but not too dusty. A stunning day of perfect picnic weather seemed to be sticking it's nose up at the weather forecasters who'd predicted rain. Which is a good thing as we'd organised a picnic to catch up with everyone else in Sydney. Again, too much food, not enough time and before I knew it I was running along in my shorts, t-shirt and thongs back to the Melbourne which made good on the Sydney weather predictions.

12 degrees Celsius in the city, squalls, downpours and, to top it off, snow in Hotham.

Who'd have dreamt of a white Christmas in Victoria?

A safe one for you and yours,
Minas.