Christmas the easy way

Yesterday started with these cute sugar mice from our neighbour, Tom (aged eight or so).

It was followed by a walk with the doggie meet-up crew on a beach about an hour up the coast. And then bubbles and egg-nog back at one of the members' lovely farmhouses.

Before we raced back to ours for a relaxed barbie in the scorching sun with our friend Andy. No family arguments, no angst over presents and defo none of the crap that usually keeps company with Christmas. It was simple, easy-going and one of the best I've ever had...  

An expensive way to say Merry Christmas

I can count on one hand the number of items I bought from John Lewis during the six and a bit years I lived in the UK.

But, as usual, their Christmas campaign to buy more crap you don't need, or can't afford, is a sweetie. It's also kind of criminal that it cost about seven million quid to produce but apparently obscene advertising budgets are okay if they get the tills ringing.

Still, I had a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat when I watched it, so it might be time to put the cynicism back in its box (at least until after the fat man in the red suit has been).

Watch and enjoy and have a fantabulous day no matter where in the world you are...

How to avoid spending too much time in the kitchen

When life hands you a sunny day - and the need to make something sweet/Christmassy for drinks with friends - you can't go past quick and easy rocky road.

That, Nicola's madeira cake and red wine made for a fun afternoon.

Today

Was an intoxicating mix of canines, laundry and research on Dublin pubs (for a travel piece I'm doing to coincide with Paddy's Day. And yes, I realise that's three months away but most magazines have stupidly long lead-in times and it's one of the many stories I need to write on my two-week "holiday").  

On the good side of the ledger:

• a long overdue freelance payment plopped into my bank account  
• two new commissions (okay this happened yesterday)
• an invitation to contribute book reviews to a major national magazine. Given the time it takes to digest four books each month, and the fact I've decided to focus more on corporate writing next year (it pays more and editors aren't such arses), I'm going to do it on a trial basis. But it was flattering to be asked and free books are never a bad thing.
• my friend Donna came along to our Saturday morning doggie meet-up group; great to catch up on the gos. It's just a shame that Bristol took such a homo-erotic shine to her dog Billie.  

The not so good:

• notification of my first provisional tax payment for 2014. Ta for the Xmas present, IRD.
• too many mince pies
• a half-arsed work-out
• general exhaustion. One day I am going to wake up, look in the mirror and realise I have no need for concealer. I predict that day will come sometime in 2030.     

Today visuals are c/o this morning's meet-up group:

Look Ma, no hands!

Or, in this case, two hands. Back in October, you may recall, I was a hand model for the company I'm currently contracting to.

Today I saw evidence of that shoot - in a brochure that, incidentally, I also ended up writing which will be used in NZ, Australia, the US and UK. My hands will be famous in five markets; I have truly peaked.

My dining room doesn't look too shabby, either.

Yet another dip in the pool of random that is my life...

This made me laugh today

A colleague, knowing the marketing team's enduring love of Breaking Bad, spiced up the work kitchen with this:

Yes, the middle canister is labelled Blue Meth. It's actually coloured sugar. He also went to great lengths to source the exact same canister. Genius.

Meanwhile, this table, which you can only see a fraction of, holds the entire contents of my breakfast. And lunch.

I am eternally grateful the corporate slog is over for another year; me and my waistline can no longer cope with the calorific overload. The time has well and truly come for a sugar/alcohol/carb intervention.

This made me cry today

And wrap the Brizmeister in even more love, hugs and kisses than he usually gets.