Just One Festive Sleep To Go And It's Already Christmas...Somewhere

Here I am on Christmas Eve, catching up on all my Christmas emails and trying to respond in kind with a fab e-card (which is presenting some technical challenges to say the least!) when I realised that Christmas Day has already arrived for my Aussie family and friends so although they might not be up and about just yet, in case I don't crack the e-card....

Wishing you all a magical Christmas

and every success and happiness in 2010...

Love from me, J & Alfie Bear (of course!)

xxx

12 Festive Sleeps to Go...Winning Performances

Well it's that time of year when  two of my favourite shows start drawing to their inexorable close - Strictly Come Dancing and X Factor.

X Factor will finish tonight in a blaze of stage effects, judge's tears and testosterone now that it is down to Olly and Joe and for my part, I would love Olly to win.  Entertaining, cheeky and gutsy...although it will be a fight to the end and in two hours time, the artist with the 'Christmas Number One' for 2009 will be announced...

But more than that, I loved this weekend's Strictly.  All of those amazing, amazing performances and the most wicked Argentine Tango from Ricky and Natalie...I just so want them to win.  So nothing pleased me more than to see them go through to next week's final. 

So there it is - my votes for the winning performances.  Saturday nights will just not be the same without them...

13 Festive Sleeps To Go...Gratitude

I opened up my blog today not knowing what I was going to write.  Sometimes it happens like this and today it meant that instead of rushing in knowing exactly what was there to be said, I took some time to read some of the other blogs I follow.

Earlier in the year, a friend of mine was diagnosed with cancer.  She weathered an array of aggressive treatments and has spent the last 5 months in India, giving herself the space to heal.  She only started blogging again recently and I read today that she has come home to Paris and it reminded me how much I love my little maisonette flat tucked away up here on Kingston Hill.  My sanctuary, where I can either invite the world in or take a brief respite from the little battles life presents on a daily basis.

Her words reminded me what there is to be grateful for and straight away it brought up some of the little pieces of news from family that have made my heart swell over the last week or so - like when my little sister was honoured as a life member of the NDSOC car club and I cried on the bus going to work reading how stunned and touched she was - or when my Mum's partner got the all clear after being rushed into hospital with an aggressive form of melanoma. Or the regular newsletter from my itinerant Dad-and-Stepmum chronicling their latest travels through Western Australia over the last few weeks and reminding us all that they having been living this gypsy dream of theirs for 3 years.  Or when when I sat with my partner, his ex and his son, cheering and clapping furiously at his daughter's end of year Christmas Dinner Concert last Saturday...

What a couple of weeks it has been.

So my brave, brave friend, in the midst of her journey, wrote her blog...and without even knowing it, became the inspiration for mine...

20 Festive Sleeps To Go...

I cannot quite believe we are in December and I am already starting to put things in my diary for next year...like next catchups with friends (we are now hugging goodbye saying 'see you next year') and routine appointments (like my next hairdresser's appointment is now January 30th!) 

There are only 20 sleeps to go until Christmas Day, the shops are getting crazy-busy, parking in Kingston has officially become challenging and brightly-wrapped parcels from home are starting to form quite a festive pile under the Christmas tree. And we are off for our first Christmas event tonight - J's daughter's Christmas Dance Show - complete with roast turkey meal and all the yuletime trimmings. 

Just where did the year go?  Can anyone tell me??

Time to Get Festive...

Christmas is creeping up on us all and with the 1st December approaching (on Tuesday), there was much excitement in our household when the cupboard under the stairs was opened, many boxes and bags were rummaged through and a very important Hamer ritual took place...the annual decoration of the Christmas Tree.

(I know it's not officially December yet but if we are rounding to the closest weekend, Tuesday is def. closer to this weekend than next!)

So with 26 sleeps to go, I tested the lights, laid out all of the ornaments - an eclectic mix of cheap 'fillers' and gorgeous treats from my travels over the last few years - and spent a couple of joyful hours filling my flat with Christmas...

So so pretty...I'm feeling very pleased with my efforts indeed.  And it does makes me all childishly excited to turn all of the living room lights off and to sit in the lovely glow of Christmas....

But what's that I can hear?  A few rustling sounds and a bear-ish grunt or two...hmmm let's investigate....

Oh it's Alfie Bear - he has stolen Mummy's Christmas hat and is admiring his very first Christmas tree!  

Remember...26 sleeps to go people...time to get festive!

News Flash...Elvis Sighting in New Malden...

I caught up with a friend for dinner on Thursday night and she had booked us a table at a local curry place that neither of us had been to before (Sesame in New Malden if you are absolutely dying to know).

So I arrived a little after my friend and as we embraced and said 'hello, it's good to see you' and all that, she tells me that, unbeknownst to her upon booking, tonight Sesame is trialling a little something new to accompany its traditional Indian & Thai menu...

Elvis....

...yes, we looked at each other like that too!

Anyway, we ordered a drink, made our selections from the evening's menu and had started out on almost a year's worth of catching up when all of a sudden there was a flash, and Elvis had entered the building (albeit via the kitchen).  Surrounded by a number of groups celebrating birthdays, Christmas and anything in between, we looked bemusedly at each other, tucked in to some great food - actually the food was fantastic and I want to make sure that I make that point in the midst of all of the wittering on about Elvis - settled in to watch the show.

And what a cracking show it was!  The voice was excellent and Elvis' charm and swagger had us all Returning to Sender and Viva Las Vegas-ing before we knew it.  Hit after well-known hit followed and after an hour of belting out those tunes, Elvis took a little break - which then resulted in some 'here's the highlights' style catching up for us before his imminent return 30mins later.  Another hour of faves ensued - like Suspicious Minds, Burning Love and Can't Help Falling in Love - and it was 11 o'clock when Elvis took his Final Curtin and left the building (again via the kitchen).

So what was supposed to be a sedate catch up between friends turned into a bit of a riot (in a good way of course) and we left agreeing that it was both completely surreal yet fabulous fun.  The compromise we'd had to make on having a good ol' natter was definitely worth it and we might it even make it the next girl's night out that we have!

'Open Sesame' really did produce a gem of a night...

There's An Elephant On My Chest...

Over the last few days I have had 'an elephant on my chest'...

Truly...I have...

In the nostalgic glow of childhood illnesses, when I had to struggle to find the words to describe whatever the doctor was poking, prodding and pressing that bl**dy cold stethoscope to my childish frame about, the words 'I think I have a chest infection doctor' did not enter my precocious head. 

Instead it was more Dr Suess like - 'there's an elephant on my chest' or another favourite 'I've got swans', a reference to the wheezy honking noise I emitted when breathing out. 

I still think these describe what it feels like far better than any of those high-falutin' descriptions or attempts at self-diagnosis we try on as grown-ups, ostensibly to assure the doctor - that we fought hard to get an appointment with - that we really have it all under control...I mean come on, who are we kidding?

Anyhow, on Friday the nice lady doctor poked and prodded and put the bl**dy cold stethoscope against my not-so-childish frame and suggested that my case of flu had developed into a chest infection.  There were no needles or anything, just a script for me to take away and a reassuring 'if you don't feel any better in a couple of days, come back and we'll reassess' (oh great, another potential 8am scramble for the few 'emergency' appointments held each day...joy!)

So off I went and got my pills and admittedly the elephant feels smaller...but there was one thing missing that I know would have made all the difference to my recovery...and in this era of NHS cost-cutting, I cannot believe they have been forsaken so easily...

Where was my jellybean?

XFactor vs Strictly? No it's Vegemite vs Marmite...

The battle is really hotting up over here.  Never mind all of that Saturday night twaddle about whether XFactor or Strictly Come Dancing got the highest ratings - although by my calculation there must be a lot of empty restaurants and Saturday night 'venues' around in these weeks leading up to Christmas. 

No the REAL battle is over a couple of thick, brownish-black gloopy substances, Vegemite and Marmite.

If you click here, you can read more on the latest tactics in this age-old war between the colonials and the Empire but in short, Marmite now has a store in Regent Street, London - only a pop-up one mind suggesting that this is not a long term Marmite strategy - to proclaim the brand's...um...coolness.

Would be un-Australian of me to suggest that this in fact pointed not to coolness but to an inferiority complex?  I mean we don't need to resort to this in Australia for one of our 'own' - every self-respecting Aussie knows the words to 'Happy Little Vegemites' (indoctrinated during hours of childhood telly - click here to see it for yourself) and there is nothing more comforting and nostalgic for us Down Under than hot buttered toast with Vegemite (partic. when the toast is based on the fluffy, nutritionally-bereft bread we loved as kids - when did Granary overtake this in our psyche I wonder?).

But I digress...

I do remember supermarkets making a short-lived effort to stock this supposed British staple - like it or not, they stopped stocking it because NO-ONE BOUGHT IT! And no-one bought it because NO-ONE LIKED IT!

I suspect that Vegemite has had a reasonable showing in British supermarkets (and probably more so in the Greater London ones) because about 400,000 Aussies set up camp here and wanted some home comforts...and were prepared to be impolite enough (we call this being direct) to ask why it wasn't stocked anywhere.  And supermarkets, being what they are and hating to miss a money-making opportunity, put the smallest, most cost-ineffective jars on their shelves.  And we then proceeded to indoctrinate partners, wives, husbands, children and anyone who sat at our breakfast table to the Antipodean delights of Vegemite on toast as the ULTIMATE morning-after-the-night-before cure.  So we all went to the supermarket or the Australia Shop or harangued fellow travellers coming from our great brown land to get us some more so that we could put 'a rose in every cheek' possible.

I don't remember anything like this happening for Marmite in Australia...

I rest my case.

Sage Advice....

I am at home feeling completely bleeeaaaggghh today (I will spare you the details) and have only just emerged from my sickbed. Slumped at my computer, I was in need of some glimmer of light, a little sparkle if you will to lift me out of my 'sorry-for-myself' malaise so I trawled through the various email funnies sent by family and friends over the last few days.  And I am please to report that thanks to my old schoolmate Jennie, I was not disappointed!

Check out the funniest, laugh-out-loud pearls of wisdom from our erstwhile National Health Service - in public view for all to see...

Oh dear! What will they think of next?

We Have A Monopoly....

I am new to this whole Xbox thing...J has one hooked up to a flat screen tv that pretty much dominates his small living room and while I have developed a rather sporadic affection for A Kingdom for Keflings, my Xbox experience has been more opportunistic rather than particularly focussed...

...until now.

On a late night shopping expedition to Tesco or Asda (I can't remember which) a couple of weeks ago, J invested in Xbox Monopoly and it had its first foray into our world last weekend when we introduced J's son to its capitalistic delights.  (And just so you know, I won...by a long way...aaaah I can hear my family groaning now!)  

But last night, facing a chilly Saturday evening at home and without any pretense of 'oh how nice let's give this a try shall we', we let our most basic and fervent desires loose and submitted ourselves to this, the pinnacle of addictive power games.  And after I had completely opened a serious can of 'whoop-ass' all over J, in our 1.30am rematch (he insisted - I was happy to rest on my laurels), he laughed smugly (I thought) as I managed the rather remarkable feat of landing on Park Lane and Mayfair (with buildings!) not only on successive turns but also on successive laps of the board.  Game Two - Over!

At one game each, I can see that our future Saturday nights may now be dedicated to this bloody and brutal enterprise...

Let the games begin!

A Chilling Tribute...

I subscribe to a weekly newsletter from Innocent - for those of you outside the UK, Innocent makes fresh smoothies, juices, snacks and drinks - which is irreverant, fun and always makes me smile somewhere in the reading of it...

Well this week's newsletter came through with a bit of a tribute to MJ's Thriller which I thought was worth a look. I enjoyed it so much that I just wanted to share it with you all so click on the link below to check it out...

Jim Anderson's Chiller

Perhaps not as good as the original but a fair effort I think.

And as with all good films, the best bits are the behind the scenes bits and interviews with the cast and crew...

Meet the Cast

Behind the Scenes...The Making Of

well maybe not...

But what an absolute crack-up...now THIS is my kind of corporate team-building!

For more innocent antics you can check out http://innocentdrinks.typepad.com/innocent_drinks/ 

An Enterprising Young Bear....

I was reading some of my recent blogs and it occurred to me that a) they are all a bit serious of late, especially when you read them one after the other like I did and b) it has been some time since we caught up with the light of my life, young Alfie Bear.

(Yes I know J is the light of my life but shhhh! We mustn't let Alfie hear...it's all about him you know!)

Anyway, Alfie has been mooching around and generally presuming that all of life revolves around him.  He still loves watching the squirrels scurrying about outside from his comfy window position but doesn't get to do this so much now that the blind is closed during the weekdays when I am at work.  He gets bored quickly and likes to keep busy and it would appear that he's been putting this time to some use.  We recently discovered a little project of his...it would appear that he's been quite an enterprising young bear and has joined the ranks of celebrity (or should that be celebratory?) brands with his very own gin & tonic - he told me that I gave him the idea as I always seemed to enjoy a Gin & Tonic with Daddy so much!  

Alfie also loves to 'participate' and he takes great joy in being the centre of attention. During the unwrapping of my 40th birthday presents, he took quite a liking to one of my sister's gifts - a pair of bedsocks with cows heads on them - and took it upon himself to demonstrate how much better they looked on him!  The photo says it all really....

Anyway, that's enough about Alfie for now...too much attention will go to his head, things will just become impossible and I might just have to have a few stern words with him...or give him THE LOOK (you know, the one ALL mother's have that manages to silence ...well...everything really)...but he has such a cute face and how could I possibly stay cross...

Sigh....

What's that you say?  He's not real?

Bite your tongue!

Definitely Not Leaving...

My Indefinite Leave To Remain in the UK has come through.  

The Royal Mail card has been sitting on the table by the door waiting until today when I could get to the Post Office to pick up the Special Delivery Parcel this morning and there was my passport, my documents and the most anticipated letter ever confirming that I am 'no longer subject to immigration restrictions'.

There were a few tears of relief...it hasn't mattered how many times I have logic-ed it all out with 'of course it won't be a problem, I more than meet the criteria and submitted absolutely everything that they have asked for', a tiny voice in my head (you know, THAT voice) kept muttering 'but you haven't been working for most of this year' and 'you don't have a stable income/job' so there has been an internal battle since submitting my application 8 weeks ago which I am so relieved as over...

It's been almost 6 years since I arrived in London and it's been challenging and imperfect and joyful and rewarding to build my life here on terms I didn't know would ever be mine and to make different choices, ones I thought I would never face or even dream I would have to make.  But I feel like I've earned this life - it's mine and being here is not in someone else's hands anymore - and I'm happier than I ever thought was possible.

So for those of you at 'home' (my first one anyway) who still miss me, this news may be a double-edged sword but please know that I'm loved and happy here...and I'm only ever a blog away....

The Last Laugh...

So we bought Halloween treats yesterday in preparation for the onslaught of trick-or-treaters willing to brave walking up the hill that is Windmill Rise - those that know 'the hill' will agree it takes not insignificant fortitude and strong mountain goat tendancies to take it on - so we wanted to be sure that those with these qualities were rewarded at the summit like last year.


But no-one turned up.


No-one.


Not one tiny knock at the door.


Complete silence.


Damn...

...although this does mean that we have a bulk bag of Haribos and 10 mini bags of Maltesers to get through...

Aha!  Who's having the last laugh (and a mild sugar headache) now? 

The Icons of Youth...

This year has been something of a transition year - my redundancy, the passing of J's Mum, 2 weddings, several 40th birthdays - including my own - and 2 births (well one is still actually pending but I figure a due date of January 17 means that the majority of 'womb-time' falls into this year).  But one thing in particular has made this feel like even more of a watershed year...when I read this week that Don Lane had died.

At this point, you might be saying to yourself 'who is this guy?' (for those who don't know, he hosted one of Australia's late-night 'chat' shows, whilst I was a young'un) or 'what about MJ and Farrah Fawcett?'.  But here's the thing.  Don Lane was like this quintessential piece of my growing up years - not that I thought he was great or anything or even that the show was on all that much in the house I grew up in.  But Don, his show and Bert 'Moonface' Newton as his sidekick, was just there in that patchwork of Australian late 70s-early 80s culture.  Not really as an idol but more an icon of my youth - something I didn't choose but perhaps chose me.

A bit like musk sticks from the tuckshop at lunchtime or the smell of Coppertone Sunscreen, the daffodil wallpaper in my childhood bedroom or the seed pods, shaped like tiny fried eggs, that descended from the tree in the back yard.  Or even the annual 'all-day-on-the-telly' 'Hardie Ferodo' live from Mt Panorama.

So now I'm off to pick up some Halloween goodies for our imminent bevy of neighbourhood 'trick or treaters' and the disappearance of one of these icons, long forgotten until this week, has brought up such a wave of nostalgia around my childhood I'm now wondering how I can recapture some of 'it'...

Do you think Sainsbury's have got musk sticks?

Ol' Four Eyes...

Yes it's true...in the aftermath of my 40th birthday and after 8 years of perfect vision, I bought a pair of glasses today...

I knew when I had laser surgery back in 2001 that I might only get 7-10 years before my eye muscles started to weary with the - ahem - 'natural age-ing process' and my regular eye test back in January this year confirmed that this had indeed begun so I did attend my appointment with the optician on Thursday with a more than sneaking suspicion that a return to glasses would be the outcome.

However, I would like to reassure you that I am not so despondent about this as you might think.  Tired eyes and headaches are certainly no fun and it will be quite useful to glance quickly at the distant train schedule to ensure I do not end up on the wrong tube - I admit that I am currently resorting to asking the waiting passengers on board any platform-ed train 'What line is this?' or 'Where is this one going?' as I come racing down the stairs...instead of dashing along the platform until I am close enough to see whether it was actually the train I should have been on...or not!  If you've been to London, you know how completely shocking it is for people to make eye contact, let alone actually be addressed, during their commute so I feel that as London is my home, this aberrant behaviour of mine must stop.

As J is heartily sick of me squinting/complaining 'I can't read that'/borrowing his glasses, he (and his daughter, the lovely A) came with me to ensure I did not end up looking either nanna-ish or try-hard-trendy and in the end, the choice was pretty easy...and a rather cool pair of specs will be awaiting me in about a week's time.

So peeps, ol' four eyes is back and better than ever!

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year...

The weekend is here again and despite the fact that during this last week, there's been just a little nip in the air as the sun dips backs down to the horizon each day, today we were blessed with a beautiful Autumn Day...so beautiful, in fact, that the top came off...

...my car you numpty, I'm talking about my car...

Got your attention though, didn't it! Ha!

Anyway, Autumn is my most favourite time of the year.  

(English people think I am weird when I tell them this. The usual reaction is an unbelieving 'What about Summer?'...I try to be gentle when I tell them that we don't all live in 'Summer Bay' and it does actually rain in Ramsay Street.)

The leaves are starting to turn now so we are getting some of that startling red and orange appearing in the midst of leftover summer-green foliage.  The mornings are peppered with misty puffs of breath and there is an extra layer of clothing in place on my daily, crunchy-leafed walk to catch the bus. And the daylight hours are definitely getting shorter too with my normal journey home cloaked in evening by the time I reach my door again, with the tip of my nose gone all cold and tingly.

But it's lovely - crisp and invigorating outside and cosy inside - and a great excuse to rediscover my warmer wardrobe staples that have lain abandoned over the glorious summer that we had...and so it all feels like new.

Yes, Autumn is definitely the most wonderful time of the year...

  

The view from my front door...glorious!!!

The Absence of Blogging...

I missed getting to my blog this weekend...not because I forgot or I didn't want to but all the other things to do and catch up on just got in the way...and before I knew it Sunday was done - and my blog wasn't...

While there's an urge to apologise profusely to those of you who wait with baited breath for my snippets of opinion and activity, my bigger urge is frustration and an I-haven't-blogged-for-a-week restlessness.  It's addictive, this blogging caper.  I never thought it would 'be' me but having writing back in my life has been such a joy.  Sometimes there's so much stuff happening or so many feelings all at once that I find it hard to choose 'the snippet' - although it usually ends up choosing itself as I write - and sometimes there's an event or opinion or feeling that's right there, bursting to get out...so get ready for loads of restless creativity and frustrated expression bursting forth!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Phew!

Now that's out, I have room to say 'really sorry I haven't blogged peeps'.  I am also delighted to report that I have two official followers (my big half-sister and that bloody trouble-maker from my drinking days in Melbourne) and I'd really love more of you to join my Peanut Gallery of followers, make hay with these two (or not) and heckle (or not) to your heart's content.

So chop chop...

Hot Chicks & Hens...

Last night 10 lovely ladies (or as we prefer, hot chicks) gathered to salute the last single days of our gorgeous girl, A-down-the-hill who, in two weeks time will 'I do' and morph from S...d to M....y-dom.  So how does one do this with appropriate pomp, circumstance and little finesse in this day and age?  Well being a bunch of foodies and self-titled gourmands (ie. basically little piggies), we all went cooking...

The Underground Cookery School lies beneath St Mary's Church just behind Finsbury Circus and London Wall and allows participants to drink, prepare a 3-course meal, drink, eat the meal they have prepared, drink and...drink.  Last night, under the watchful eye of Missa and Happy (our two chefs) we made tagliatelle, sea bream with roasted potatoes and salsa verde, and souffle.  And let me tell you, it got competitive right from the get-go starting with pretty vigorous dough-making and followed by some serious pasta-machine action.  

As with any daunting enterprise (ie. 10 women ranging from mildly tipsy to seriously 'sociable' preparing a 3 course meal that they are willing to eat at the end of it all), an early victory can be quite motivational and cries of success soon filled the room as each of us produced a proud little bundle of pasta ribbons.  So what's next, we asked...

There was sea bream filleting (getting those pesky bones out is more difficult than it looks!) , then tomato-(for the pasta sauce)-and potato-(for the sea bream)-roasting, salsa verde-making (again for the sea bream), Thai green curry prep-ping (for the vegetarians in the group) and finally the piece d'resistance, the raspberry souffle.  But lo and behold, how did that ramekin of salt end up in the saucepan of raspberries - it wouldn't have been one of we enthusiastically helpful ladies who thought it was the sugar that Missa requested, would it??  Just as well Missa had some other fruit 'out the back' so we did not have to go 'souffle-less'.  Dear oh dear...

After over 5 hours of underground cookery and a delicious meal (with more wine), we bid our patient chefs a fond and rather noisy farewell and moved on for a cheeky cocktail at Lounge Lover in nearby Shoreditch and a quick boogie-on-down in Beach Blanket Babylon next door before dispersing for home - which for three of us was a rather nice hotel - Club Quarters opposite Leadenhall Market.  We agreed that this had two distinct advantages: (1) it was significantly better than dealing with a long trip home and a large cab fare and (2) it provided a rather fabulous opportunity to continue our festival of foodie fun into a rather scrumptious breakfast at The Modern Pantry in Clerkenwell (see right).  Seriously people, the best coffee I've had for a long time, really yummy scrambled eggs with haloumi, spinach and tomato and then a shared plate of pancakes with berry compote and creme fraiche...you London-ers reading this must go!

So that's the night (and morning) that was - a tribute to friendship amongst fabulous women and a fitting farewell to singledom for our fair foodie friend.

Cheers....

Strictly Super...

Dear Strictly Come Dancing

How excited am I...you are back - with two nights and 16 dances a week...wicked!  Brucie's on form, Tess looks great and I'm lovin' the new two night format. Giving the celebs the chance to do a Ballroom and a Latin routine right from the start is definitely 'the goods'...just think, we'll never know what hidden talents all those poor early-exit-ers from the prior series may have had that we never got to see. 

So who are my faves at this early stage?  Well here's my top 3:

1. Craig Hollins - he looks way too cute (bit like Dec from Ant 'n' Dec don't you think?) to bring on a mean tango and then a rauchy rumba. But bring it on he did - way to go sunshine!
2. Ali Bastion - gorgeous and talented and can't believe she's not danced before. But time will tell - I'm not so sure I can see her in a cheeky salsa or sexy samba but amazing for week 1 - you go girl!
3. Ricky Groves - the dancing technique may be a bit suspect but man o man the boy can give it some!  Could not stop grinning at his cha cha cha...fab-u-lous!

And about Martina Hingis being the first to go? Honestly, I was not really fussed either way and Len did hit it bang on with the donut-without-the-jam comment (looks great on the outside but a bit disappointing once you get into it) but she was very gracious and kept smiling so good for her.  More gutted about Matt Cutler exiting with her...sigh...

5 days to go until my next fix of sequins, stars and Strictly...how nice to have your glitz and glamour back for a few short months...and looking forward to your brightening up the chilly evenings ahead.

Yours in dancing

Quickstep Kym

The Wisdom of Mr Curly...

In 2001, Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig published The Curly Pyjama Letters, a small book of letters between two friends - Mr Curly of Curly Flat and lone voyager, Vasco Pyjama.  Leunig's characters and witticisms had featured for years in the press, yet this book was (and still is) my only purchase of Leunig's works and here's why...

In one letter to his friend Mr Curly, Vasco bemoans the world he finds on his travels and poses the seemingly unanswerable question "What is worth doing and what is worth having?"  to which Mr Curly replies:

Dear Vasco

In answer to your question "What is worth doing and what is worth having?" I would like to say simply this. It is worth doing nothing and having a rest...otherwise you will become RESTLESS!

I believe the world is sick with exhaustion and dying of restlessness...Tiredness is one of our strongest, most noble and instructive feelings.  It is an important aspect of our CONSCIENCE and must be heeded or else we will not survive. When you are tired you must HAVE that feeling and you must act upon it sensibly - you MUST rest like the trees and animals do.

Yet tiredness has become a matter of shame!...Tiredness has become the most suppressed feeling in the world. Everywhere we see people overcoming their exhaustion and pushing on with intensity...and being congratulated for overcoming it and pushing it deep down inside themselves as if it were a virtue to do this...We live in a world of these consequences and then wonder why we are so unhappy.

So I gently urge you Vasco, do as we do in Curly Flat - learn to curl up and rest - feel your noble tiredness - learn about it and make a generous place for it in your life and enjoyment will surely follow. I repeat: it's worth doing nothing and having a rest.

Yours sleepily

Mr Curly xxx
 

Extract from The Curly Pyjama Letters by Michael Leunig

For the whole letter, you'll have to buy the book yourself!!!

Back in 2001, having ended every work week in exhaustion only to face a commitment-filled weekend stretching ahead of me, this struck such a chord.  I have just started on a two month project in digital media, a sector entirely new to me, and I have spent three days brimming over with the thrill of learning something new and the joy of making things happen...but my head is full and and my whole self tired.  So this reminder about being generous with myself is timely and this weekend...

I am going to do nothing

and

will be having a rest.

Ladies Who Lunch...

Today was a not-so-brilliantly-sunshine-y day in Kingston, and while this was disappointing, the grey clouds did nothing to dampen the spirits of four lunching ladies on Kingston Hill. 

It has been a while since I've entertained with such gusto but this afternoon was a leisurely 4 hours of eating, drinking and girlie gossip under the trees and my guests left replete with good cheer and I do believe that there was even a little waddle or two going back down the hill.

There was also a little surprise guest who had invited himself along and managed to engage the ladies with his sparkling eyes and disarming smile...but he left soon after, disappointed with the lack of honey fare and bear-y conversation...

What a cutie...I wonder where he will turn up next?

Life in the UK...Done & Dusted...

Well today I took my first step towards my official settlement here in the UK by passing the 'Life in the UK' test - 24 multiple choice questions over three quarters of an hour - which I managed to complete in about 5mins!  Hooray for me...

Now all I have to do is collect 5 years of bank statements, document my travels in and out of the UK over the last 5 years - which is quite a lot given the travelling I've done for my various jobs - acquire two passport-sized photos (Sainsbury's photo booth, here I come!), fill in the application form (19 pages), pay £820 and wait...

I have been feeling quietly nervous leading up to today's test, in retrospect more than it seemed to warrant.  But it is really unsettling to think that I've worked hard and built this wonderful life for myself here in the UK and my future here lies in someone else's hands.  Only time will tell I guess but let me just say that I will be so thrilled to get my ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain) status sorted...

Last of the Summer Wine...

Well, here we are at August Bank Holiday Monday and the official last day of summer here in the UK and the weather has put in a simply splendid show of sunshine to remind us all that summer was actually pretty good over here this year. 

It's 26C, and whilst I submitted myself to a rather unruly burst of spring-cleaning this morning, I followed this with a couple of hours of luxurious reading under the trees out the front...and we are bbq-ing in earnest tonight to give this English summer of 2009 a proper and fitting 'cheerio'.

So it's a toast to farewell Summer...goodbye to tomatoes and blackberries and rosily,sun-kissed cheeks and noses...and to welcome the brilliantly-hued and softly sunshine-y days of Autumn...

Disney Studios...Or The Invasion of High School Musical

Well day 2 of our Disney Extravaganza was spent at the Disney Studios Park, a peek behind the magic of making movies right next door to the original park. 

So after starting my 40th birthday with all my new friends at Cafe Mickey (see The Happiest Friends On Earth...) it was time to get into some 'action' (geddit?...action...movies....). This park is reasonably new so I have been reliably informed that some of the areas lack the depth of the other Disney Studios parks in the States (partic. the backlot area) but it had a different feel from the Disneyland park and we spent a great day amongst the rides, shows and streets of the Front Lot, Hollywood Boulevard, Toon Studios, Back Lot and the Production Courtyard.
One of the best things about our day was the Moteurs...Action Stunt Show Spectatcular.  In front of 1000 plus people in an open air arena, the director, stunt drivers and a few special guests (like the Love Bug himself, Herbie) took us on a 45min stunt ballet of screaming engines, smoking tyres and special effects all wrapped up into the final 'movie' reel at the end.  I will NEVER look at movie car chases in the same way again...completely awesome!  Here's some pics but they don't really do it justice....

And one to prove we were really there...

Childish Games and Becoming A Follower...

Since we've been on the subject of children's activities of late (you know with my big Disney extravaganza and all that), I thought I'd continue the theme with a visit back to yesteryear and that all-time favourite, Mousetrap...remember how carefully we had to build it all up just to feel smugly satisfied at the successful capture of the mouse at the end?

Well there are some people that just never grow up...check this out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zudydE4Uuw

Britain really does have talent!
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ps...for those of you who have been receiving my blog posts as an auto email, I'm chuffed that you like them - but I have now added an easy-peasy link on my actual blog page so that you can become a follower of my blog - then you can set your own settings about how you want to be notified when I add something new.  This will make make me look less like a desperate scotty no-mates and more like the interesting/fascinating/witty person you all know and love (too much sell??? Sorry...) So go there now -  www.kymhamer.blogspot.com - and make me look good  :-)

The Happiest Place blah blah...THE RIDES!!!!!!

Badge lovingly hand-crafted by J for me to wear...all day...

Returning to my big 40th birthday Disney extravaganza (yep it's still all about me on this blog!) this one is all about....

THE RIDES

So hang on tight people...

It all began with a gentle tour around the Disney Park aboard the Disneyland Railroad...

x

...followed by a visit to Phantom Manor

...dropping in to Indiana Jones' Temple of Peril and cruising past the underground Blue Lagoon restaurant with the Pirates of the Carribean.

The thrills really started inside Space Mountain: Mission 2...

before levelling off again with an annoyingly uni-lingual flight with Star Tours (commentary all in French!!!!) and a cheese-y sojourn through It's a Small World.

And that was day one...

Day two was in the Disney Studios Park with even more thrills and spills...there was the Studio Tram Tour...

followed by the Armageddon Special effects experience, the Motors Action Stunt Show Spectacular (not really a ride as such but just as thrilling - more on this later) and then the ultimate thriller...

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror...

Our final day saw us start with the Rock n Roller Coaster (and a few choice phrases directed at 'the big man upstairs' - after all it was a Sunday!)...

followed by a few tamer experiences...Flying Carpets of Agrabah

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and The Adventures of Pinocchio...

and last, but not least, the giant teacups (or in its more official capacity, the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups).
Turning 40 really was one hell of a ride.......

Looking for Love? Borrow A Cup Of Sugar...

I found this quote today from the ever-fabulous Katherine Hepburn:

'Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other.

Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then.'

Ha! I think she's onto something...nothin' like a neighbour I say!

Blackberry, blackberry...

Just a small diversion from the Happiest Stories on Earth for a moment to let you know that lately we have been pigging out on juicy, fresh-picked blackberries...and no I did not grow them (although the patch has started to provide the most AMAZINGLY sweet tomatoes). These blackberries grow wild in our car park and just down the hill on the roadside - yes, that's right - in suburbia.

I have never eaten fresh-picked blackberries before - only restaurant delivered-on-a-plate ones - these are so-o-o-o delicious. J managed to fill an ice-cream container on Saturday with his not-so-slim pickings and has put half in the freezer for prosperity (of our desserts anyway).

Why did no-one tell me about this?? This is definitely the first important lessons of my 40s...

The Happiest Friends On Earth...

So I was wondering how to write about our Disney extravaganaza - we squeezed so much into 3 days and managed to come back with almost 600 photos between us (god bless digital cameras eh?) and so many wonderful memories it's actually quite hard to make 'sense' of them in the interesting, witty yet abridged manner befitting this ertswhile blog.

But really, the first thing that everyone said to us when we got back was 'did you meet Mickey Mouse?', 'what about Donald Duck?' and 'say hi to Goofy for me'. So what better place to start than some of the new friends we made while we were there...

x

So first Donald himself was on hand at the Sante Fe Hotel, helping to keep the long check-in queue 'in check' (geddit? in check/check in...witty eh!) and giving every kid in the room - including us - the first of many 'oooh it's...' experiences and gasps of joy of their visit...here are our gasps.

Meeting true Disney royalty with Mickey 'n' Minnie themselves...oh and Prince John too...
x

There were some shenanigans (that is hard to spell!) amongst the boys...

...and last but not least, a couple of cuties for the birthday girl...awwww!

Now that's a birthday party people!!!!!

Stay tuned for more updates including It's A Small World, the Tower of Terror and and Space Mountain...too cool.....