That’s it really. I hope everyone has a fabulous Christmas and feels very loved, my prayers for a fantastic 2006 for all … right, gotta get finished up here, work closes at 9:30am today as we’re all off ten pin bowling this morning, then down to the fabulous Manly Wharf Restaurant for Chrissie lunch!

Anyone for a 35C day on Christmas Day??????????????????????

Madness, yes it is, but along with my love of traditional carols (in many languages), mediaeval carols, ’standards’ ie Bing, Frank, Dean [even Shirley Bassey singing Ave Maria] etc, modern updates [hello Sang Froid!], gospel/jazz ie Phil Driscoll, Blind Boys of Alabama, and yes, even a bit of Mariah Carey [but not her version of O Holy Night], I love the above song … it’s just so Australian . Cheesy, possibly crass, but very funny and just totally right.

Note I said ‘Australian’ not "Ocker" …. really, Ocker is one of those weird words that you can only use if you are Australian or you live here …. like when you make remarks about your family but if anyone else comments about them you get a bit peeved ’cause it’s not their place to do it.

Anyway, my favourite version of above is not actually old Rolf’s, good as it is …. it’s a version done for a Department Store Christmas Album [Myer], by a guy named Russell Coight. Russell Coight is the screen name of a particular comedian, Glenn Robbins (possibly better known to those of you in the UK as Kel Knight, from the Aussie series "Kath and Kim"). Russell is a ‘bushie’, along the lines of the late great Harry Butler, the Crocodile Hunter, Crocodile Dundee (or at least he thinks he is) … there’s a fair bit of Mr Bean thrown in for good measure .

Hmmm … I guess i could have done a series like Deeleea, based on my favourite Christmas songs, albums, and or artists …. and those which are traditional in my household at Christmas. Oh well, maybe next year. In the meantime:

Favourite Album: A Carnegie Hall Christmas Concert – Kathleen Battle, Wynton Marsalis, Frederica Von Stadt
Favourite Carol: O Holy Night [closely followed by Silent Night, The First Noel, and In the Bleak Mid-Winter]
Favourite Song: Over in Bethlehem (Phil Driscoll) fighting it out with Walking in the Air [Aled Jones version] – the song from The Snowman
Family Traditional Must Play Album: Tijuana Brass – at full volume!

In case I don’t make it back before Christmas (and probably not until 9 January, when I come back to work and my computer) I want to say thank you to all the Wibloggers for making me so welcome and wish you all a Blessed and Happy Christmas and prayers for all your hearts desires in 2006!

That’s to Yay, by the way, so shoot on over and read her blog – I like to see people being decisive! Excellent stuff!

Really not much to tell at present … life is chugging along, I am still finishing Christmas Cards .. I was on a roll but kinda got distracted by a weekend away … presents are nearly done …

I think the problem, if it can be called such, is that my Christmas Season is proving to be far too leisurely and calm … I’m JUST NOT USED TO IT! There is no chaos, there is no bedlam, there are no tears – I’m even getting parking down at the Mall! I’m actually starting to feel like I’ve slipped into an alternate universe – and I don’t like it – I like running around like a chook with it’s head cut off (sorry for the squeamish souls – remember I’m a farm girl!). Even Christmas Day itself looks like being very relaxed – it’s just not right!

I guess I’ll just have to make up for it on Boxing Day – for the first time I’m NOT doing something so I’m going to actually leap into the fray and charge on into the Boxing Day Sales – yahoooooo … I’ve pretty much got my bra and shoe comparison list organised – just got to get some book titles down now, and I’m good to go!

so far today I have vagued out at a green light and been honked at … and then ran a red light … with the BroBoss in the other seat! …. for my own safety, I should probably just give it up and go home!!!!

http://parisfacial.ytmnd.com/ this is hysterical, I had to share it.

Poor old Paris … she’s what many people would call a waste of space … but there must be something good/nice about her – after all, even the biggest self-promotor soon gets boring, so there must be something more to it.

A few guesses… she’s kind to small dogs? She keeps the mobile phone industry in business? Her hair extensions, if braided together, could reach the moon?

Any more ideas?

Firstly, thank you Miss Deeleea!

1 I actually like The Phantom, a wonderful superhero with no superpowers. Yes, he does wear purple – but he’s cool! The more revelatory part of this announcement is that I currently have, at least, 200 Phantom comics in my garage …..

2 I make (or have made and will get back to eventually!) leadlight windows ….

3 If I wasn’t a Christian I’d be a moon worshiper

4 Political correctness really gives me the s**Ts …. possibly, this is neither random nor revelationary to anyone who actually knows me or has read some of my rants!

5 If I lived in a town/country that put on Renaissance Faires (ie America) in a big way … I’d be there in full costume!

There you go …. strange, possibly more than you need to know, but still me

GIRL! Yes, I have a niece, finally!

I guess that makes it sound like I have 43 nephews when in reality I have only 2 … + 2 godsons … it’s kinda nice to have a girl in the mix! Can you hear Aunty Lis’s bank account dwindling?

Bro2 and The Amazon had a little girl on Friday night, 52cm, black hair, 3.2kgs, cute as a button as they say … a textbook caesarean, unfortunately marred by the anaesthetic NOT WORKING!!!!!!! … yes, she did it without painkillers people! I think they will come through it okay, they’re actually even able to laugh about it, but the The Amazon’s mum, who was also at the birth, apparently went home and literally drank half a bottle of scotch!

amazingly, The Amazon was up and walking less than 48 hours later … suffice to say she’s a toughy!

I have been a tad under the weather this last week, self-inflicted mostly unfortunately. I happen to have an ongoing iron deficiency which I usually keep under control however on occasion, when not paying attention to my diet, I enter what I call a ‘white-out’ … ie I’ve let the iron levels in my blood get down so low that I’m basically dead white … attractive no? It also means shortness of breath (red corpuscles/haemoglobin diminishing does no good to the bodies ability to hold onto oxygen!) and a slightly depression … or more accurately, a massive ‘couldn’t be bothered’ ….

However, I have smacked myself on the forehead, given myself the lecture, and the diet etc is back on track and I’m ‘pinking up’ nicely …. you’d think I’d have been able to keep myself organised by my age but no, sometimes it just all gets away on me I think it’s possibly partly explained in a conversation I had with a friend recently (and speaking of friends, where is Semele?). Anyhoo …. we were talking about a mutual acquaintance, as you do, who is married with no kids. She had been having a whinge about how life is so hard, working fulltime and running a house etc etc blah blah blah …. can’t say it actually resonated all that well with the two singletons … I had just had the day from hell, with the Broboss away, work flat out, rego/car insurance to pay, bills that HAD to be paid that day, a pool which was FULL of vegetation thanks to a nice spring gale – and there was no one at home to make my dinner or clean the pool for me as a surprise … can you understand that I was not really that interested?

I think both singletons and married folks have completely different lifestyles and hardships and things to do etc etc … but just a note to the marrieds (a state which I would like to experience one day! – hopefully with memories of this blog intact) … PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not EVER whinge to a singleton about how hard your life is … I’m sorry, we just don’t care. And you know why? Because there are TWO OF YOU!!!! That’s right … your husband/wife may not do much, but they probably do a bit – and if nothing else they are someone who is there just for you …. can you spare a few brain cells to work out why the singleton who is doing it all themself (maybe perfectly happily single, maybe pining for their someone) really doesn’t give a S**T for your "hardships"?

OK, that’s enough of that. I’m not against all married people, I do love my life, mostly. Just please think before you tell a single person that they have it easy because they don’t have to take into consideration another person ….