Sweet sweat

Yes, I did have a lovely break, caught up with all my family, had dinners and lunches with good friends, spent quality time with the sons and the grandchildren and now that I'm back in Darwin I'm wondering what the hell I'm doing here on my own so far away from all the people I care about. The job I used to find so varied, interesting and challenging is starting to pall after 5 years and I don't know how I'm going to face another year round of the same problems minus a few of my favourite people. My office looked like a victim of the Tsunami and after a day spent deleting 215 of the 300 emails and moving boxes and boxes of paper from my floor to other people's desks I decided that really, all I wanted to do was throw in a match and walk off into the sunset. Then a kind friend brought over the makings of a barbecue including wine and cooked for me ,which lightened my mood considerably.

Second day back wasn't so bad and was capped off by participating in an exciting new sport (see below) and friends cooked a wonderful Asian dinner aboard their new home - a catamaran berthed in a Darwin marina - which we ate on deck while the sun burned orange into the sea and deep purple monsoon storms chased each other across the sky. Sigh... I'm feeling torn in two!

Holiday highlights:

KIDSTUFF:
Mountain climber: 1.5year old grandson, barely starting to walk but a great climber, rescued from the cross bars of the wire clothes airer where he was happily dangling awaiting a crash which may well have broken both arms and legs - wow that kid is wild!
Bravery Award: goes to master 2.5 who 'saved' his 4 year old brother from the new Christmas present, a plastic, roaring, chomping dinosaur by decapitating it with a baseball bat!
Win/Win Award: 7-year old seeking the judgement of Solomon from Nana one early morning: "Daddy said I could have spam and eggs for breakfast but Mummy said I had to have coco-puffs, so I thought, if I have the coco-puffs now, first, then later I could have the spam and eggs - do you think that would be alright?....whoo! there should be a course for Nanas on how to negotiate this minefield.
Feel Good Award: Miss 3.5 squealing with delight every time clever Nana turned the perfect sandcastle out of a red plastic bucket...Yes!

CHRISTMAS PRESENTS: Uniformly good- not a dud amongst them

SHOPPING HITS AND MISSES: Luminous green beach pants and matching green and yellow top which looked sensational in the shop made me feel like a giant alfalfa sprout when they reached home. They are both nice in isolation but together... don't think so! Agonising purchase of a new wallet to replace aged and frayed one turned sour when I discovered it won't actually do up once I get my limited supply of cards filed in the numerous slots made expressly for this purpose...grrr! Lots of boring but very necessary new underwear (gone the days where this was a style choice, now coolness and comfort are the criteria and it's so much more difficult to find than the good looking and comfortless stuff). Shoes which have turned out to be a size too large - shouldn't have had that wine at lunch! Real cheap yet stylish and comfortable jeans from Best'n'Less store.

SELF-INDULGENCE: The works at the Ginseng Bath-house - bliss!

SELF-AWAKENING: Public transport in Sydney and Wollongong isn't all that bad as long as you allow enough time. Ferries from Circular Quay to Darling Harbour (maybe 1 kilometre distance) go via the other side of the harbour and numerous small wharves and the journey, while picturesque, takes an hour! On Sydney buses you meet people who tell you their life stories in 15 minute grabs.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS: The dog, once bathed, will stop scratching for two days. I think I'd like to be retired and living at Narrawallee (small beachside village-our holiday destination- on Sth Coast of NSW with a fabulous beach and friendly locals). Young children are delightful, exhausting and boring in approximately equal measure. Other people's financial and lifestyle priorities are incomprehensible. Darwin is peaceful, gentle, the air is fresh and there are hardly any cars on the road.