All the bests

By Meredith

The best Christmas post I've read so far is at Eddy Currents. Justine is a beautiful writer, a swimming teacher, and a book seller from the South of London. Her blog deserves more readers so please go and have a look.

The best one year old boy I've been spending time with:

The best New Year's Eve resolution ever (because it's achievable so long as I don't lose my job): buy good quality, nice underwear, when I need it (ie don't wait until all the elastic is gone and bits of body are wandering free).

The best day on holidays so far: in the city of Melbourne with my mum, including lunch at Ca De Vin, one of the many Italian-inspired cafes that pop up in the laneways and arcades that web the CBD.

The best bargain: we had a wander through all the little shops in Degraves St where I got a HUGE bargain at Shag. Imagine finding a Chloe jacket that you love, and it fits you perfectly, and, because it's a sample, it's only $195.00, but then, for some crazy reason, it's reduced in the post-Christmas sale to $15.00!! The excitement was almost more than I could bear.

The best sales purchase overall though, is these gold shoes - they're for my dear friend Tracy's wedding where I'll be bridesmaid; I'll wear them with a long vintage apricot beaded dress (the bride is wearing tangerine).

The best plan to get Christmas cake:

lie quite still, pretending to be asleep, but crawl slowly towards the fruity, nutty goodness;

get excitingly close before you're discovered & told off. Oh well.

mashing pumpkin

You know that saying "you can't choose your family, but you can choose your friends"? I have a pretty wonderful family anyway, but now that my friends Julia & Helen are part of it it's even better. Here is the super-bouncy, chubby-thighed & (almost) ever-smiling Griff, in Sydney with his mothers & his Richard. He doesn't like our CD collection but is fond of our bed and Sailor, whose cheeks have been grabbed and whiskers pulled (she's being very patient). His favourite fancy face is the rhinocerous, which I'm still trying to capture. I'm enjoying the every-minuteness of having a baby in the house - no time for introspection: too busy playing, laughing, mushing pumpkin & canoodling. I've managed to avoid all the pooey nappies so far.

beddie-byes

The baby preparations have turned into a bit of a Spring-clean. I decided to include Ruby's room in the vacuuming, dusting, etc, and realised just how neglected it has been. She's not really allowed me in there since she was 13 - that's nearly 4 years ago. But today she was strangely keen on domesticity, and my company, so we cleaned it together, chatting about our various takes on Christmas & all sorts of other things. She's extremely observant and much more sensitive, intelligent & less-selfish than I was at 16.

So, now the hallway is crowded with bags of stuff for the op-shop. Blackened blobs of blu-tack have been scraped up off the floorboards, skirting boards have been wiped down, bookshelves tidied, mirrors windexed. Old stuffed toys have been rediscovered and a long-lost pink thong (the rubber sort for the foot) reunited with its mate.

I've made up a portacot, borrowed from a friend, for little Griff. I've had this sheet, embroidered with Dick Bruna characters, since Ruby was a baby, folded in the bottom drawer (I washed it today as it smelt a bit musty). The pure wool blanket was crocheted by my very clever mother. Richard kept checking the Qantas website today, and finally told me an hour ago that the flight's final boarding calls were being made at Heathrow.

Tomorrow: mow lawn, wipe out kitchen cupboards, get Ruby to clean bottom of rat cage, vacuum lounge, tidy my bedroom, pick the ladies and the lad up from the airport, pour red wine & begin the party! There's a thunderstorm over Marrickville right now; and so to bed.