Day 155: stuffed boar's head.

With the pitch I've been working on all packaged up and presented, today I had a window to take care of a bit of pressing business. Like cutting out a large cardboard-mounted boar's head, sourcing planet pictures, tennis trophies, rocket ships and red knitted hats, and getting the ball rolling (finally) on booking my trip to NYC etc. It was good getting the party stuff happening, seeing as it is only two days away. And there's certainly a shitload more left to do, but never mind. At least working through some of my list made me feel calmer. Doing the other thing though, the going into the travel agent and getting quotes and looking at glossies and going WOOWooooeeeeooooeeoo! had the complete opposite effect. Suddenly I was excited and freaking and checking out hotels and thinking I should have been saving much harder all this time and thinking thinking and realising again that I will not be drinking martinis in Manhattan and... (breathing gap) .... now my head, much like the boar's, is stuffed with... stuff and plans and awesomeness. Woot.

Day 154: remaining calm.

It is customary in these parts, on returning to work after a long weekend, to feel perhaps a little blue, upset or agitated at being confronted with one's apparent lack of freedom and the reality of having to do actual work. I didn't feel this way today. It is also usual, when working on a pitch, to feel mildly to extremely stressed about the volume of work to be produced in a quickly dwindling space of time. I didn't feel stressed today, not even a smidgen. It would also not be unreasonable to be freaking out at least a little, if one had a large and raucous party looming for which one must play host and had so far sourced next to zero house decorations or props. But no, today I was cool as a cucumber. Why? Me not know. Could be those vitamin Bs. Or the cumulative effects of 154 days of no booze to the brain. But hey, why freak out about why? Me, I'm just gonna roll with it brother.

Day 153: the deliciousness of days off.

Daylight saving ended yesterday at 3am, so this morning I had the extreme pleasure of waking at what felt like a very leisurely hour but was in fact, by the clock, still reasonably early. Sleep is something of which I have always been fond, but today's quotient was particularly delicious. It involved the getting up, the fixing of breakfast items, and then the returning to striped doona, sheet and pillow arrangement for reading, day dreaming and then actual dreaming during indulgent extra snooze time. But, as I said, having an extra hour up my sleeve meant none of this jeopardised my doing useful things with my day. And what a lovely day it was. It was made up of just the right combinations of rest, reading, music, socialising, exercise and some extremely minor taking care of business. And it finished with a delectable but still healthy roast dinner cooked by my brother-in-law, some happy niece and sister time and a pleasing craft session putting together the truly inspired party invitations for Georgia's fifth birthday (my sister's creative and motherly genius). And now I am tucked up in bed once more - early, hurrah - ready for one more chapter of book. Could today have been any more delicious? By my reckoning, I think not.

Day 152: Easter eat-a-thon.

I don't know if it's the same with all families, but with mine, when it comes to holidays and big occasions we tend to eat. We also tend to drink a lot too, although today there were at least a few of us who weren't (wonders will never cease). When I think of how much actually got (and gets) consumed on this occasion (and on the many frequent others) it shouldn't be surprising to me that I sometimes feel the insidious creep of chub on my bones. Today's fare was an impressive spread of Italian themed dishes supplied by various family members, and because we are a family of avid cooks, pretty much all of it was enticingly tasty and in need of trying. Even eating a tiny bit of each left me decidedly full, and then - of course - there was the chocolate. Thank Christ for the run my brother and I went on this morning, is all I can say, thank Christ for the post lunch stroll to the park, and thank the Lordy that I wasn't drinking on top of it all. (Thanks also for rising from the dead on this day all those centuries ago, so we could have this gluttonous, but extremely enjoyable celebration at all.)

Day 151: magic yoga.

As often happens when one gets a break from work, today I felt a bit sick. No big deals, just a persistent headache and a feeling around the throat like I might be getting a cold. Apart from dosing myself up with vitamins and spending most of the day doing various unstrenuous activities, I decided to take a gamble and go to yoga. I wasn't feeling body sick, just a bit off from the throat up, and I remembered reading in one of my numerous fad exercise books that that's the test for whether you can exercise or not (neck up - yes, neck down - no). Also, one of my yoga instructors once said that bikram yoga mimics the action of a fever in the body; it helps to purge toxins and bugs by heating up and sweating them out. I figured it would either totally banish the bug or send it to every cell in my body. It banished the bug. And so yoga works its magic again. You gotta love the hot room.

Day 150: God Fridays are good.

Especially when you are off work and free to do exactly what you please. For me today this was early morning jogging with my brothers, followed by coffee and hot cross buns with three dollops of Grand Designs on Foxtel. And then a little book and hammock time. And then a little snooze time, and then a stroll in the park, all interspersed with the odd marshmallow Easter egg (not really allowed at this too early juncture) and several cups of tea. Lovely. Then I got an impromptu invite to my little brother's house where rugby was watched, various fun board games were played (including Cluedo!) and wonder upon wonders, almost half the people in attendance weren't drinking alcohol. There were definitely more bottles of sparkling mineral water, juice and fizzy than there were wine (which is miraculous for any kind of party my crowd is used to). And we genuinely had a hilarious time, which I've found of late to be increasingly easy sans booze. Adding to the general mirth of course, was the realisation that this was not Saturday, but in fact Friday. A very good Friday.

Day 149: happy Easter.

I know it's not Easter yet, but it almost is. So in case I don't get to a puter over the holiday (my favourite holiday) I'll say happy Easter now. Here's to another occasion celebrated alcohol free, to the scoffing of expensive handmade chocolate with high cocoa content, to Sydney's big blue Easter skies, green grass and slightly cooler sunshine, and to spending quality time with my bros, sis, in-laws, nieces, nephew, and cousins. I hope you all have a beautiful and happy break.