Its that time of year

I am writing this with 90 minutes before I leave for the plane, along with printing itineraries and trying to answer all the emails I haven't answered. I am a bad friend.

First - Happy Christmas to all of you, even randoms happening on this by chance, from Bry and I. Hope 2007 is spectacular for you and we both hope we'll see you somewhere, sometime during it. Also congratulations to my most random internet stalker who is expecting twins next year.

Christmas has snuck up on me this year - two long weekends in row courtesy of Portuguese public holidays have distracted from it as well as having a lot on my plate. I have been flat tack busy as you might have guessed from the last month or so being filled with posts about nothing, or full of photos. But all of a sudden the Christmas lights are up (Montemor this year beat Escoural by two weeks or so to put the lights up) and I'm sitting here with everything ticked off in my diary and a hangover from last night's Christmas dinner.

So I am seriously looking forward to a break, a holiday and relaxing with friends. I don't need to say that "I'm looking forward to seeing Bry" is an understatement! but interestingly as much as I'm looking forward to seeing somewhere new again I'm more looking forward to the break and spending time with those I care about. When I planned Christmas away last year I didn't feel that so much but this year everyone seems to be heading back and there has been a touch of "maybe I should've headed home". By the same token home is always there and as much as I miss everyone in Perth I know I will be back there soon enough.

Introspection has been the order of the day for the last couple of months as well with the onset of winter and days spent inside. Rain and cold brings a certain grey to anyone's mood at this time of year plus I seem to have the happy knack of getting sick. Life wasn't like this when I was working "endless summer" in WA. It's also been frustrating work-wise looking out the window and seeing grey drizzle as even though we have achieved so much in terms of compiling data, modelling resources, reviewing prospects/projects etc. etc. in the last couple of months you never feel like you're working unless you're breaking rocks or drilling holes. My fieldies feel it most, forced to pace outside the shed and left to bicker amongst themselves.

The rain brings on other emotions too - as soon as there is a sunny day, or even just a sunny afternoon, you get possessed with a mania to seize the moment, to take advantage of the sun, even though you have a million things on the computer to finish, or should really stay in bed to kick your flu. Which then leads to self-loathing if you don't do something! The rain does add a certain amount of scenery though - everything being so so green and a times a soft mist over the landscape.


OK enough talking. Beijinhos e abracos a tudos e falamos a Ano Novo. Boas Festas!