Er, Happy New Year

Well hello again gentle readers, I am back in the Emerald city. Having covered the equivalent of approximately 3,375 km since Dec 23, most of it in the air. Events of note for Chrissy /NY were:

• a beer or two at the Grace Emily;
• an event-free family Christmas despite (or due to) the 2004 inclusion of not-one-but-3-new-male additions to the table following the 2004 pecadillos of the grown-up girl cousins. Aside: you didn't have to listen too hard to hear the unspoken "oh thank goodness, we were getting worried they would all be 30-something and still on the shelf, perhaps we shouldn't have spent all that money on a good education" of the extended fam;
• a hasty departure of one afore-mentioned male companion to tsunami-ravaged SE asia to distrubute aid;
• a rapid change of travel plans and jettisoning of the heavier camping items;
• the new route to Falls festival... plane, bus, shuttle, train, bus and shuttle again (and that was one way) - THANK GOD FOR DRAMAMINE;
• camping with 14,000 bogans;
• Playing a very high class game of scrabble with the erudite Miss J under the big top at the back of the valley stage (I only won b/c she let me have QED [an illegal move scrabble fans] to complete a 3-way move for about 50 points, otherwise she totally kicked my ass). Nb. Travel scrabble courtesy of Santa - oh, alright, it was the incredible Mr Biz - all round grumpy-assed legend;
• Billy Bragg giving it to da man - solo, pot bellied and proud;
• Mellibourne - trams, cafes, Art, Glick's bagel shop, pots o' beer, and the Divine Wide-eyed kid and her incredibly convenient pad at zero notice.
  

So phew, time for a nanna nap for Aunty B, hi to fellow travellers and those far from home, love and peace to youse all, I'm off work till Monday - give me a ring, text, instant message thing, smoke signal or morse. (Except if you use the latter I won't be able to understand. But it would be cool).