December Doings

It's been a busy month, so a wee recap is in order. There has been a major reconciliation with an old friend. I have mentioned in earlier posts that I decided to move on from a longstanding relationship, and it had been many months since our paths had crossed. A mutual friend was calling in and as I was in her car it seemed churlish not to say hello. In the spirit of Christmas, we have decided to put our differences aside and I do have to admit that though Stickman's ridiculous new covered carpark is a monstrosity, it is refreshingly cool on a hot Petone afternoon. He also had some agreeably priced Dilmah teabags, so I said I might call in again now and then.

Up close and personal with Stickman.

Although it is still a week out from the big day, I have done a fair bit of 'Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus' celebrating already, including Leonard Cohen's show last Wednesday night. 

Sublime.

He was every bit as magnificent as expected, and to have again had the privilege of hearing him sing Hallelujah is already my Christmas highlight. Amazing performance from start to finish. I hope I have his energy at seventy-nine.

Invention of the millenium.

Secret Santa really came through for me this year. No more cleaning out the compost bench top bucket for me. Biodegradable liners - the world has been waiting for these. It really is the little things in life that make the difference.

Usually a morning trip to The Lighthouse ensures me a theatre pretty much to myself, but when I arrived for Philomena it was as if I had stumbled into the Petone Grey Power AGM. Those gold card holders must have a bit of a reputation for raucous behaviour because we were reminded not just to turn off our cellphones but to also refrain from chatting during the movie. I did wonder for a while whether they intended to follow the second direction, but eventually we all settled down to a cracker of a movie. I read the book a couple of years ago so was familiar with the basic facts, but this didn't detract in the least from my enjoyment of this poignant story. Judi Dench and Steve Coogan were brilliant. See it.

And finally, a plea to all those supermarket and mall shoppers out there. It's getting busy. You can do it in the lethal killing machine we call a car. Exercise the same control over your feet. Maintain a safe following distance, keep a steady safe speed, no sudden movements and check behind before you turn - and please restrain those kiddies!