Getting ready

Happy New Year!

Guess what I did last night? Absolutely nothing with absolutely no one.

I chose to spend the night at home alone because 2023 wore me out … oh, and was busy preparing for a 2024 adventure … I’ll tell you more about that in a sec …

I hope you had a good Christmas and New Year.

I’m just checking in before checking back out again.

I’ve had a laidback – for me – week or so. It kicked off in very glamorous style with an email from a luxury cruiser called True North, saying: “I trust this message finds you in good health and high spirits for the festive season. We are excited to this year have both vessels in Sydney for the festive season! Despite the challenges posed by Cyclone Jasper, our vessels arrived with time to spare. We would therefore like to extend an invitation for you to visit the vessels this weekend, please see details below.”

The details were …

Date: Saturday 23^rd December

Time: From 10am to 2pm

Location: Royal Motor Yacht Club, 46 Prince Alfred Parade, Newport

Ooooh! I was so excited. It meant shuffling a few pre-Christmas prep appointments around, but I raced up the coast for a tour of the ritzy vessels, which I will 100% book a cruise on when I win the lottery. The Royal Motor Yacht Club was also fab, I’ve told DD we def should become members if I move to the Northern Beaches.

Here are some pics from the boat, starting with the arty deck/bubbles/toenails one I did for my Insta story …

The boats even have their own helicopters!!!

Then I raced back to Surry Hills to get my hair cut and then I turned around and headed north again to Newcastle for a Christmas party.

The pic below is with my Christmas Eve host, John. We went to Kotara High together and he married my sister’s best friend Lindy. Awesome couple.

Christmas Eve dawned with some last-minute shopping at my old local, Gardo, before heading back to Sydney for Christmas drinks at my sister’s place …

Christmas Day was a whirl of breakfast with my kids and my ex, followed by lunch with my sister and her husband and ex husband and his wife and son and my parents, then a glass of bubbles on the couch with DD in the evening.

The pic above is my sis, me, the youngest and my mum.

After a relaxed Boxing Day it was time to start getting ready for a long-awaited adventure with DD.

There’s a very long prep list for a holiday at 55.

You need to get your roots done.

You need to get your toenails done.

You need to stock up on extra mid-rise undies to contain your festive feasting fat roll.

You need to get your bikini line, eyebrows, lip and chin waxed.

You need to get your eyebrows and eyelashes tinted.

You need to shave your legs.

And you need to agonise over your capsule wardrobe and spend a gazillion hours at the sales finalizing it.

I’ve gone with lots of linen in white, green and navy … which means I’ve had to shoehorn a portable steamer into my luggage.

And because linen is a bit see-through I had to get new bras that don’t look totally decrepit.

This morning will be a whirl of getting the apartment tidy and deciding on my airport outfit.

I may check in once or twice a week to let you know how I am going, wi-fi allowing …

But I am pretty much talked and typed out.

It’s recharge time.

Although I AM feeling very visual, so there might be quite a few happy snaps floating around on Insta, both on HouseGoesHome and The Thirsty Travellers.

Talk soon.

Song of the day: Temptations “Get ready”