New Year! Hello 2010!

Everyone was asking me , 'where are you goin to be celebrating NYE D?' I had initially promised James (e gads months ago actually!) and so when the invites came pouring in I kept wondering what I really wanted to do.

Well as we get older I guess we prefer to spend it with people that mean a lot to us, and I didn't want to be trapped with a bunch of strangers in any sort of party, be it at a house or club. I was also not really in the mood as it had been a pretty horrendous couple of months financially and emotionally draining, even though I was doing my best to press on. I mean, geezz even I was getting tired of all the gloom and doom of my mood and general life.

Feeling like a shrew, I just wanted to sit in my little "safety zone" and not have to bother about being nice to anyone.... one accidental slip of the tongue, and "ooo wazzup with D, she a total biatch these days" then again I was also getting fed up with my own company.

So on Christmas day, unlike most Christmases that I have with only family, I had my extended family who were ol school chums of mine from waaaaaaayyyyyy back when come over with their kids, can you imagine cooking for 17 people?!! Well I did, and it was brilliant, it was also going to by my last Christmas here. The table was groaning with turkeys (yes two, and both cooked differently!), stuffing, roasted spuds, baby potatoes, mixed green veg, Brussels sprouts, mushroom gravy sauce, cranberry sauce, mince pies, Christmas pudding and not forgetting the yummy Christmas log that my gal pal had brought along.. deeelishh oh and of course I made mulled wine (gluh wine) but of course only I drank it, people here aren't used to it.. so we carried on with some great Merlot.

Much later, much much later.. when everyone could heave their bodies around, we had a music flashback, "who knows this song!" "it's Prince!" "ok ok how about this one" ! "o my god, that's not rappers delight is it!!" yeahhhh. Heh Heh, its was the most tiring but one of the best Christmases I've had in a long time.

So when I went for my quiet round of drinks with James and his family for NYE, it was just right, I didn't feel I needed to be with tons of people, I enjoyed the convivial atmos of the restaurant and we most certainly did give the DJ heaps when he wasn't playing our music!!

And to top it all off, I went home early, fell asleep as I was waiting for the kettle to boil, woke up with a start at 6.30am , ran to the computer and flicked on my skype, and true to my word and hers, Ana and I celebrated her NYE countdown, it was the loveliest bottle of Prosecco I'd drunk in a long time! albeit the earliest ! he he he rock on!

I really feel this year is starting out so brilliantly, I've started my master cleanse detox diet that my lovely friend Chrissy gave to me. We went to school in Hong Kong together and she lives in Bali now, the invite is open to head over there , and I'm most certainly going to take it up! When she came over a couple of weeks ago to see me, (and I haven't seen her for 25 years!!) she looked bloody terrific! So I'm on my third day of the detox and I'm still hanging in there!



He He He... I'm thrilled with 2010 so far!
Dx

New Year's Eve

Where are you tubs?! shouts James down the phone.
"I'm at home man" "where else would I be! he he he!" I reply.
James says " hey, you forgot you were supposed to be with us tonight for New Years Eve"
I say "after all the crapola that has happened to me in the last couple of days, I really don't feel like heading out, I'm perfectly happy here drinking champagne and talking to M on line!"
"No way am I going to let you celebrate alone at home, Andy is going to be coming by in a bit I'll get him to pick you up on the way!" James says
"James it's already 11.30pm, there is no way I'll be there on time, go ahead an party on " I say, sipping more bubbly and grinning.
"No tubs, you're coming over and that's that. Get ready and we'll see you in a bit" are James' parting words as he rings off.

I look at M on our skype video call, and we both giggle, "oh well D, guess you're going out mate!" she says. "well if I'm going so are you, I'm bringing the damn laptop along!" I hiccup merrily! "eeekkk " says M, "NO thanks!" "go on and have a great time, I'll catch you later!" "OK" I slur back, "I'll be back for your NYE countdown !" M is 7 hours behind my time line, so I can go out party, and be back in time to party more with her!! PERFECT!

Andy calls up and says he's waiting to take me to the venue, I'm laughing as I know that the only way we will  make it for the countdown is if we had a time machine!( and since I haven't built mine yet...)  My kids  call me as soon as Andy speeds off into the night, taking us closer and closer into the twilight zone! I realise it's gone past 12 midnight when Andy says "hey D, Happy New Year!" I grin at him and all I can do is pat his arm, as he's driving and the kids are still on the phone and wish him back.

At approximately 12.07 am we arrive at the venue and Jeff, who's James son is waiting for us outside, once he's bear hugged Andy, he grabs me off my feet, swings me around and laughs out "I'm going to carry you in D!"
"Put me down " I squeal to no avail, I enter back first, two feet off the ground into the party, and get smacked, tapped, pinched, patted and finally put down in front of the table that was heaving with drinks and many many merry faces!

James begins to put the obligatory party favours on top and around me, and eventually I look like a Christmas tree gone wrong, but as it's New Years Eve, it's actually pretty right! he he he. The music swells and they are playing our songs, everyone stomps off onto the dance floor the waiters are standing in shock at the flailing of arms and feet! More drinks are pressed into my hands, and I'm taking tons of pictures, so much so that I've captured the entire sequence of James and his boys dunking his daughter's boyfriend into a bath, yes a claw foot bath on the side of the dance floor, that was filled up with ice and left over drinks!

A couple of hours later, everyone said "right! we're off," and Andy whisks me off back home and deposits me in one piece at my doorstep, a little more inebriated that when I left, but happy.
I stagger to bed and somehow manage to wake up at 6 am, flip on the skype and count down the New Year with M online !! two celebrations in one day! I'm time traveling to the max!

An hour later, I give up and tell M I have to go to bed as my eyes were closing on their own, bid her a great New Year and crashed out!
The last thought I had was that I'm so grateful and lucky that I've got such a bunch of wonderful wonderful friends who love and cherish me. Bring on 2009 it's going to be Fandabidozi!
Dx