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It's been a relaxing and productive few days since Christmas. I'm a tad surprised to have got most of the things on my to-do list already ticked off, and managed a few more that weren't on the list at all. Half the time I've been working outdoors either re-painting the outdoor setting, tidying up the garage or cleaning out the shed. All this positive activity has a therapeutic effect upon the soul. It earths you, which is what I think this time of year is all about for me.
Yesterday was all go, go, go. By 10.30 I'd had a massage and cooked breafast in Gertrude street. On impulse I turned the car in the direction of the Docklands and rolled up to the much vaunted Costco.
Inside I wheeled around my oversized trolley in the barn-like space, rubbing shoulders with scores of bogans stocking up on toilet paper and lining up with relish to have seconds and thirds at the cooking samples at the end of each aisle. I felt a little a fish out of water, and realised - again - that we live insulated lives, often even in our own town. It was bogan-ville there but.
I bought my fair share, including the mandatory years supply of sorbent, but I was not as impressed as I might have been. Some prices were better, particularly those in bulk, but other prices less so. For a man living alone there is little real call to buy up in bulk. Besides, I've always a preference for quality over price. I don't mind spending a little more to get just what I want.
I didn't know half the brands there - they may be great, I was just unfamiliar. The meat looked fine in general, but as a particular fusspot when it comes to that I passed it by. I'll likely go again just to justify the membership, but not sure what the big fuss is about.
It was a lovely sunny day and I began the drive back to Hawthorn listening to the last moments of the cricket. I was driving past the MCG when the ninth wicket fell, and promptly switched over to FM. I didn't want to hear the Ashes gone.
In Hawthorn I did more shopping, particularly at the butcher, which is excellent. I have a BBQ Sunday so topped up with half a dozen excellent Tasmanian porterhouse, and a few others.
Through the afternoon I cleaned out the back shed and worked on my Mac configuring and converting things as I had long intended. I now have Apple TV and want to structure things such that everything is available.
I went from one room to another, sorting and labelling things, throwing much more out, getting my life in order. As Donna was coming to dinner I took the time to marinade some chicken fillets for the barbie, and after 5 opened a good bottle of Australian Arneis to sip as I read a book in the backyard.
It's BBQ weather, a great time of year. I'd cooked dinner on the barbecue the night before, and with Donna arriving cooked up another simple meal we ate on the freshly painted outdoor table, sipping wine and talking about Christmas and New Year and all our collected gossip. It's a good way to live.
She left a little after 10 and that was just about the day.
Today will be different. I'll do some work, but I intend to do a lot more reading, possibly in a bean bag in the garden. I have a few books to get through before the holiday is over. Tough life.
