SOGGY MESS, HOT CHIPS

My parents threw a rollicking Christmas party on the weekend and we were ever so grateful that the rain cleared away for the evening, however it certainly did make a sudden and boisterous return yesterday afternoon with a rolling entourage of thunderous clouds. My champagne hangover welcomed the refreshingly heady scent of summer rain, but sadly aggravatingly, this wet weather looks set to hang around. La Niña may think it's all fun and games to mess around with our summer timeslot, but does she realise that I am going to be in dire straits when the sun does finally make an appearance, after I have been craving (which will no doubt lead to consuming) these things to combat my faux-winter depression?

Wah.

So with the weather "playing silly buggers" (thanks for the sweet phrase, Nanna) our anticipated schedules of beaching, barbequing and hammock-dwelling are having to be replaced with your more 'tracksuit appropriate' activities. Having said this, I would strongly urge you to try and resist actually pulling on a pair of trackies in summer. It's akin to jet lag; you will just confuse your poor old body and it will think it's okay to also cease going to the gym, cancel pending beauty treatments, bathe in hot chocolate and eat triple helpings of stroganoff followed by a comforting serve of warm plum pud'.

I am thinking more... catching up on movies, reading a good book, immersing yourself in the thrill of a 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, designing your own line of finger-painted gift wrap, or crocheting a bikini. Or perhaps boiling up a nice big vat of mulled wine could be your thing. For once, it will actually be appropriate to serve hot shiraz in Australia at Christmastime.

Whatever exhilarating activities you come up with, my Christmas wish is that you make it through to the other side of La Niña with your mood and your waistline intact.

Mele Kalikimaka (Mel-ay Ka-Lik-Ee-Ma-Ka).

('Merry Christmas' in Hawaiian. 'I'm off to get my hot chips' in Alexandra'iian.)