As Much as Possible, Happy New Year.

 I do hope that I've not left it too late to wish you, O Reader, a Happy New Year (as far as possible).
Some moments ago I realised that it was already January 4 & I still hadn't posted my photos of Sydney's magnificent Fireworks display on NYE. It kind of loses the moment if I don't bother posting them until early February.
I am going to gallop through the photos because I'm desperate to get down to 'BednobsEtc', my favourite shop in the whole world. It's been shut since Xmas Eve & only opened today. Who knows what will be there besides a whole load of rotting clothes that once belonged to a Drag Queen? Just like Dr. Frankenfurter in The Rocky Horror Show, I can feel myself, 'trembling in Anti-ci-pay-tion'.
Enough of that for now.
Look above at the Sydney Skyline taken from the daggy rooftop of my building just before nightfall on NYE. Even though I was cooking up a storm for my guests at the time, I had been told about Mysterious Skywriting that had from out of the blue suddenly appeared & I had to get up there & photograph it. The first couple of words were intriguing.....'Trust. How?' My imaginative friend Marge thought that this could be a personal message from some poor hapless lover who had been betrayed. We waited in breathless anticipation for the rest of the sentence:
'How?..........Because I'm a fool in love'.
'How?........can I ever get over you?'
'How?.....could you be such a toad?'
All of these sentiments of course were totally applicable to my own situation , but as it turned out, not for the Skywriter. The next word that appeared was 'Christ.'

Private Sydney.
I stomped back to my apartment slightly disappointed, returning an hour or so later for the 9pm, Kiddie's Fireworks.  To us Spoiled Seasoned Fireworks Audience, this offering seemed a little ho hum even though the whole Shebang was supposedly designed by Marc Newson who specialises in designing uber-cool aeroplane interiors. I wondered what kind of a cross-over designing reclining seats that turned into snug bedlets (ooo..did I just make up a word then, I wonder?) had with designing Firecrackers.
But perhaps I was just suffering from Fireworks Fatigue.
At any rate, I began to be much more interested in looking at the revellers in the apartment building down the road. They seemed to be having a much rowdier & an altogether better time than we were on my roof. But perhaps I was just suffering from the Perennial Grass is Always Greener Syndrome.

But the place really started to Hot Up with the Midnight Fireworks. By the time they were over, it was clear that if you designed Aeroplane Interiors you could also design Fireworks.
What a relief for us all.

Please indulge me for the next three or so photos. You see, I dragged out my Semi-New Nikon DX SLR camera & just kept clicking.

No, this isn't a photo of Armageddon.
It's the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

They just went on & on. And on.

Eventually they stopped.
Me & my guests went back down to my apartment & once again clinked my Villeroy & Boch glasses together & toasted the New Year. I breathed a sigh of relief when no glasses were chipped in the process.
I was busting to ask everyone if they had any New Year's Resolutions, but I knew that I'd be howled down, so I didn't. People hate that kind of talk. At least the ones that come to my place.

Among my guests, were the proprietors of my favourite local Potts Point cafe, Zinc. I am always v. nervous when they come to my place as they serve everything beautifully & all their food is fab. Every time they come (which I must admit is rare), I immediately transform into a combination of Basil Fawlty, Manuel, his bumbling waiter from Barcelona & Inspector Clouseau.
And you can kind of see what I mean in the photo  above, where I'm inappropriately giving the finger to someone (not you). I often try & compensate for my nervousness by Showing Off, a behaviour that my Mother considered a War Crime.

The next nite, Maeflower , my daughter arrived with Russell. Once again, I got out the Villeroy & Boch & nervously watched while almost the same crowd as yesterday clicked them together once more.
Thankfully, there were No Glass Casualties.

M.Flower is a magnificent cook & thankfully took over the food preparation, making, amongst other dishes, a wonderful pear, walnut & blue cheese salad which I highly recommend.
I think green peas & rocket also featured, & clearly a lemon did as you can see it in the photo, above.
The last photo is of Mae's Godmothers, AJ & Marge from Thousand Oaks Ca. Marge was throwing her head back because she'd read somewhere that throwing one's head back whilst performing a Discreet Hair Flick at the same time makes you look younger in photos. I must must try it.
Perhaps that could be one of my New Year's Resolution.