Adapting to the life of a 9-5 job!

 

Well this is all a bit different...says me at the end of my first six weeks in my suddenly corporate role...

 

Most days, the only free will I have, is what colour to wear...

 





 

...which has actually turned out to be a bit of fun, because I have several people in the office also wearing The Colour of The Day...

 

I am enjoying getting dressed up every morning. I feel like I'm donning my armour...or a costume perhaps...

 

And never fear, I'm still marinating my own feta..and chicken...and steak. You know me. Ever the Earth Mother even in the face of Corporate Silliness.

 

Meanwhile, must have nails to match the outfit.

 

 

That fills in half an hour in the evenings, whilst Husband and The Diva prepare the meal for common consumption. And clean up for me. What? How did I not twig to this sooner? Work at the office...family takes care of the rest. Oh, that's right...it's my brilliant example and subterfuge brainwashing of them on the merits of cleaning the fridge before one shops, and DIY-ing most of what we need that's done the trick.

 

 

Go me, right?

Of course thrifting is all the more simple now that I have a thrift store immediately below my office.

 

Behold...accessories galore.

 

It really is true that you can double or triple the number of outfits you have, simply by wearing different accessories. Just as well I have a vast collection of said accessories. I knew all that stuff was going to come in handy!

 

Working and earning meant that a new Christmas tree was in the budget.

 

This one has built-in lights...what is this sorcery??



 

And of course, even in the Tropics, we like to pretend we're having a snuggly White Christmas so festive decorating includes throw rugs.

 

How could I resist?

 

I could not have anticipated the changes in our lives this year.

 

My disabled son has a sweetheart.

 

My daughter auditioned amongst 800 hopefuls to secure one of just 16 places in a prestigious performing arts course, so she will move Universities in 2019. She also met her beau at the first university, so perhaps that was meant to be.

 

I have this new job, with all of it's learning and rewards.

 

And life is never the same two Christmasses in a row.

 

You too?

 

Merry Christmas my dear friends. May the blessings of the festive season be upon you all.

 

A Christmas Mocktail...

On my Tray of Bliss today is a reminder...

"Thou Shalt Not Overindulge..."

I have my strategy in place for limiting my spending and my eating...now the drinking!

This Christmas, I am serving Mocktails. Maximum indulgence, minimum headache!

Here are my two favourites for Christmas.

Christmas in Australia is punctuated by bouts of extreme heat and humidity and cooling afternoon thunderstorms.

The heady scent of stone fruits mixes with more traditional Christmas aromas such as Ginger and Cloves. It's a stunning combination.

My Christmas Mocktails both use a product available here in Australia called Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Bundaberg is a small town in Central Coastal Queensland. The Ginger Beer brewed there is second to none, and has many mythical properties, including curing morning sickness and hangovers of mammoth proportions, and stimulating the appetite!

If you do not have access to a good brewed Ginger Beer, then you can find many easy recipes for a Simple Syrup infused with Ginger on-line. This, mixed with soda, is a fair substitute.

Christmas Mocktail No. 1

Stormy Afternoon Cooler

Tint some caster sugar orange, by mixing a drop each of yellow and red food colouring into it with a skewer. You can do this in advance and keep it in an airtight jar.

Separate an egg, and tip the white into a saucer, saving the yolk for another purpose (our doggy actually eats ours most of the time...a nice Christmas treat for him.)

Take a balloon glass, and dip it into the eggwhite, then into the tinted sugar, to rim the glass.

Mix equal parts Apricot Nectar and Ginger Beer in the glass. If using Gingered Simple Syrup, it's best to make it up to your desired strength like a cordial and use as instructed. Working carefully and slowly to maintain separation, pour a small amount of single cream on top of the drink to create a 'cream float'.

Garnish with a pineapple wedge and some crystallised ginger on a skewer. Serve with a bendable straw for sipping. The cream can be stirred through or left as a yummy finale, as desired.

Christmas Mocktail No. 2

Ginger Lime Stunner

Rim the glass with sugar as described in recipe one.

Pour Lime Juice Cordial in the base of the glass...around 2ozs or 60mls.

Top with Ginger Beer or Syrup and Soda, stir well.

Add a small scoop of Vanilla Bean icecream, and garnish with cherries, fresh on their stalk.

Enjoy!

What's on your Tray of Bliss today?