22.12.15 - Um olho no gato, o outro no peixe

Bom dia! Christmas is nearly upon us and I eagerly await the first drifts of snow over Brazil to mark the occasion, although it's curiously sweltering at the moment. 

After a quiet week of work, during which we watched the entire original Star Wars trilogy to get up to speed and wrapped up our Xmas shopping (pun intended, ho ho), we went to Giovanna's ballet recital, which was as fraught with intricate inter-family tension as usual. Although mildly enjoyable and technically accomplished (everyone started dancing to "Thriller" at one point, which mum would have liked), it went on literally forever, so we made a run for it four hours in. It could still be going on, for all I know.

At the weekend we descended on the unoccupied beach condo of Gaby's aunt's workmate - I didn't go to the beach with the others as I stayed behind revising my driving theory like a pro, but we spent a lot of time in the pool and eating platters of steak and shrimp in beachside restaurants. It was Ridaut's birthday on Sunday so I serenaded him with "Sr. Ridaut", to the tune of "With or Without You", and Gaby convinced a realtor to give us a tour of a $R 3m luxury beachside apartment, complete with five bedrooms, four pools and a private rooftop jacuzzi. I shuffled about acting like an eccentric English millionaire, and left saying we'd think about it.

Spent the first morning of my holidays at the DMV doing my driving theory test (which I aced, by the way) and the second preparing a contract that the client suddenly wants drafted, agreed and signed by the 28th, which fills me with apprehension/dread - luckily we had one pre-prepared for just such an eventuality, so hopefully it shouldn't take up too much valuable flopping-about time. Then it's Christmas at Susy and Eduardo's, STAR WARS: THE FORCENING on Boxing Day and Ilhabela on the 28th, which should be triff brill.

I leave you with the titular saying ("one eye on the cat, the other on the fish"), pertaining to people focussing on two things at once, and (hilariously/cruelly) the cross-eyed. We speak at Christmas, yes! 'Til then, happy travels and give our love to the Powys UK Massive.

Ciao for now,

Fred