Once upon a time this was called spiralsandturns.vox.com

QotD: Treats for Santa

What treats do the kids in your family leave out for Santa?  What treats did you leave for him as a child?

I didn't spend this Christmas with any children so of course I can't answer the first question.

When we were kids mum would make Father Christmas these green, mint flavoured marshmallow biscuits (we called these 'oobleck bikkies' after the green gunk in a Dr Seuss story which I listened to on a vinyl record as a child).We would also leave Santa some milk by the fireplace - because of course Santa in our house wouldn't touch booze.

Funnily enough dad and mum did pretty good on scoffing these treats and sorting out the present side of things - I  honestly never heard them make a sound.

Vox Hunt: A Really Good Flick

What was the last good movie you watched?

The Wedding Singer

I still love this movie - I watched it on DVD on Saturday with a friend - but I must have seen it about 20 something times now? So time to find a new one.

Erm - the last thing that I saw at the cinema which I really enjoyed was this one...

Blades of Glory (2007)

The two movies I would like to see soon are Atonement (which hasn't come out at the cinema yet in Australia - but I didn't get around too seeing when I lived in London) and Enchanted (because underneath my jaded exterior I am just such a big soppy girl).

Vox Hunt: Singing A Holiday Tune

Share your favorite holiday song.

A Charlie Brown Christmas - Christmas Time is Here Song

The only thing I've ever really loved about Christmas

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Vince Guaraldi

A Charlie Brown Christmas

I actually never saw this show on television until adulthood - but they played it on the radio when I was a child in 1980.

My mother tape recorded it off the radio on Christmas day that year because they were featuring emergency service workers on Auckland's Radio 1ZB (as it was then called) who were having to go to their jobs on Christmas day. This of course, included my father, who's a paramedic. So, she either taped this for him or thought he was going to feature on this programme.

The programme also featured the Muppets and, of course, this little gem. Beautifully simple, non-patronising lovely story about 'the true meaning of Christmas' and a fantastic jazzy, yet haunting, soundtrack. 

QotD: Old Wives' Tale

What old wives’ tale have you discovered to be totally untrue? 
Submitted by Jack Yan.

All of them are nonsense of course - though I personally find the term totally sexist and dismissive of the wisdom and intuitiveness of the female gender! I bet a man thought of that.

Powerful pics

Thanks bookmole for sharing these amazing photographs from UNICEF - please take a look.
As Fred Dagg once sang: "We don't know how lucky we are."

It's a straight world without...

....Twisties. Ah how I missed these delightful fluorescent orange corn maize based snacks. I could never find an snack to equal it during my last 9 years in the UK (the recently introduced  Tangy Cheese flavoured Doritos came pretty damn close though!)

Every chance I can get I buy a packet from the vending machines when I am going through Flinders Street station (apparently Australia's most famous train station). I've also latched on to sushi as one of the few reasonably priced healthy eating options in Melbourne - sushi bars are everywhere - malls, railway stations. You can get 2 filling decently sized rolls for just under $5 Australian.

Was taken today to Melbourne's version of Chinatown by a fellow Voxer who lives in my newly adopted city. Couldn't believe that for the equivalent of a fiver (about $15 Australian) we got a meal for 2 and a drink - amazing. The lovely sweet and sour pork dish was 20 zillion nicer than the gluey deep fried sugary muck I have eaten in the past. Plus I had great company - you certainly get to connect with some quality people on this blogging platform! I talked the poor woman's ear off due to the fact that I am mostly locked up in the house all week looking for work online and don't really get out much due to the fact that I am trying to save what remains of my precious British pounds. Currently I'm like someone let out of an institution for their weekly visit into the real world with normal folk who have jobs and lives.

I'm looking forward to further culinary adventures....where I will no doubt put on the 4 kilos I just lost in the last 2 weeks.

Tonight I managed to watch finish watching a drama on ABC that I started watching the beginning of as a repeat about  6 months ago in Britain. In spite of the terrible reception I continued watching it until 1am. It was a very good drama - but there was really only one reason why I was glued to the telly - mainly a certain Mr John Simm. I know - it's so deeply sad and pathetic....

QotD: Oh, Look, Some Mistletoe...

Who do you want to be caught under the mistletoe with this holiday season?
Submitted by An Ebony Epicurean.  

At the moment I really don't fancy anyone here in Australia - which is nice.  I think I am too old to fancy anyone anymore. It just all seems a bit pointless liking people who don't like you and so on - borrrrring!

QotD: Best of Breed

Which breed of dog is your favorite? Post a picture of it. 
Submitted by Melissa.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Basically this is the kind of dog I used to call a 'Jenny dog' as she has the same colouring as our lovely Jenny, who I grew up with. My grandma used to say she was a real 'lady' because of her refined ways. Basically there were 2 reasons for this: my mum had loads of time to train her properly because mum was pregnant with me at the time and used to take her out for loads of walks (I think this may have been the era when women didn't work late in the pregnancy). The other reason was that she was a female!

We later got a Cav called Hedley (bizarrely named after my dad's boss at the time in preference to the initial suggestion of Cuddles) when I was aged about 9 and he was completely mental. This was probably due to the fact  that my mum didn't have time to train him properly this time, my sister and I doted on him and he was (probably) an inbred pedigree male.

QotD: Forward My Mail

If you could easily choose to live in another country without all the red tape and legal stuff, which one would you select and why? 
Submitted by Matthew 25.

The United States - it has a diverse climate, geography and population (also it's English speaking and wouldn't have to learn another language because I'm too lazy). When I wrote novels (YES!) as a teenager I always set them there.

Germany also intrigues me, I've enjoyed my visits and I know a little German - but I would have no problems living there as I have an EU passport.

I have lived in the UK and now live in Australia - these are both countries I have always wanted to try living in and it's great that I have had the opportunity to do so without the red tape. I really am blessed.