[null, null, {"document_url": "http://www.lillyslife.com/2013/01/rolling-in-deep.html", "unformatted_src": "http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UTF_AnI2eoA/UPncRZfhDDI/AAAAAAAAJnU/7VAOM_jzE3k/s640/boat102.jpg", "src": "http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UTF_AnI2eoA/UPncRZfhDDI/AAAAAAAAJnU/7VAOM_jzE3k/s640/boat102.jpg", "formatted_filename": "boat", "rendered_width": 640, "rendered_height": 480}, null, {"document_url": "http://www.lillyslife.com/2013/01/rolling-in-deep.html", "unformatted_src": "http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-labj-EjFqn0/UPiKymP1s_I/AAAAAAAAJJE/UsAs33aPu5s/s320/blogjandme4.jpg", "src": "http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-labj-EjFqn0/UPiKymP1s_I/AAAAAAAAJJE/UsAs33aPu5s/s320/blogjandme4.jpg", "formatted_filename": "blogjandme", "rendered_width": 320, "rendered_height": 262}, null, {"document_url": "http://www.lillyslife.com/2013/01/rolling-in-deep.html", "unformatted_src": "http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uJYYyzZt4nc/UPiNFqCCuUI/AAAAAAAAJO8/f-DqZmt-y1g/s640/nz43.jpg", "src": "http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uJYYyzZt4nc/UPiNFqCCuUI/AAAAAAAAJO8/f-DqZmt-y1g/s640/nz43.jpg", "formatted_filename": "nz", "rendered_width": 640, "rendered_height": 480}, null, null, null, null, null, {"document_url": "http://www.lillyslife.com/2013/01/rolling-in-deep.html", "unformatted_src": "http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wxPi2Y9qlB4/UIEnQqqCMHI/AAAAAAAAIPU/-nEXhz1YPU4/s150/angry%2Bwoman.jpg", "src": "http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wxPi2Y9qlB4/UIEnQqqCMHI/AAAAAAAAIPU/-nEXhz1YPU4/s150/angry%2Bwoman.jpg", "formatted_filename": "angry Bwoman", "alt_text": "A LETTER TO.......SERIES", "rendered_width": 150, "rendered_height": 99}, null, null, null, {"document_url": "http://www.lillyslife.com/2013/01/rolling-in-deep.html", "unformatted_src": "http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WnBhJqoQSNU/UIFEXz3rKbI/AAAAAAAAISI/n43VCKYQKWs/s310/untitled.png", "src": "http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WnBhJqoQSNU/UIFEXz3rKbI/AAAAAAAAISI/n43VCKYQKWs/s310/untitled.png", "formatted_filename": "untitled", "alt_text": "OPINION PIECES", "rendered_width": 148, "rendered_height": 148}, null, null]

Rolling in the deep


I know, and not before time.

So tell me, how are your New Year's Resolutions working out for you?
As for me, I've already achieved one of my resolutions rather prematurely.

And it's only January 22.
I have managed to eat ALL the calories I planned to consume for the whole of 2013 in just a 21 day period.  I repeat 21 days.

I know, that is actually quite an amazing, if not a rather shameful, feat isn't it?

I would take a bow but I can't bend down that far anymore...
You see, I've been all at sea for the past few weeks so I apologise for leaving the blog high and dry and seemingly all washed up.
I've been rolling around the Tasman Sea visiting the beautiful New Zealand.

In this.

The Sun Princess.

A Princess cruise ship – yes, the same cruise liner that featured in the Love Boat TV show last century (and if you don't know what I am talking about then this blog is not for your demographic at all).
While Captain Stubing was nowhere to be seen and the TV show clearly bordered on the fanciful, my first cruise was fantastic for many reasons. It was plain sailing all the way which was not hard to achieve considering the staff to passenger ratio was 900:2100.

Well plain sailing most of the way. Apart from that 24 hour period towards the end of the cruise when I actually thought we were heading for the rocks.  I now understand what the term 'batten down the hatches' actually means. All I know is that the answer to sea sickness is to keep horizontal in between sipping plenty of of colourful drinks in long tall glasses. And.... eating green apples. Who knew?
Of course I was full of good intentions about blogging. I could have, should have and would have BUT I found it incredibly difficult to type with cutlery permanently in my hands. I mean there were the restaurants, the grill, bistro, the pizzeria, the bars, the patisserie…….I was between the devil and the deep blue sea deciding where to eat next as opposed to thinking about what to write next.
I think the majority of those 900 staff had to be chefs and kitchen staff. Because the gym, from the vantage point of my deck chair, was never that busy at all.  Let's just say that the nautical terms beached whale and wide berth have now taken on a deeper meaning for me. They say that with experience comes greater understanding and I am definitely feeling it. I knew I was going to be in trouble the moment I opened our cabin door and saw this little welcoming gift.

After much tooing and froing,  I decided just to throw caution to the wind and 'enjoy'.
Food aside, I also discovered something quite interesting for us mature folk. During some high jinks on New Years Eve, I found out that if you stand on the top deck of a massive cruise liner in the middle of high force winds (possibly just short of a tornado) anything loose on your person is blown to the back of your head somewhere. This strangely enough includes not only your clothes, hair, cobwebs and cocktails but also your jowls and wrinkles. It leaves everyone looking like they've been strangely 'refreshed'. So now I'm investigating whether to purchase an industrial fan instead of saving for surgery (I really am not serious about the surgery but the fan is another matter). But, best of all, along with the great company, I had the most relaxing sleep ever.  I have had terrible insomnia for a long time. It made me extraordinarily happy even though my daughter didn’t quite understand my hysteria. That is probably because this 'happiness' may have been caused by a combination of good sleep and cocktails but...it was all fun.

I will leave you with a couple of pictures of New Zealand – I know, there is nothing worse than other people’s holiday snaps but I am sure one of your New Year's resolutions is to show greater tolerance for others so......I would like to help you achieve it.

New Zealand is so beautiful, whichever way you look at her. She was without doubt, the shining star of the show. If you ever get the chance to visit. Do it. I will post some more pictures of my holiday in my Photos blog in the next couple of days (compulsory for family but the rest of you get a free pass). I really miss being waited on hand and foot the ocean, but it is great to be on Australian soil again.

However, in saying that, it is so incredibly hot here that I think the coast is clear - the notion of an industrial fan is definitely not out of the question or in the least questionable……now.

--Isak Dinesen


And thanks Sun Princess for recharging my batteries and inspiring my theme for 2013 - Just Roll With It.
