AND SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS..

Christmas was good. It could have been diabolical but it was very good. I didn't have Tom this year and although he's sixteen I still miss him on Christmas morning. Last year we were in Antarctica and we walked along the snow beach of Deception Island, followed by three penguins like three wise men waddling after us.  And it snowed silently and heavily.   This year, no Tom but he called which was wonderful.  Wise young man that he is.    I visited family and friends, like some Vicar of Dibley, dipping in on turkey dinners and feeling a part of the family and being made welcome as part of the family even if I wasn't.     I thank those friends who invited me - Nikki, Julie and  Caroline.  Thank you so much you lovely people.     I now know all families are highly competitive, not just mine, and board games bring this out the win-at-all-costs in even the most timid of folk.  

On Christmas morning I drove round the M25 on a beautiful day.  The M25 should always be like that.    Clear.

Looking at cars brimming with presents and fractious faces.   There are happy families and those playing at happy families.  And then there are those who don't want to play or can't keep it up, not even for a day.   The expectations of happiness at this time of year are over done. Everyone should be smiling like they are on TV, but they are not real, although Eastenders always makes your own Christmas seem delirious in comparison. I'm sure that's why they do it, to put all of the other sugary stuff into perspective.  

Boxing Day more friends.   Teaching yoga, working on psychology stuff that's interesting, evolving and relevant, and knowing I'm lucky.  How cool is that.    Oh, and I bought myself some socks.   With pink seahorses on.

TOM IS SIXTEEN

Where does the time go?   I sort of know where it goes looking back through this blog.   I don't put everything down of course, and this year has been a mare (Year of the Horse so we should have known).   But for a day, I went up to London with Tom who makes me look small.   I am not small.  I am five foot 9 and now wear heels so am not short.  And look at us.   And I'm wearing a hat.  He is head and shoulders above me.  In every way.    His father and I are blessed.

We went to the Frostival festival at the London Eye, as the sun was setting. London looked incredible despite the cranes.  And then onto Its a wonderful life at the BFI which I haven't seen all the way through.   There are some powerful moments in that and yet another film where there's a Scrooge of a banker who doesn't learn his lesson.  Bankers are always depicted as the baddies but actually they are the baddies.  Even Jesus with all his magnanimous compassion kicked them out of the Temple.  The only decent lovely one I've ever met is short and Welsh.  Banker that is, not Jesus.

Southbank is on my doorstep. Its a 15 minute train drive away.  BFI Southbank are holding a feast of Xmas movies (Meet Me in St Louise (how did Judy Garland get her hair to quiff like that?)  Its a Wonderful Life  -all those with financial problems please watch that, or the new version 'Angela' which is incredibly moving but set in a very contemporary setting.    Guys and Dolls (although I don't think this is really a Christmas movie although am I being bah humbug about it.)  www.bfi.org.uk

I love films and hope to be taking Tom to all of them, although he's already seen the Hobbit so I haven't seen the last two Hobbit films but am told they are all part of the same thing so I haven't missed much, just one long very protracted fight.

My son is sixteen on Saturday.   I am blessed and amazed he's healthy, happy, balanced and I haven't killed him with my cooking, and he knows that he's loved and supported by both of his parents although neither of them feel that about each other.  

What I recommend you go do at Southbank a part from see the films this Christmas?   Avoid Winter Wonderland. Expensive.     Go do the London Eye.  Short but good, and book ahead.   Wonderful views and better value than the Shard. www.londoneye.com/frostival   National Theatre has Treasure Island. www/nationaltheatre.org.uk    Southbank Centre has Slava's Snowshow which I went to last year and is wonderful although better for younger children (think 8 - 10 rather than teenagers.   www/southbankcentre.co.uk

Grimms Tales www.coinstreet.org and www.oxotower.co.uk/whats-on/ go see if you can.   Wonderful production going on till 15th February.

Finish off at the bar at the Mondrian Hotel.  Very trendy even if you are not it will rub off.  www.mondrianlondon.com  plus has its own cinema www.curzonmondrianondon.com

BE YOUR OWN DURACELL BUNNY...

I attended an event to launch Reviv, a company that is launching IV hydration and booster shots to the UK market.  With 50 clinics in the UK, they are going global.  We are as a nation - and probably as a race - clinically dehydrated or most of us are.  

IV Hydration, if you haven't heard of it, is the quickest way of effectively rehydrating the body. So ideal of those who work 18 hour days, who fly all over the place, who basically don't drink enough (no one does - or not anyone I know does).     The results?    The boosters have effects such as  improving your sense of well being, getting rid of colds, improving energy levels, improving the quality of your skin, managing weight loss - all by hydrating yourself.

 It was an interesting meeting, Antonia, Cosmetic Coach, Mariconda, had invited an audience that comprised GPs, nutritionalists, beauty journalists, travel journalist (me), people who've had it done (IV hydration) and others who have had everything done.     So we had genuine debate rather than 'show and tell'.

As a result there was interesting debate and question.

"Is this a saline drip with vitamins in?"
"Why don't we know what vitamins are in it?
"Doctors have been doing this for ages, why now are they interdicting it for the general public?
"Is this is the hangover cure?  And encourages bad habits?

GPs I spoke to were a bit sceptical treating it as something that will be a 'trend'.   Sinitta was there and said she and Simon Cowell and a lot of the X Factor crew have an IV hydration session before the shows and think its excellent. And she wasn't being paid to say that (that's what she said).

I had a photo taken with Dr Hilary, who has put his name behind it and who bounced off the questions well, as did all the spokes people, Sarah Lomas and Seb Jones

I'm going to have a session myself and will report back. I am always being told my skin is dehydrated.    Those in the audience who had had IV hydration told me it was safe, that it was excellent for the skin and even the GPs who were cynical identified that 'most of the British population are clinically dehydrated'.    That sounds serious (it is).   And I fly a lot so don't know what I would be 'hyper critically dehydrated' I suppose.  

You chose from a range of products - Megaboost; B-12 pure energy booster; : body booster; slim boost and Royal Flush.  Liked the idea of Royal Flush will sounds like a cure all.

The meeting was held in a beautiful hotel in Knightsbridge where I'm sure a lot of the clients will come from .  Reviv has fifty clinics in the UK and I see this trend growing although unlike the GP I'm not sure it will be a 'fad'.  I certainly think its a good idea for those who travel a lot.

Will tell you more in January and no, I won't be using it as a hangover cure.