Christmas is fast approaching and that means Ian McNamara’s radio program, Australia all Over is winding down for the year. Usually I go in to the studio at Ultimo as a guest on his last program and talk about what happened during the year. I enjoy this very much as writing and radio broadcasting are really my great passions. This year was no different. We talked about recovering from a tibial plateau fracture, the incidence of melanoma is in Australia, the share market and grapes. Specifically, Muscatel grapes. On the same program last year I had lamented the fact that Muscatel grapes are now impossible to procure in supermarkets. The Muscatel sweetness, with its crunchy seed in the middle, was always a symbol, to me, of Christmas and a little bit of luxury in small farmhouse devoid of luxury of any sort. Listening to the program a year ago was a grape grower from St George in Queensland who still grows Muscatels. He invited Ian and myself to come up and do some grape picking. I just may do it.

Anyway it was very enjoyable and I headed down to the beach club afterwards. I was too late for the regular swim, so I just did a couple of laps around the bay on my own. It was a burning morning, the water glassy and still.  It will shortly be the longest day of the year and we will be on the slippery slope to another winter.