Dominic George: Doing nothing takes dedication

DG working up an appetite for lunch and the afternoon's cricket broadcast.

Beer, sun and sleep - my own personal relaxation recipe. So far I've managed healthy doses of all three and in paradise to boot. Two weeks on my wife's family's farm under the scorching Central Otago sun, add in copious amounts of backyard cricket, and it doesn't get any better.

The one pitfall of this holiday bonanza is that, literally, I have nothing to say.

You see, the other glorious variable I inevitably throw into this gorgeous mix is virtual isolation.

My phone runs flat and I haven't the inclination to recharge it; that means no emails, texts nor boring social media.

You realise how much you don't need Facebook when you don't have it. I don't watch the news, read newspapers or listen to talk-back. The only information I need is the cricket score.

There's a lot of socialising but I don't feel compelled to be up with the latest happenings, apart from the state of play. It's a big year for cricket with the World Cup in our own backyard and there is much to discuss.

There's little rest on the farm, though. That's always the case.

Precious water needs to be expertly distributed, there are paddocks, fences and stock to tend to and it's brutally true what they say about making hay while the sun shines. Farming may be the backbone of the economy but it doesn't acquire this mantle by default.

Still, in my profession, which is effectively just talking, it's nice to be silent for extended periods. It allows time for reading, more drinking and, of course, more cricket.

All the lads are developing their games nicely although the old man can still knock the 8-year-old twins' poles over. BOOM! Pulp Sport attitude, ya cocky little buggers!

I've read the latest Irvine Welsh novel, The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins, finished off the Johnny Cash biography, The Life, by Robert Hilburn, and am about to embark on the meaty I, Claudius by Robert Graves.

As for beer, well it's been a summer to savour. National Farming Show sales manager Nick Fisher outdid himself by giving me a box of Emerson's Pilsner for Christmas, cementing himself at the top of the theoretical Christmas card list for many years to come. The good men and women at Moa Brewing Company also sent down some generous offerings to sample, including the superb Limited Edition Festive IPA. Thanks Josh Scott. And the brother-in-law also introduced me to the wares of Liberty Brewing Company.

After a day's graft under the gruelling sun, he produced some bottles of Yakima Scarlet and the Liberty Citra Double IPA; I urge all lovers of fine beer to try these magnificent beverages.

The one thing I have noticed, though, is the ongoing futility of the New Year's resolution. I saw two people break theirs on New Year's Day. In my experience, a resolve to make changes in any sphere comes from desire, not dates. I'm far too relaxed to fall into that trap. Life is short, enjoy it while you can. Maybe I'll have something to say next week.