Island of dreams

The vacation season is winding down but there is still Valentine's Day tomorrow to celebrate. KAREN HOLDOM suggests ways to keep that holiday spirit alive.

Just another beach at dusk, toes curled into warm sand and the faint whiff of incense and barbecue in the air. Out comes the camera for another photo of the big red ball slipping over the horizon, the 10th sunset snap in three weeks. Then realisation dawns: what's with this sunset ritual on holiday when we rarely give it a second thought at home?

You know what holidays are like: two beers and a spot of good weather and you're making all manner of resolutions about how different life will be when you get home.

But our solemn vow to start watching some Auckland sunsets actually makes it through Customs and into everyday life. It quickly becomes a habit to clamber up to our local viewing point, Mt Eden, to watch the sun disappear behind the Waitakeres.

Sure, you're more likely to smell cow dung than incense at the summit of Mt Eden, and you need to find a place away from the busy car park. But perched up there in the quiet, watching the colours change across the sky, scanning the islands of the gulf, really does recapture that holiday serenity. Somehow resting your eyes on the horizon is a far more effective way to shake off a lousy day than a glass of wine or dose of Shortland Street.

Another holiday ritual that's easy to introduce to everyday life is the breakfast.

Ever noticed how you ooh and aah over those breakfasts in tropical destinations or New Zealand's beach resorts then return home to toast and cornflakes? Yet it only takes three minutes to chop a couple of slices of fresh pineapple, a banana, an apple and a couple of golden kiwifruit for a fresh tropical fruit salad, even in the middle of winter.

The further you go into summer, the more exotic it can become, with the arrival of nectarines, peaches, apricots, strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Try it: douse your favourite cereal in fruit salad with lashings of fresh yoghurt and honey, make a pot of coffee and head outside. You don't need an architecturally designed outdoor area - we clear the shoes and dog bowl off the back steps and eat on our knees, newspaper spread beside us - heaven.

Such little things - watching a sunset, making fruit salad for breakfast - but the novelty never wears off and these rituals tend to work best when your next holiday is a long, long way off.

Holiday rituals to bring home:

1. Watch the sunset. Find a viewing spot in a park or beach close to where you live. Try to arrive with a few minutes to spare and allow at least 10 minutes to see what happens to the sky afterwards (often the best bit).

2. Make a holiday breakfast. Eat what you would on holiday - fresh fruit salad, croissants, baguettes - whatever you enjoy. If you're pushed for time, make a quick tropical drink by blending, for example, a banana, a nectarine, a few strawberries and some orange juice.

3. Take photographs. Don't save the camera for your holidays and weekends away. Take photos on the weekend, around the barbecue, at the park.

4. Act like a tourist. When you're on holiday, you notice things: fragrant flowers, beautiful people, fantastic food, bird calls and stunning vistas. When you're at work you notice queues, graffiti, traffic and people who are rude to you. When you catch yourself in a tirade against your surroundings, take a moment to act like a tourist and notice some of the nicer things.

5. Stop scowling. Ever noticed how much nicer people are to you when you're on holiday? It's because you're not walking around with a stress-induced glare on your face. Just relax into a half-smile and marvel at how people will start being nice to you. Honestly.

6. Do not switch on your TV. The thing that makes holiday evenings different is that you are not comatose in front of the box. Leave the TV off and be astonished at all the extra time in your day.

7. Go to the beach. The beach doesn't have to be just a weekend and holiday place unless you really are landlocked (in which case, there may be a lake or river nearby). Pick up a pizza or fish and chips and sit on the beach after work or even at lunch time if you can.

8. Entertain friends on a week night. You can do it when you're on holiday - why assume it's so hard just because you have to work? It doesn't take long to slice some bread and throw a few tomatoes and radishes into one of those green salad mixes. All the other work is done on the barbie and as we all know, everyone chips in with the cooking there. Flag dessert - a bowl of fruit and some chocolates will do. Send everyone packing by 10.30 pm.