Not Resolutions but...

Carpe Jugulum as Mr Pratchett would say. After a rather poxy December I am filled with the ambition to get shifting once again. While I recognise that energy reserves are a bit low at the moment it is still a pleasant activity to sit, cup of tea in hand, and mull over the year ahead. I make no attempts at lofty goals but it is good to have a target and these are mine right now.
I may well fall short but here's to the attempt at least.

Outside
Sort out the wretched heap that I call a garden. This involves some tasks that are small in number but massive in effect...

• Hire out a man with a van to clear the debris of last summer (including a large piece of corrugated metal that was blown in with the storms we had in August)

• Hire another bloke who can handle a chainsaw to get rid of a few overgrown conifers.

• Re-roof the little shed

• Plant two thornless blackberries, two blackcurrant bushes and some potato plants to break the ground up a bit.

If I can do all that by Autumn I will be mightily pleased with myself

Indoors

• De-clutter for half an hour at least once a week

• Establish rather better household care routines than I have in effect right now. Fly Lady will point me in the right direction.
  

• Re do Rose's room. We had a brain storming session the other night and have come up with some wonderfully funky ideas. Fairy lights feature strongly as well as fun fur covered bookshelves, sequinned curtains and walls the colours of liquorice allsorts. She's my girl for certain.

I aim to get this established/ accomplished by springtime.

Creatively

• Get back into water colour painting. I used to love to paint miniatures as a teenager. I wouldn't mind giving it another go

• Re learn the recorder. V bought me a new and beautiful pear wood medieval recorder for Christmas. I fell in love with it at the traders fair in Autumn but couldn't countenance the expense. He ordered one for me shortly afterwards. How fab is that?

• With regards to spinning and felting I intend to work mostly from my stash this year but I am not restricting myself as to yarn. However, I will stop the impulse purchases of beautiful yarn just for the joy of beautiful yarn. From now on all yarn must be bought for a pre-determined project.

This is the whole year laid out

Personally

• Make time to do Pilates - I want my waist back! (by May at latest)
  

• Follow the Soul Coaching book with Kim. (28 days from whenever the book gets delivered)
  

• Dabble in archery a bit more. It is fun. (As and when throughout the year - next training day 11th of Jan)

• Investigate reiki courses in this area. It sounds very interesting. (Also as and when the time is right)
  

So that is where I am at right now. How about you? Have you got anything you would like to accomplish before the year rolls round again?

Shush!

Half way through a game of junior monopoly this evening, Eden decides that she is tired and returns to the comfort of her nest on the sofa. This has been her lair of choice since coming out of hospital and we have all pandered to her every whim. Hence she is well on the way to getting truly spoilt. Some moments later, at a particularly heated exchange between V and Rose over the mini golf, Eden declared that we were being too noisy and that she wanted to go to sleep. The rest of the game was conducted in whispers

I've landed in the paddling pool again, whose is that?

Mine. Six pounds please

Six quid for a paddle!

But I own the video arcade too so I get double

%£(%&(! No wonder I've got no money!

Somehow I managed to end up getting an entire row of properties down one side and fleeced Rose and V unmercifully. So it was hissed expletives all the way* which made it funnier somehow...and you know what it is like when you can't laugh out loud. I had to leave the room.

So a pretty good New Years Day all told. It still feels rather odd, like someone has scooped Christmas away with a spoon. I haven't even decorated. But we are having our Christmas day on Saturday, so we are decorating the Christmas tree tomorrow - a fake one unfortunately - but we missed out on the real thing. Next Christmas I am getting a tree in the first week just to be sure.

Happy New Year everyone. Keep safe and warm and happy the whole year through.

*from the adults I hasten to add - Rose reproved us both you may be sure.