New Year

I don't know the meaning of Christmas. I spend more time thinking about the meaning of the New Year.

There is the whole thing about finding the perfect party, the perfect time to be had. Then there is the whole resolution thing, the diets that last a week or two.

Neither of these things speaks to me.

I am tangled in the idea of "start as you mean to continue."

If the New Year is the start, then this is the chance to give our year a flavour.

A boring New Year's Eve? Perhaps a dull year. That is not necessarily a bad thing.

2007/8 we spend at the Woodford Folk Festival. It rained buckets and buckets and there was mud up to our knees. But we kept on smiling. Everyone kept on smiling. Woodford is like that. But actually, it was a trial and many, including us, left early.

2008 - A year of challenges? You bet. I spent the whole year smiling while I trawled through the mud thinking what doesn't kill me makes me stronger.

2008/9 - We had new year at our place. It was not what we had planned, but old friends were coming to visit and it seemed logical bearing in mind the mud we had spent the year muddling through. I was in pain, I was sick and no one knew it. I didn't want people in my house. I wanted to go to bed.

2009 - a Year of not getting what I wanted. I was thwarted at every turn by other people and other things. It has been the busiest year of my entire life.

Today we are going back to Woodford. Already we are thwarted by a puppy with a red eye and an emergency trip to the vet. One last hurrah from 2009.

Anyhow, we will get there. I have my gumboots, my hat and sunscreen and water and I am prepared. I have my smile and a positive attitude. Will it be enough?