Monday, January 01, 2007

Happy New Year

It's always the same each year - the evening begins with a determination not to drink too much, but something always goes wrong and I spend the first few hours of every January 1st with a terrible headache. In the world before children it didn't matter, but hangovers aren't compatible with looking after a manic seven-year-old and a screaming infant.

The rest of the day followed the usual pattern: painkillers in the morning, a large late breakfast and a wholesome walk in the countryside as an act of attonement for the previous evening's excesses.

It was a beautiful day, but something felt wrong. The Independent newspaper had a headline screaming about climate change and the evidence seemed to be in front of our eyes - a field full of daisies. Apparently crocus bulbs have flowered, lambs have been born and plants that should have died in early November are still in bloom. It's all very strange. Also, the ground, which should have been 'deep and crisp and even' was so wet and muddy that my friend Kathryn and I slipped while climbing up a slope.


I read very little last year. I don't know why. Perhaps the addition of a screaming insomniac baby didn't help or maybe I wasted too much time blogging, but this year I will devote more time to reading and less to drinking wine and surfing the internet. I will never achieve Dovegreyreader's ability to read nine Dickens novels in one day whilst quilting and healing the sick at the same time, neither will I manage Scott Pack's 137 books in one year. I am a slow reader. But if I can manage a book every week or so, it will be an improvement on the pitiful handful that I read in 2006.

In the meantime, have a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

5 comments:

Beth Roland said...

Happy New Year, Steerforth.

Enjoyed reading your blog last year, usually found nyself muttering "oooh, I know!", "Abso- flippin' (ahem) -lutely", or "Really?" at the end of each day's post.

Stayed in PortMeirion between Christmas and New Year, wandering around in the sunshine with no coat on, thinking how lovely, but how scary. For 2007 I'm going to get stuck in a bit more - contribute and not just watch from the sidelines.

All the best.

Steerforth said...

Happy New Year. PortMeirion must have felt quite surreal with the mild weather and Italianate architecture, not to mention the Prisoner connection!

I look forward to reading more by you in 2007.

dovegreyreader said...

Speaking of that I've been out spreading joy and happiness healing the sick today, who have been very well thank you over Christmas but everything's terrible again on January 2nd.Things would have gone better if ten days off and a lot of chocolate hadn't erased all my computer passwords from my mind.
Now would you like to know which nine Dicken's novels I read in a day? It was One Pair of Feet, One Pair of Hands..that makes four.My Turn to Make the Tea, Marianna....

Elizabeth Baines said...

I went out for a Christmas walk and was staggered to find coltsfoot and tansy flowering along the canalside, and male ducks fighting over the female ones as if it were spring. Weird, and scary.

Debi said...

Happy new year, Steerforth. May your TBR pile diminish and your time stretch!

BTW, a friend just told me he experienced sleet showers over Xmas - in Sydney!!!