A Pretty Good Start.

Today began with a generous glass of Buck's Fizz while lounging in bed reading, if this is a sign of how 2013 is going to shape up then I'm all for it!

Yesterday 2012 ended in the same manner it has gone on for pretty much all year here in the U.K, ie; with torrential rain. We needed to food shop, the downside of gadding about the countryside is you get home to bare cupboards. It rained and then rained some more and I left it later and later in the hope it would ease, the bad bit of not owning a car is having to do everything by foot.
 'No' I was reliably informed by my neighbour when I got the bins in 'this is forecast for the whole day'.
Bollocks.
 Finally about 2.30pm we bit the bullet and headed out with umbrellas (and wellington boots in my case) for Sainsburys. It was hellish in there, like every person in this town had descended all at the same time to shuffle zombie like around the aisles. I flitted about grabbing what we needed and fled.
Now apparently we were meant to get '36 hours worth of rain in just 12 hours', well it seems to me that we actually got 36 hours of rain in just 12 minutes. The exact 12 minutes we were walking home to be precise! I have never known rain like it and all we could do was plod resolutely home.

I actually had to tip water out of the shopping bags.

and stick all the clothes we had been wearing in the wash, and stuff shoes and wellies full of paper, mop the kitchen floor dry and try to find ways of drying and repackaging all the sodden groceries.
Of course by the time I had finished that it had stopped raining *SIGH*

As I have said before I am not a fan of New year's Eve so we stayed in ate chip butties and watched rubbish t.v. Mind, to be fair, I did laugh my head off at the second half of Graham Norton's show and I also entertained Himself with my vitriol at some of the guests on Jools Holland's Hooting Nanny (as it is called in this house) other than that it was a blissfully quiet night.

So here is 2013 and as I went out to feed the hedgehogs and birds in the garden just now I spotted this

The first snowdrop which I shall take as a very good omen.

as is the first primrose just starting to bloom.

I don't have resolutions as such, too strict and doomed to failure, but I do have more plans for 2013.

 I need to get my weight loss back on track to keep my doctor and more importantly me and my dodgy knee happy. I intend to do this in a slow and steady way. The last 2 months have shown this is what works for me and what I can maintain.

I also want to get my spending back in line as it has spiraled alarmingly out of  control recently. I'm not going to try a complete shopping ban again I know now that for me that will never work, but I can and will stop frittering cash.

I plan to carry on with the things that worked well in 2012. Namely accepting more invitations, trying new things and being open to any possibility.
 It took me out of my comfort zone more than once last year but all in all it did me good. However this year I intend to find a little more balance, with a bit more 'me' time. Last year it was like I was never at home which on the one hand was ace, but on the other meant I was constantly knackered, often skint and my house and garden looked like a midden! Balance, I think 2013 will be all about finding the right balance.  

I want to find more time to read, I miss it.

oh and I also really should actually get round to using my sewing machine at least once in 2013!

Happy New Year to you all. x