A Very Happy 2017 to You All!

There is only this last day of 2016 to survive before we welcome 2017.

Let us sincerely hope that next year will be more peaceful and less eventful than 2016 has proved to be.

We all have had enough drama, anxiety and change to last a while. Never mind all the ongoing tensions and suffering of the Middle East and elsewhere, we now have Brexit to cope with, and an incoming President of the USA who has done little so far to inspire confidence.

Closer to home, life goes on, rather less dramatically of course, although even so, this time last year John and I had no idea we would now be settled in Winster, with a lovely daughter-in-law to add to our family! Nick’s wife, Sam, is indeed a lovely daughter-in-law, who also brings with her the gift to us of a real, personal involvement in the Royal Ballet, and also her own family whom we have been so happy to get to know. Their wedding on December 3rd nearly a month ago – was a most magical occasion.

We are happily settled in Winster, enjoying living opposite the shop and post office and round the corner from the pub, the Old Bowling Green. We enjoy the fact Winster is so near Parwich so we can keep up with our old friends (and Pilates!) in that lovely village.

As many of you know, we have had had our personal dramas surrounding the Crown Cottage house purchase, but more about that when things are finally resolved. Never mind the purchase, the actual move is not a relaxing process either and we have discovered – as you will see from this link – that downsizing is DIFFICULT! However ultimately satisfying, and indeed necessary, downsizing is difficult… and we haven’t totally succeeded yet! We’re building up a list of helpful hints – mainly probably ‘what not to do’ – for the many friends who are contemplating a similar project.

But change shows that it is never too late to make progress, to learn new things and perhaps to destroy a few illusions. My bridge lessons for example have shown me to be a poor pupil, lacking the will – if you’re feeling polite you could call it time – to ‘try harder’. I think I had fondly hoped I was reasonably intelligent and that it would all swim into place, naturally. Not so.

And, after a year of hard work and genuine distractions, I am hoping also to make more time for the marionfsblog, too. Like learning bridge, blog posts don’t swim into place effortlessly either… We have a chest full of family records, diaries and journals – even recipe books – all shouting out for some attention and to be shared on the blog.

This would almost be a full time job, but – unrealistically – I am hoping also to find more time to read, guided as always by Lynne Hatwell, the dovegreyreader and one or two fascinating small book companies such as Simply Foxed.

I have just realised that this all sounds horribly like an end of year report, from a not-totally-impressed school mistress. Oh dear, old habits…

Quickly to add that I haven’t called any of these New Year Resolutions. Faint hopes is probably nearer the truth, and I hope I don’t have to end next year with screeds of embarrassed excuses. Whatever hopes, faint or otherwise, you have for 2017, let’s hope we all have the opportunity to realise them.

Here’s to a happier, more peaceful, more thoughtful new year for us all.

Happy 2017 again!