A New Year

A new year begins with closing the old one. We pack away the decorations of our festivities, try to clear out the clutter we've accumulated and reevaluate what we want to change in our behaviour, actions, etc from the person we were a few days before.

I'm all for this. I love a fresh slate, a blank canvas. I'm not so great at adjusting my character flaws or giving things up unless I have some sort of fixed point at a significant date or time to work from. 
Until then we will work through the mountainous list of cleaning and tidying jobs I wanted to get done by the end of January. A big strong bag sits by our front door and slowly we are letting belongings go. If we don't love it and hasn't got a great purpose it's gotta go. Which would be a lot easier if we loved the same things! Liam would gladly see my teacups into that bag, as I would with some of his dusty old study books. Ah, compromise... Well at least we are both in agreement about the wonky antler light fitting, she stays!
Do you have any New Years resolutions or just some basic aims for the year?

Liam and I wanted a chance to sit down, talk through what we loved about 2013, and what we didn't. Work together on goals and aims for the next year, individually, as a couple and as a family. We discussed it briefly at the beginning of December and thought that seemed a bit premature so decided to wait until a little later on. Then he was very busy with work, I was preparing for Christmas, then we went away to stay with Liam's family, and we didn't have a moment free to think about it. Then suddenly the first of January was here and we hadn't worked anything out. I know we still can, but something stupid in my need for a fresh start at a certain point means part of me has resigned to the fact we've now left it too late. It's ridiculous, I know.
Nevertheless I will pin down my man eventually and we will write these things out in swirly writing in the front of my beautiful new diary. I'll try not to get carried away and write an impressively long list just because I love the soft lead on the good quality stock paper. I must remind myself the list should be short, with simple, strong resolutions. Perhaps if we get round to it, I shall let you know what we chose. 

Thank you for coming back and for reading these rambles of the last year. We are so grateful for each one of you!