2015

“New Year’s Eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights.”
Hamilton Wright Mabie

Embracing the new year is a tradition I love. It gives me a chance to look back and think about last year. It is often a relief to turn the page and know that though the worst of winter is yet to come, in twelve short weeks, there will have been signs of spring. Some years, it’s been all I wanted to do – just close the door on the year gone by. I couldn’t think of any kind of future, or make plans. They seemed like a pointless tick-list that gave me little pleasure. I always wonder how things will be at the end of next year. Will I be as excited about the future, or just want to crawl back to bed?

Last year’s craft, photography and gardening resolutions were good for me – I might not have done much by way of sewing, but I have done plenty of knitting (and boy, doesn’t it feel like it!)

Having mastered the basics this year, it does feel like it’s time to move on to something bigger, something more fun. Rachel bought me a book of dog coats to knit – she’s so kind. I guess a few of my friends might be expecting little doggie coats in the post. These weren’t cute little cable-knit doggie sweaters, though, these were full-on monstrosities with knitted beads and hats. Thanks Rachel! So resolution #1 is to knit a doggie coat from Rachel’s lovely gift. She gave me the Arne and Carlos bauble book last year, so I’ve got her to blame for most of December.

I’d also like to get back to doing some art and painting – it’s been a long time since I had my paints out and I feel like I should do a little more – watercolours and inks will be resolution number #2

Some of my resolutions from last year are going to carry on into this year – I still want to do some Japanese embroidery and make a couple of sewing projects, so I’m going to call those resolution #3, #4 and #5.

Now I know I live in the country many people across the world dream of living in, so I’ve decided that Fridays will now become French Fridays (get it?!) and I’m going to try to do a series of photographs like I did for 52 Mondays, but this time with 52 truly French things. Otherwise, you might just think I live in the middle of a load of fields and that I could be just anywhere in the whole world; French Fridays will be project #6.

Because, really, when you live in a country that gives you photographic inspiration like this, it’s rude to take so many pictures that look like they could be anywhere else in the whole world.

Those are all my projects for 2015. I need to resurrect Much Love Mondays as I am bereft of love some weeks. Hopefully it will refocus my happiness a little.

Tomorrow will be my first French Friday. I’m cleaning up cat shit first thing in the morning at the refuge, then walking woofers in the afternoon. I don’t know how much time I’ll have to go out and find something charmingly French, but I will try. When you are cleaning up cat shit, you know you are at the bottom of the refuge volunteer food chain. Still, I’ll try to resist taking home that little one that likes me to wear him like a collar.