Wednesday, December 31, 2008

 

New beginnings and Welsh beauties.

New Year's Eve..... another one already!

It is inevitable that we tend to see this time as an opportunity for fresh beginnings. I echo completely nephew Stephen's hopes for the new year. Thank you for sharing it with us all on your blog, Stephen.

Therefore, as a (kind of) resolution to the future, I pledge the following:

Learn that I don't always have to be the best (second place is cool too);
Realize that there are only so many hours in a day and that you can't do everything;
Spend time to enjoy the company of others and have some "me" time too;
Live a healthy, tolerant and sustainable life;
Identify and limit negative exposure to negative energy sources.


Like me, he was facing life threatening health problems this time last year and is trying to rebuild a good life in the best possible way.

Life is for living and I want to share the New Years Eve plans of another friend with terminal cancer. Norman has already lost an eye and eye socket and his face is somewhat disfigured. He has just finished some radiotherapy and there will be further treatment and maybe some grafts to come.
This might well be his last Festive Season - but who knows?

Looking forward to going to a dinner dance at the Bridge House Hotel on New Years Eve, although I have to wear a DJ which is not my style but will take my pirate hat with me. We are staying the night with our Copthorne friends, George and Margaret and hope we can go for a walk the next day. And then our bit of culture, we have been treated to going up to Covent Garden on the Friday to see Turandot .

All the noble thoughts and noble plans put us to shame a bit - we still feel we have time in our lives and therefore haven't regretted our strong need to stay warm in our nest. It maybe that this quiet time is what we need right now in order to get started again with energy, when we are ready.
Bill still feels very low with this head cold/cough. I think he is a bit better today and is not coughing too much. His Night Nurse is obviously helping.
He has printed some of our Christmas photos today.
I have pottered in the kitchen and cooked a dinner for the middle of the day.
I have got started on the replies to EMails which are owing.
I can add the trivial "I will reply to EMails promptly" to the list of good intentions for 2009.

2009..... the day of the new millennium seems such a short while ago - and soon it will have been 10 years.

We both doubt that we will actually see in the New Year - though fire works will certainly disturb our slumbers.
How strange that the few paltry rockets and Roman candles that we lit at midnight for some years, when nobody else did it (in the 1970's and early 80's) has now become a mega fortune spending fest for so many folks.
Dare I take on the mantle of "trend setter"?

Tomorrow we will travel to Roger and Sue's. I hope we are truly up to it and won't be a bit of a let down to their festivities.
But one by one so many people are going down with bugs and many occasions have been spoiled for lots of families.
We'll do our best.

And now for some Welsh beauties.... you can look elsewhere for Kathryn Jenkins or Duffy or Catherine Zeta Jones (to name but three); for I refer to the situation and vistas from Pete and Jean's little home in the mountains.
Remember to click on the picture to enlarge them and then use the back button to return to the blog. The mountains look superb in a larger picture.





These 2 photos were taken from the front of their house and have caught the lovely blue skies above the mountains. The sea is just visible to the left of the picture.


The view from the back garden seems a little more murky. I think they were taken on 2 different days.



I don't often covet other people's things! But these statues are wonderful. I want them!








The Christmas flowering rose in the garden.





These two pictures were taken a little away from Pete and Jean's house, whilst we were on our way to Ashley's in Bangor.