Mrs P and I stayed up to watch the surprise London fireworks/drone/light show on television. I thought it was very well done in the circumstances. It will go down alongside a number of other events of 2020 as being particularly poignant and representative of an extraordinary year. But I won’t dwell on what has been. It’s best to look forward, isn’t it? Alas, while there is reason for optimism, I suspect the worst is yet to come. They do say the darkest hour comes before dawn, do they not?
Anyway, it is now 2021 and we should get through the annual resolution farce. I usually treat New Year resolutions with a degree of snide contempt. That’s probably due to 30 years of pledging to quit smoking, always broken within hours. But 2020 was different. I swore it would be different this time. And I celebrated a year without a cigarette in November. And at the stroke of midnight last night, I celebrated a calendar year without a cigarette. Hurrah for me.
So my faith in resolutions is restored. I have come up with five realistic, life improving goals. Firstly, I am going to lose my belly. I’ve quit smoking and joined the gym. All I need do now is fix my diet. I generally eat healthily at home. It’s the snacking at work that has to go. Secondly, I’m going to buy an inflatable kayak and get myself paddling on canals, rivers and off the Jurassic coast. I wanted to do so last spring, but I left it too late. Kayaking became a popular lockdown activity.
Thirdly, I’m going to cook a recipe from my Nigella cook book every month. Expect to see the results here. Fourthly, I’m going to visit Wales. I’ve never been. Crazy, huh? I’ve gotten close, to within a few miles. But I’ve yet to cross the border. Snowdonia and Portmeirion await me. Expect to see photos.
My last resolution is the most important. It’s very much an ongoing effort. It’s a point I made back in March when the novel coronavirus knocked the planet off its axis. If Mrs P and I can stay healthy and in gainful employment, then all will be well. I wish the same for you.
The Mexile 
On Wales: the Roman and prehistoric tin mines are on my bucket list. Slag from the smelting works can be collectable. I’ve bushwhacked into some very remote locations here in Ohio for a handful of stuff that was scraped off the top.
As to resolutions: I’ll try to be kinder to fools, firmer with predators and do my best to stay out of both categories.
Happy New Year, Gary and Mrs. P. .
LikeLike
Slag and mines are probably more your thing than mine, but as ever I will keep an eye out for photographic opportunities of slag and mines as and when they occur. One must keep ones audience happy…!
Happy new year to you and yours Norm.
LikeLike
Happy New Year from the snowy Midwest USA to our friends across the pond. Feliz Ano Nuevo!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy new year to you guys.
LikeLike
Happy New Years to you and Mrs. P! When you get to Wales be sure to send pictures. Don’t sweat them other resolutions.
LikeLike
The other resolutions are designed to make me sweat!
LikeLike
Happy New Year to you both, and may you be successful in your resolutions. I look forward to seeing photos of your travel and kitchen adventures!
Saludos,
Bill
LikeLike
Thanks Bill. And hopefully the travel adventures will continue on beyond Wales. But they might have to wait till the second part of 2021…
LikeLike
All the best to you two in the new year and congratulations again on quitting smoking. We don’t go to the gym any more but bought inexpensive elliptical and rowing machines and so far I have lost 23 pounds. Now I can’t imagine a day without a workout. Of course no need for a rowing machine if you’re out on your kayak a lot! I hope to see your pics from Wales, my family has roots there and I love watching Escape to the Country when they head to Wales. Saludos
LikeLike
And best wishes to you. Unfortunately, I won’t be going to the gym for at least a month or two. They’re closed due to Covid. And kayaking will have to wait till spring, due to it being freezing! I will have to rely on Apple Fitness+ to get up a sweat…!
LikeLike
Well thanks for keeping us all entertained Gary, hope you can keep yourself and the Mrs P healthy and safe until such time as they offer the jab to you. Perhaps your employer will offer it to you in the near future!
Walking is a great way to lose weight or at least keep it off, cycling is another way to gain better lung capacity and drinking water too. In my youth I was a skinnymalink but marriage changed that strangely. This year I’m thinking of getting a bicycle again and perhaps a canoe too or maybe a kayak, so I can take Duff for forays for fishing trout. He prefers salmon though and cheese..
“New Years” are strange times for us, as we are eight hours behind you and three behind noo yolk. We see everyone else getting “it” before us so it’s all old hat when it finally arrives.
Happy New Year to you two too!
LikeLike