I just LOVE New Year's Day. It is akin to starting that new exercise book back at school- the first page is nice and crisp and clean, just waiting for the neat writing to be added. I've felt like this since I was a kid - even given the fact that I always blotted ink all over the page within the first couple of lines. Somehow I always managed to get ink on the side of my hand, so got a side-palm print over the middle of the page.
So, how long until the inky blobs appear this year? No idea, and to be honest it doesn't matter. So long as each year I try again. After all, this is the beginning of hte rest of my life.
And I do feel excited about it - this year is going to be different from my life over the last couple of years, that's for sure. We've got someone interested in buying the UK house - though they've still got to sell their house, so I'm not holding my breath (blue may be my colour, but not that much). At some stage this year we will have sold it, I am sure, and then we start a whole new life in a new country. Can't get much more exciting than that.
In addition, I still have 3 days a week work, which means we don't have to panic about getting the mortgage paid for a few more months. And to make it even better, I only have to trail into London one day a week - the other two I'm working from home. Now that's bad for the diet (don't get the same amount of exercise) but superb for the mental attitude. I know which one I'd prefer.
The big plan (so far) is that I work until end March. End of April we're off to Las Vegas for Corflu (MUST get the flights booked! That would help). From mid-end May we're planning being over here in France, obviously coming back for the Olympics. Well, we've got tickets for the rowing - no, I didn't know I was interested in rowing, but we applied for all the sports in which we had a chance of a medal, and only got rowing out at Eton College I think, not even the main arenas. Still, when else will we have the chance? We went to see the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, and I wasn't too impressed with the view you get from the athletics. There is just too much going on at the same time, and the stadium is so large it's difficult to see the track on the other side - so I wasn't bothered about anything in the main stadium, even though athletics is my favourite sport. I'd rather see it on TV.
And in 2 weeks time I get my first payment of my pension! Whoopee! John and I are planning to go out for a slap up meal to use up that first payment. Not that the pension's very much, but it is better than nothing, and with the personal pensions we both took out, we might just be able to survive (until inflation hits, of course, since the personal pensions are fixed amounts). We'll carry on with the Chambres d'Hotes, but that can be for the holidays/conventions and other luxuries. So it we have a bad year, it won't bite into normal living expenses. Mind you, the best laid plans of mice and men. . . . etc
It'll be interesting to see how much the plans change over the year. The best thing will be that we sell the UK house. As soon as that's done we can start planning the rest of our lives.
