Happy New Wellies!

Happy New Year everyone and happy new wellies to me! I have obviously been good this year! I had been on the hunt for Joules wellies for a few weeks (see my 19 December post) before purchasing some cheap supermarket ones but fortunately Father Christmas does exist and put these in his sack for me!

Tonight is a bit of an anti-climax after a couple of weeks of great fun. For the first time in weeks I find myself without any friends and neighbours to entertain and it is very quiet indeed. Thank goodness my friend Carole turns 40 tomorrow and is planning on an all day party. That really will be the last day of the holidays as the monkeys return to school on Wednesday and I will find myself back at work!

This year saw the best start of the year though. I have never experienced such a fun 1 January. Normally that day is my anti-climax day when nothing happens but the cure for that is clearly spending time with friends, neighbours and their families in the local pub for a friendly community atmosphere.

I haven't really got any New Year's resolutions. I never really do. I did vow to sort out my migraines with alternative therapies so if anyone has got any ideas, please do send me an email. Still looking for a pot of bee pollen.

There is something I do feel every time at the start of the year: the need to start afresh. The best way of dealing with this is a bit of decluttering and a proper Spring clean (yep I feel like I am repeating myself!). And then of course there is the new diary, with the intention of keeping all the writing ever so neat and beautiful.

For a number of years I had a perfect one from Paperchase. A lovely turquoise diary with a page per day and hours on every weekday page. Unfortunately this year they decided to produce this one in black only or in some student style ring bound version with funny pictures on the front. Not the kind of thing I'd like to take to meetings and too big to pop in my handbag. After searching high and low I finally found one in a lovely shop in Windermere produced by Legami, a brand from Milan. And look it is nearly identical:

It has even got a colourful ribbon instead of a black one. A good start of the year!

Busy Betsy sold quite a few bracelets over the New Year's celebrations and we've got a stack of orders for necklaces which means that my mind will be taken off saying goodbye to all the fabulous Christmas decorations for nearly another year.

I hope you all had a great start of the year too and feel energetic for all the great plans for 2011. Good luck with putting away the festive decorations this week and please do remember to recycle your tree if you had a real one!