Monday 1st January 2024

 We did it! If you are reading this, then you are joining all the rest of us who made it into another year, in spite of, or maybe because of everything 11that happened last year.

I'm taking the themes of the Advent candles forward with me into 2024,

 which are Peace, Hope, Joy and Love

So I wish you, and me, and all our friends and families Hope, Peace, Joy and Love through the year, to help us on our way.

I notice that some bbloggerschoose a word or a phrase for the year, others make resolutions, and others steadfastly refuse to commit themselves.

I have had the same resolutions for maybe 10 years, and have no desire to change them, namely

To keep the 'end of day' journal going, where, last thing in the evening I write a page about the day

To give 2 bags (any size) of stuff (any amount - 1, or 2, or 20 items) to charity every month

To eat chocolate several times a week (to keep me sweet!)

I think I've more or less kept to this every year. Some months nothing has gone to charity, but then in other months we've cleared ten carrier bags of books. That's good enough. I like to set the bar reasonably low; it reduces the chance of failure...

I do have 'wishful thoughts' for the year. Lose about half a stone... play the piano more often... finish more craft projects than I start... do more drawing and painting... do more writing... keep on top of the cross stitch collaboration (another 100 stitches added today). 

But I'm not committing myself to any of these 'wishful thoughts'. I'll just see how it goes.

Here's a start; the first finished wip of 2024 is a simple knitted pouch for the +3 reading glasses that are such a help reading piano music. I just needed to sew up the sides, so why was it hanging around for so long?