The plan is that if I write my New Year resolutions down then perhaps I will do something about them.
Learn Guitar: I bought an acoustic guitar nearly two years ago and had planned to take lessons, but that never happened, so this year I want to rectify this and would like to be able to play at least one song by Christmas.
Continue Writing: I was discouraged by the rejection letters I received for my first story I submitted when we were in NZ. This year I want to re-work that children’s novel and have it submitted to different publishers here in the UK by Christmas and I also hope to start developing other ideas.
Do more Artwork: I would like to spend more time painting and drawing and I hope to have a picture done that is suitable for display in our lounge by the end of the year.
Exercise and Diet: We have been on a new diet for a couple of months now and it seems to be going quite well, so we want to continue with this and add more exercise to our daily life. I will try to have a walk each day, and get out into the countryside and out on the allotment more often as the weather improves.
The Garden: Now that we have a new shed and the space and equipment to grow our own plants I hope to develop the front garden by digging up the lawn, replacing it with a hard path between beds of home-grown English country garden flowers and installing a bench for us to sit and admire the view. This needs to be done by summertime along with developing the vegetable plot at the back of the rear garden and continuing with the development of the allotment.
Looking at these objectives now makes me worried about where I am going to get the all time as we already seem to be busy with other things. I guess it will mean I will also need to be more efficient with my time and try to avoid ‘wasting’ it with less productive activities such as watching TV.
I will let you know of my progress (or lack thereof) during the year.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Xmas and New Year…
We had a busy festive break focused on family and friends where we visited my Aunt and Uncle across Christmas and then hosted Sue’s family and our friends at our home. Jamie came down and spent a few days with us and also jetted off to Spain for a visit. We did manage to have a couple of days just to ourselves to relax and recover and to walk in the countryside but as usual it went all too quickly and we are now back into the work groove again, looking forward to our next break.
More of wot I have read…
Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall-Smith
This was an interesting book mostly for the author’s ability to portray the characters voice in such a convincing way. I felt that I had been exposed to a culture and world that I knew little of in such a way that I believe I have now learned something about it and can better appreciate it. It is a short and gentle read that is sweet and witty that makes me want to read the rest of the books in the series. I first became aware of the author several years ago from his Scotland Road stories which are also quirky and interesting.
‘In this instalment of the charmingly entertaining adventures of Botswana’s premier female detective, it’s going to take all Precious Ramotswe’s intuition and eminent sensibility to crack her toughest case yet: the decade-old disappearance of an American on the edge of the Kalahari.
What’s more, she must attend to concerns closer to home: the promotion of her secretary Mma Makutsi to the dizzy heights of Assistant Detective; her impending marriage to the wonderful Mr J. L. B. Matekoni; the trouble caused by his unscrupulous maid; and the unexpected arrival of not one but two additions to the Matekoni family.’
Exit Music by Ian Rankin
This is the first book by this author that I have read as it was given to me by a colleague at work and would not necessarily have been my choice of reading material. It is also the last of the Rebus series which has been going for some time spawning a TV series which I have also managed to miss. As it was I found myself being drawn into the story and enjoying the detailed and lovingly portrayed description of the city as the engaging characters moved around it.
‘It's late autumn in Edinburgh and late autumn in the career of Detective Inspector John Rebus. As he tries to tie up some loose ends before retirement, a murder case intrudes. A dissident Russian poet has been found dead in what looks like a mugging gone wrong. By apparent coincidence a high-level delegation of Russian businessmen is in town, keen to bring business to Scotland. The politicians and bankers who run Edinburgh are determined that the case should be closed quickly and clinically.
But the further they dig, the more Rebus and his colleague DS Siobhan Clarke become convinced that they are dealing with something more than a random attack - especially after a particularly nasty second killing. Meantime, a brutal and premeditated assault on local gangster 'Big Ger' Cafferty sees Rebus in the frame. Has the Inspector taken a step too far in tying up those loose ends? Only a few days shy of the end to his long, inglorious career, will Rebus even make it that far?’
This was an interesting book mostly for the author’s ability to portray the characters voice in such a convincing way. I felt that I had been exposed to a culture and world that I knew little of in such a way that I believe I have now learned something about it and can better appreciate it. It is a short and gentle read that is sweet and witty that makes me want to read the rest of the books in the series. I first became aware of the author several years ago from his Scotland Road stories which are also quirky and interesting.
‘In this instalment of the charmingly entertaining adventures of Botswana’s premier female detective, it’s going to take all Precious Ramotswe’s intuition and eminent sensibility to crack her toughest case yet: the decade-old disappearance of an American on the edge of the Kalahari.
What’s more, she must attend to concerns closer to home: the promotion of her secretary Mma Makutsi to the dizzy heights of Assistant Detective; her impending marriage to the wonderful Mr J. L. B. Matekoni; the trouble caused by his unscrupulous maid; and the unexpected arrival of not one but two additions to the Matekoni family.’
Exit Music by Ian Rankin
This is the first book by this author that I have read as it was given to me by a colleague at work and would not necessarily have been my choice of reading material. It is also the last of the Rebus series which has been going for some time spawning a TV series which I have also managed to miss. As it was I found myself being drawn into the story and enjoying the detailed and lovingly portrayed description of the city as the engaging characters moved around it.
‘It's late autumn in Edinburgh and late autumn in the career of Detective Inspector John Rebus. As he tries to tie up some loose ends before retirement, a murder case intrudes. A dissident Russian poet has been found dead in what looks like a mugging gone wrong. By apparent coincidence a high-level delegation of Russian businessmen is in town, keen to bring business to Scotland. The politicians and bankers who run Edinburgh are determined that the case should be closed quickly and clinically.
But the further they dig, the more Rebus and his colleague DS Siobhan Clarke become convinced that they are dealing with something more than a random attack - especially after a particularly nasty second killing. Meantime, a brutal and premeditated assault on local gangster 'Big Ger' Cafferty sees Rebus in the frame. Has the Inspector taken a step too far in tying up those loose ends? Only a few days shy of the end to his long, inglorious career, will Rebus even make it that far?’
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