Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all, it seems to me that last year flew past way too quickly. Or perhaps its just that I am getting older. We put our farm on the market at the beginning of June and from then on it just seemed to be nothing but cleaning, gardening, packing, unpacking.......... Anyway we are now all sorted, we have our caravan, we have a wonderful group of good neighbours who will watch our ponies and our plants, we have our kayak so we really hope to get away a little bit this year. I am not really making any resolutions - just doing more of the same health and budgetwise - both going well. I am going to make an effort to - at the very least, get up at sunrise and do the Yoga Sun salutation. I have been walking 5k every day on the treadmill for a couple of months now so I can do the Yoga first. Alan and I both want to start Tai Chi and we have a video so that should be easy . Yesterday we made a start on clearing our Kitchen Garden. It has been overrun by a huge pumpkin vine or 2 - loaded with pumpkins but it had to go as it was taking over. Now we have a uteload of weeds and vine to take to the tip (recycling centre :)). We are now ready to fence the garden and start planting some things we love to eat. On the plus side the soil is excellent, we have a huge bale of mulch and plenty of pony manure. So all we have to do now is get on top of the weeds and define some pathways. All of this has been fantastic exercise, all that bending, digging and weeding so we both plan to spend some time in this garden every day. It also smells wonderful so just being there is enjoyable. And I can eat as I go. Yesterday I was picking baby tomatoes, sandwiching them between lemon basil leaves and popping them in my mouth. So yummy and the tomatoes just explode in your mouth with flavour and juice. Today we planted a passionfruit vine. On reflection we really lead a very simple but very happy and stress free life. I never visit shopping malls, never go to the movies, rarely `eat out', but we do gain a lot of pleasure from so many things that are either free or very inexpensive. Our house and garden, our horses and our dog and cat, being with good friends and neighbours, our voluntary work, picnics, family - all these things are what makes life special and good. So this year I am just hoping for more of the same.