01-01-26, New Year's Day and the seventh day of Christmas

Good morning, everyone.  Welcome to 2026 and a very Happy New Year to you.  However you spent it, I hope you had a really good last evening of 2025
It's a cold, cold start to the New Year.  I will be layering up today.

On the Seventh Day of Christmas

I gave unto myself . . .

twenty gnomes to crochet

stuff for my hair
one book to read ................

two smelly soaps

one reed diffuser

warm, fluffy socks

and a Jamie Oliver book

When I saw this I pounced.  It uses lots of scraps and I have plenty of them.  They also look fun and adaptable and just a little bit bonkers.
Hmmm - I wonder why this book appeals to me so much . . . 

I had a lovely chat with Chris yesterday before heading to Morrisons.  I wanted to leave it until the New Year, just to keep it neat and tidy but really needed a few things so . . . off I went.  Lots of gaps on the shelves and no maple syrup.  They had maple flavoured gunk but no thanks!

Any way, with what I got and what I already have, I am well sorted.

I finished off reorganising the freezer.  Not that I needed to do all that much really, just tidy things up, re-bag a few items and move things about.   Defrost will happen either tomorrow or Saturday while it is still really cold.

I was fast asleep by the time then New Year rolled around so I've missed out on any luck from opening the door to let it in, haven't I?  Never mind, I will manage.

Today, I want to . . .

read the gas meter

do some tidying and dusting

ironing

get the replacement blog up and running - if I can.  It's a bit complicated for a girl of Very Little Brain - how did I manage last time?  I looked things up and it doesn't do what they say it should do so . . . well, I will try!  If it doesn't happen today, really sorry and I will have tried.

At the beginning of January last year I wrote this about my intentions for 2025:

Healthy finances

Healthy lifestyle

Healthy mind and body

I don't think there's any need to amplify on these really, do you?  I have my finances organised, I have those fitness classes, I have some lovely friends and I have various interests and enjoyments.  I will just keep looking out for those opportunities and see any set backs as a way to grow and develop.

Most importantly, I will be me and not a shadow or copy of anyone else.

Now, you might have noticed that I can be quite awkward sometimes.  😉

From the time I returned to teaching having 'experienced' two children and a divorce, target setting became more and more prescriptive, more and more punitive, more and more guilt laden less and less about what the children actually needed and more and more about 'evidence'.

To be totally fair, I taught at a really good school where senior management was lovely, understanding, supportive and helpful - and still is with bells on - so please don't take this totally literally but even so - expectations from 'above' (I mean LEA, Government, OFSTED . . .) weighed heavily.

So, when I finally retired, some of the overwhelming emotions related to 'no more targets' alongside 'no more annual reports' and 'no more extreme record keeping'.

Also - and Infant teachers will relate to this - no more sticking work in books!

So - right now, I am feeling awkward < grin > and I am not setting any new stuff for 2026, targets/goals/resolutions/aims - whatever they can be called.  I am just aiming for the best my life can be at any particular moment, whether it be finance, lifestyle, fitness, family . . . or whatever

And that (said John) is that!

I will rely on my Little Lists to get me through one day at a time, make decisions as they come along  and the rest will take care of itself.

How about you?

Edit:  SW the Mediterranean Way is not live and should be open to all.  Here's the link.  https://sw-the-med-way.blogspot.com/