New Year Dawns ....

The new year dawned with bright sunshine and an early opened 'Ladbrokes.'  'Iceland' and one or two lesser shops were about but most remained indoors, sensibly.  It remains quiet today, though storm force rain helps to keep people inside.  Dogwalkers apart, only the brave wander in this rain.

Nothing else happened, though the Tories keep lying, storing cash and inventing excuses.  Starmer keeps well away from Socialists, just in case they give him an idea.  The Lib-Dems have appeared on Twitter again, but few will notice.  An aircraft crash in Japan, Russia killing Ukrainians, troop movements elsewhere, trouble in the Red Sea, and most coverage is of celebs!    

Life has not improved in 2024, so far...

 

That's That Then...

 

Well, I'm glad that's over.

I have spent much of the past few days attempting to work out what day it is.  Either that or deciding what to eat before the sell-buy date, or because it might start growing mushrooms.  And my teeth are sick of chocolate, especially the liqueur type.  No more longing for the postman with the parcels, they all appear to have arrived, no more expectation of cards, nor any to send.  At last I can get back into a proper rhythm and return into the slob stage where I belong.  Spending is now for me, not others.  

Still, I enjoyed it.

 

Twitter have banned me again.  The first name remains banned, as I will not remove the post that offended the 'Trans Lobby.' The second has been banned because I upset the 'Trans Lobby.'  I appealed both, and have every right to be returned to my position, however, the 'Trans Lobby,' is strong in todays UK Twitter staff.  I will not remove the post, which was correct.  Twitter, under the weird owner, promised 'Freedom of Speech,' where is it Elon?  I may try the other one, Mastadon is it?  But I am not bothered, maybe it is time for other things.

 

Look, blue sky!

Not what we expect from January.  Of course, as I wander down to the Post Office tomorrow the rain will return, you bet!  Good job I do not complain.  

New Years Day, 2023

 

The new year started with a damp saunter down to the Kirk.  The clouds did their best to hinder the sun brightening the morn.  Few were out this early.  A couple of dog walkers were dragged along by eager pooches, a car passed now and again, and a patrol car containing two sleepy officers wended its way down the road hoping everyone would stay quiet, at least until they were awake.  

Many were missing today from church, family gatherings, the cold bug, and left overs from Christmas keeping people inside.  A lot of old women will not come out when the weather is dodgy either.  Still, we managed to murder a couple of songs, pass our bugs onto one another, discover how many had fallen down or been manhandled by the kids or dogs over Christmas, and made our way home rejoicing, sort off.

I failed to 'see in' the new year last night, I was asleep by 11 pm, and even the fireworks from those who ought to know better did not trouble me much.  On YouTube someone walked about Edinburgh at night, offering the live view of the rain drenched city.  People massed about, glittering lights glittered, and wet streets offered an opportunity to break a leg or two.  The thought of mixing with crowds was far indeed from my mind as I watched.  I was glad to be sitting here wearying myself watching others.  

It is now when I come to understand the attitudes of the older generation I knew when young.  Why is it we understand things long after the time when we require to understand things?  And why do young folks have all the energy when people like us, over 35, need the energy more than they do?   

Life can be so unfair!

At this time people tend to either look back or look forward, to my mind it makes no difference.  Whether it is the 1st day of January or the middle of summer life, will go on as it is.  There will be hard times, tragedies, sad occasions.  There will also be good times, excitement, joy and happiness, often.  Just as life normally offers.  

You go into the year trusting yourself, and that has seen you through so far hasn't it?  I go trusting Jesus, well usually, knowing he will always be there, usually gnashing his teeth and asking "Why did you do that?"  He has been leading me for 50 years or so and I cannot fault him, though I have let him down often.  He is our only hope, in good times and in bad ones.  He never fails.

 

I hope you have a 'Happy New Year' indeed.

 

Happy New Year 2022

 A Happy New Year to all my readers, including bots!

 

We will face another year of Covid, there will be 'wars and rumours of wars, famines and earthquakes in various places,' terrorists and protesters, mismanagement and corruption in high places.  However, there will also be acts of kindness, efforts at peace, and for many of us good times after bad, hopefully.

In short, life goes on when the calendar changes, we can do little about the life around us but we can change the life we have now, and then we can our world for the better.  May the Lord make his face to shine upon you this year and always.

I hope your 2022 is a good one for you and yours, all the best!

 

High Above Us...

 

This, as you know, is the 'Green Moon' from a week or two ago.  Quite why this is called a 'Green Moon' I forget, however the fact is the moon now changes colour with a regularity that did not happen in my youth.  

Up there, in the pale blue sky hidden behind Edinburgh gray clouds, lay a moon, known as, 'the moon!'  There was a song referring to a 'Blue moon,' but few if any know why it was a 'Blue Moon' and fewer still cared.  This past few years we have seen 'Blood Moons,' this 'Green Moon,' and was there not a 'red' or 'orange' moon also?  There appears to be more 'moons' today than in the past. 

I wonder why?

What would have happened if the US astronauts had landed on a 'Blood Moon' or a 'Blue Moon?'  Would this have meant they had to postpone the operation, or do it again when the colour changed?  Would the Commies have landed on a 'Blue Moon' or waited until a 'Red' one came along?  The world is full of questions we can never answer.

You may realise I am bored today...

Allowing for 'Easyjet' withdrawing from Stanstead and Southend airports, cash problems apparently, there are very few aircraft high above us these days.  Mostly it is the few 'Ryanair' flights to sunny, drunken Spain that pass above, though a lot do go to the Easter Europe hotspots for cheap beer nowadays I see.  Otherwise it is those 'Fed-Ex' types that are the most regular flights above us.  Daily one arrives from China, full of electronic equipment that explodes on use and coronovirus to keep the world spinning along.  When I first came here one such aircraft didn't quite make it.   A South Korean 747 took to the air but failed to beat the 'critical point' and came down across the road in Hatfield Forest.  I believe this was early in the day and only the three crew were lost, locals may have had their own views on this mind.  This means the skies are clearer, except when clouds bringing rain pass over, a wind storm coming tomorrow it appears.  If the skies are clearer, less traffic on roads, surely 'Lock Down' has brought many benefits in the air?  Too late for all the muck already about but at least life is a wee bit better now.

My attention was caught the other day by a woman (was she late 20's or early 30's, I canny mind) who had sex with a 15 year old male.  The Law sees this as a crime, the judge seethed at her 'abuse' while admitting the boy was 'enjoying himself immensely,' and jailed her for 2 years.

What got me was the fact this is seen as a crime while same sex marriage is considered normal, men claiming they are woman can do so legally, and make use of women's facilities to other women's annoyance, and gay acts bot male and female are considered normal.  

It is a strange world where a more normal sex act, even if rather unwise, is a crime while abnormal ones are legalised.

The lunatics are indeed running the asylum.

New Years Day

I tried the Garfield style for a while today and filled my time by drinking tea, eating 'Black Bun' and watching football.  Though to be honest my mind wandered here, there and everywhere while doing so.  There was little response outside.  A dog or two was seen in the park opposite walking the owner, running free and full of joy, the dog not the owner, while gray clouds hung overhead pretending to be in Edinburgh.  

Around eleven I was desperate to be out of " or whatever as they pass but in the past ten years many from outside have brought their London ways with them.  This means people are less likely to offer such greetings and the mob I saw were clearly of that grumpy mind.  Even the dogs ignored me, the preference for strange aromas found round the legs of park seats appeared more delightful to them than my presence ever could.  

I stumbled into the edge of town, accidentally collecting £100 from the bank as I passed, noted that 'Iceland,' 'The Edinburgh Woolen Mill,' 'Sainsburys' and the Bookies, the usual suspects, were open but little else as far as I could see showed its face or moved.  Sullen people moved slowly, grim faces in the slight chill, eyes not indicating anyone was at home, even the birds were missing bar one white pigeon, no leftovers from last nights takeaways for them today.  So I returned home to feeble football, filling in the second calendar dates, removing the many Chinese spam links that appeared late last night and began to read one of my new books.  Question, why do Chinese spam merchants think we will understand them?  Are they not aware that their squiggles mean nothing, indicating little to outsiders?  I suspect I know what was on offer however. 

The 'Roaring Twenties' have begin but they appear a bit slow at the moment...

Joyful Return to Work

The day of depression descended on the town gently this morning.  The deep red sky, much brighter than I have seen for a while rose with the sun and disappeared by the time I grudgingly left the house.  Those forced back into reality after the Christmas period slogged along to work, shops, museums or wherever their steps were leading them, few with a cheery smile on their face.  It was easy to understand their reasoning.  The early brightness reflected against their blue thoughts as the populace reset their minds for the real world.
I have already been informed by one rough Leith type that Scotland is still on holiday and many football matches are shortly under way.  I am about to watch one on BBC Alba and regret that down here in the wilderness of England we have to return while sensible people are still on New Years holiday.  I am not one to complain you understand...

In spite of the threat of rain, high winds and another named 'storm' I proceeded eagerly to the museum where in spite of my aching knees removing Christmas was made compulsory.  This meant clambering on unstable stool to reach high up, without once complaining, and dismembering the plastic Christmas tree, an ungodly Easter European pagan symbol.  
Nothing else, outwith abuse from certain staff members, occurred until many minutes past noon when someone came in!  She had a query, soon dumped upon the boss, and then proceeded t spend money, I smiled keenly at this.  Two other figures appeared in the doorway, glanced at the many leaflets and went away.  All this to the joyful sound of non Christmassy music which has filled our ears for several weeks.  I choose music fitting the exhibition, an album re 1970 music and the Beatles White Album.  
The world returns to normal once again.  Next week all the schools will be back, most will have forgotten Christmas, the weather will be dreich, and life with broken new year resolutions will return to the same state it was in a few days ago.
Oh yes and tomorrow Scotland suffers depression and blues as they return to work.  Hee hee!

A Good New Year to One and All

The Year Long Slog Begins...

It will be another year before we have another Christmas and New Year.  I suspect at this moment some will be unwilling to consider this.  I know however of one man who has already begun his preparations, not that I am saying he buys things when they are cheap but that is what he is doing.  If only I had the money to buy things on the cheap I say...

Let us now put aside the leftovers that we have been living on, get ready to remove the decorations, the cards and the pile of wrecked wrapping paper that cannot be recycled and clean up.  Then we get be free to make another mess.

January has started and this means one thing only, shops will be full of valentines Day junk this time next week!  

I don't make resolutions at new year, they are just a fad,but I must lose weight and change what I eat.  Far more veg is required and a lot less sweet stuff.  I must move about a lot more also, this sitting at a laptop enjoying myself must stop!  I say this as I stuff left over cake into my gob, the last of the year I tell thee.  Well apart from a few biscuits that appeared in the cupboard, and several bags of crisps...

 

The constant talk about the weather you find on this island at the edge of the world is no surprise when you note what has been happening to us in recent days.  One day it's fog, the next bright skies, then mist, then rain, then bright skies again!  How nice for those folks not exposed to varying weather currents who can enjoy some stability for a decent length of time.  The bright blue skies of today will be replaced tomorrow by dark clouds hanging overhead, most of these caused by the general return to work of course. 

While many shops have been open in England both yesterday and today for the majority it has been a day off.  Scotland always has two days off at new Year, mostly because the drunks take two days to recover!  Especially in Ayrshire I am told!  Round here we just have the fireworks fetishists who keep us awake at all hours and fill the streets with dead rockets, their sticks tripping up the unwary and being redeployed by schoolboys on a mission of some sort.  

And this year let's all write that book that is desperate to come to life!

First Day of 2016

Naturally after the bright sun and blue sky of Hogmany we are waking to Jack Frost lying all over the park.  It appears winter may well have arrived down her at last.  Oh goody.  The wind blew, the rain arrived and I was thankful I need not get the bike out.  My knees rejoiced as we went back to bed.  A little bit of a late night last night.  Not a party around here just me scribbling on this keyboard, tea drinking and lost in thought (a dream actually) when the fireworks went off all around.  Suddenly I was in a new year.  
I fell asleep.

   IB Times

The lack of news allows any disaster to fill lots of airspace and this fire was a disaster indeed.  Quite how no person was injured is amazing but it does leave the sense of impeding danger in all these ludicrous tall buildings.
Dubai is a place that inspires nothing in me.  A desert with vast skyscrapers filled with the rich.  Not my idea of fun.  The fact that they ran out of cash to complete the building of the fancy plans leaving vast numbers of unfinished dwellings does make a grin appear I must say.  Who goes to such places? Celebs, football players and people with too much money or those wishing to mix with said celebs.  For what?  The heat makes it difficult to stay outside, inside it is filled with windowlickers chasing fame or famous people wishing to be seen.  Everything costs the earth, including the sand which has to be imported for the building works as the local sand is not of the right texture.  Play with your woman on the beach and the religious police lock you up, drink there and they beat you, stay indoors and meet empty people chasing empty people.  If I was there I might light a fire also.

Daily Mail

 What is it with people and 'selfies?'  This Christmas & New Year facebook has been awash with selfies and retweeted selfies all comprising people with faces far too close to the camera making folks like me who see them for the first time think Halloween has returned.  It is not as if they are good pictures, although some of the young bits of fluff come out well, faces distorted by the angle and too close to the camera (sorry.... phone) and Mr & Mrs look like a freak show lost from Chippendale's Circus.  There appear to be vast numbers of folks who have spent the entire last few days taking shots of themselves and posting them on the web.  
STOP IT!!!
Have someone take a pic from six feet away and make you look human next time!

The day like me is done.
In England people are looking forward to bed and the weekend.  In Edinburgh and Scotland in general the celebrations continue, somewhat lessened but in similar fashion.  In this house I might manage a toddy later.

I hope this year brings good things to all of us.  We have all had bad things last year let us hope for good things this time around.  I hope my company of worldwide friends can enjoy all good things and good fortune during the coming days.

"May the Lord bless you and keep you, 

may he make his face to shine upon you 

and give you his peace."

   

Dull, Dreich New Year.

The year begins as I suspect it wishes to go on, dull, dreich, dismal and damp. I took myself out after the Dundee derby played in the usual dull, dreich, Dundee derby style weather and sauntered around the empty streets.  Imagine my surprise to find a near empty 'Argos' shop open for business. One or two other shops also considered it worth while paying time and a half, or even double time, to lose money opening today.  Few people trawling the shops for bargains, clearly many still in bed judging by the closed curtains all around.  Scotland would have been entirely closed today, and probably similar tomorrow, as the effects of the season wore off.  I still after all this time find it amazing that so many folks are keen to work on such a day.   So it's a quiet dreich start, with little in the way of new years greetings from passers-by down here, but that is nothing new, and a new year full of promise and bad weather ahead of us.

The only smiling faces to be seen were those of the dogs in the park.  From the grubby window I watched several happily wagging tails sniffing their way through the early morning gloom.  Well wrapped individuals trailed along, desperate to get back to the fireside, while the dog rummaged through the grass for friends unseen.  Today one hairbrush with a collar noted a rabbit that lives near the car park on the other side and chased after it.  Bunny was quickly back inside the bushes and no doubt deep underground within minutes.  The hairbrush cared little at his loss and made off in the other direction with the owner.  Yesterday the man with several dogs was seen clearly on the white ice covered park. He stood out clearly from the white background as did the mutts wandering about, tails wagging in the frozen ground.  Did they realise it was ice cold?  Yes, but did they care?  No!  The dogs had a whale of a time as always, no matter the weather.  

I did manage to fit in almost three complete football matches but my attention was distracted by becoming hooked on 'Watson's Block Game.'  That irritating block game that is so difficult to stop!

In the real world people pay vast sums for an 'X'-Box or PS something or other and buy violent guns and explosions type games to while away the hours. Rarely do any of these hero's enlist in the armed forces but if they do the training helps.  Me, myself and I however find one of the Solitaire games exciting enough and occasionally something else comes along.  For some years now I have taken periods where I get hooked on the block Game and today has been one of them.  Luckily there were vast amounts of goals being scored to distract me now and again but I did lose concentration on the football.  The problem is I have become addicted to using the keyboard!  If I am watching something on here my fingers demand to press keys.  Therefore I must play the Block Game or find something similar if any exists to occupy my fingers.  Life is so hard when you are an addict!

I hope your day has been good and the new year portends well for each and every one, in spite of all those difficulties we all face.  Remember, it could be worse, you could be English!

       

A Guid New Year!

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Almost Back to Normal.

Thursday sees this part of the world return to normal, supermarkets are flooded with starving people eager to resupply the empty cupboards, businesses clear away the cobwebs after a few days closure, staff struggling to open eyes now used to mornings spent in bed and the damp streets once more resound to the noise of traffic, delivery vans trundling round and postmen struggle to justify their day as even 'junk mail' is in short supply.  The English world returns cheerlessly to normality, few signs of humanity are noticed amongst the throng, except the sun shines brightly, indeed warmly for several hours.  Of course the Brit knows that as soon as the days off are over the sun will shine!  In Scotland as always the second of January is a holiday, partly to aid recovery from the previous nights, mostly to allow for another shindig!  New Years Day once saw the Scottish football clubs playing local derbies against one another, however for many years this was ended by the intolerably bad behaviour of the fans of Celtic and Rangers.  Tsk!  Such activities never occurred at the Edinburgh derby! There are several reasons for the difference.  For one Edinburgh clubs are not crushed by sectarianism, for another Edinburgh folks are nice and wash behind their ears, and history reveals that Hibernian fans have usually gone home by half time after another thrashing from the 'Big Team!'  The advantage they gain from this is the requirement to pay 'half price' to get in as everybody knows they will not see the end of the game.  Tonight however, on the second of January, the Edinburgh game will take place for television reasons.  TV has far too much say in when games occur, and they do not pay nearly enough cash in my view for this privilege, but there you are. By the time you and yours read this I, and all sensible people, will be engrossed in another Heart of Midlothian victory.  I am preparing my smugness for friendly Hibbys as we speak!

Not that I'm one to gloat......

I was chatting to a friend about his job today.  he has been in a 'caring' occupation for a while dealing with what they call today 'learning difficulties.' That could mean anything from mentally impaired (Backwards we used to call that), or have emotional and other problems.  Recently he moved to a 'care home,' where he works 12 hour shifts on a rota of seven days out of fourteen. For this he ears about £7 an hour, that is the minimum wage!  His point was that as this kind of occupation is dealing with people with needs surely it needs to be better paid.  I did not mention the £36 a week I was paid until 1980 by the NHS, it may have upset him.  Now he is a great lad but he does not appreciate the way this world works.  'Caring' is important but expensive, therefore the NHS and all care organisations are being sold off to save the taxpayer, at least those who usually earn more than the minimum wage, from paying tax.  I think all ''care homes' are now privatised, these are desperate for cash as the running costs are high and only so much can be charged to patients. Part time and cheap staff, usually foreign these days, fill such care homes. There are good ones it must be said, although the 'BUPA' homes in Scotland have recently been exposed as in some need of change, and staff in such homes are never on a financial winner.  I am not sure the homes can ever make much profit.  

His point is good, if people are important why do we not care for them?  The answer is that votes are found by cutting costs, not helping people!  Private care homes cannot pay much, even the best ones, and no government has the guts to improve such places, old folks vote, but not when trapped in a home!

Some things do not change when the year does.  

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2013

A Good New Year to all my good Friends!

The year ahead will bring its share of wars and rumours of war, destruction, floods, terrors, and woe.  Hunger and thirst will rise and fall, nations will cry against nations, prices will rise, weight will increase, disease will remain.  Murder, crime and corruption will continue.  Life will proceed as it always has and will until the end of time.

However you and I can make our world a better place.

Where we are depends on us, not on the circumstances around us.  These will often be awful and difficult to bear yet we can help one another to make life a little better by our response.  

So let's ignore those problems we are not directly involved with, let us instead concentrate on what we can do to make a better world for ourselves and others.  

You can do this if you choose to.

Anyway I'm glad I know you.

. 

New Years Day

The day dawned early, as it usually does, bringing my half closed eyes into 2012 for real.  Having taken a quick glance at my previous Ne'erday posts I noted they were all glad to see the previous year pass and longing for a good one ahead.  I suspect many others will have found similar this morning - or afternoon in many cases!  Just after finishing breakfast, at ten fifteen, I wandered out to catch the fresh 2012 air.  The air around me didn't feel much different from last years although it is incredibly mild for new years day.  The BBC site claims it is 11 degrees here, that's 52 F would you believe!  In Edinburgh they always refer to such temperatures as 'Summertime!'  In Edinburgh, and everywhere north of the border people today will be greeting strangers with "Happy new Year,' or "All the best," as they pass, shaking hands with a few and possibly discussing the place of entertainment tonight.  The few I passed as I wandered the streets looked the other way as I approached, the English class showing through. Paul Theroux mentions in one of his books walking along a country park path on the English south coast. The path ran for around seven miles and he was alone, bar a solitary woman coming the other way.  As they met she 'looked the other way until I spoke,' and would have passed by had he not said the dread words, "Good Morning."  A typically English, and southern English, response.  One man was doing some joinery outside his house, he just glared as I looked in his direction and buried himself in his hobby.  Shops in Scotland, bar the 'Paki' ones (Don't say that it will cause a war!) are closed, transport non existent, although a few buses might run and taxis will be making a bomb in these three days. Shared taxis, those with two or more drivers sharing the duties, will run non stop for 72 hours!  They will disappear for a day after that mind, probably to count the takings!  A couple of shops here have opened, attracting a handful of customers, and newspapers are on sale, even though there is nothing to say.  In days of long ago football in Scotland took place on this day, usually the Heart of Midlothian would defeat Hibernian and follow this up with crossing to Fife on the second of January to defeat Dunfermline.  These were good days ruined by the Glasgow bigots who had it all brought to an end by their behaviour, or lack of it that is, so no football up north until tomorrow.  However the English have a game or two on, one has just finished and was the worst I have seen since 'Roseburn Rovers' took on a Rag, Tag and Bobtail Dunfermline outfit and got royally stuffed!  They blamed the goalie but as I said I only let in the first eight!  


Now I note that as the dog walkers fill the park the rain begins removing what passed for smiles from their faces.  The dogs are happy enough mind, rain, snow and gale force wind doesn't seem to bother them. For some reason I appear to have eaten too much these past few days, either that or the Italian Merlot is not what it ought to be.  I canny understand it, It cost £2:99 a bottle!  So as I sit here planning my 'get fit' routine, exercises, diet system, shopping arrangements, and then ripping it up and throwing it away now as  it saves time doing that later, I find myself hoping we all share a better year than the last, that Jesus speaks to each one of us, that we rise above the problems which will always be there and make the world a better place for ourselves and all the rest.  You all make my world a better place, that's for sure!

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Hogmanay Again

Once again it is the last day of the year, Hogmanay!  The desperate need we all feel for a mid winter festival to encourage us to look toward the coming Spring is dealt with by the Scots by using Christmas as a religious festival and a time of giving to the kids, and by using the New Year celebration as a time for much drunkenness celebration .  Possibly this reflected the Calvinistic background that had much influence since the Reformation. The sober folks of the day were disinclined to encourage the observance of Christmas for a great many years.  Today things have changed, English domination of the media has encouraged many to use Christmas as an excuse for booze, and many in the south now pretend the New Year means something to them, although a Bacchanalian festivity is all that really matters to most. I first ventured out on such festivities along with my sister and her husband in the 60's. It was an enjoyable time had by all, wandering the streets from house to house, meeting good people and having a ball.  Today I am less interested and may well be asleep when the New Year arrives, and not because of the drink I must add.  I am not convinced that attitudes today are similar to those fun filled evenings. It seems to me there is a 'harder' edge to things today. 

The New Year of course does not begin until midnight and greetings are not exchanged before then, usually. However on the first chime of the clock greetings, kisses, and drinks are exchanged and the first footing follows on shortly after the year has begun. Celebrants will drag themselves to neighbours houses, carrying gifts, it used to be coal and Black Bun, the coal is less common today! Householders hope for a tall dark stranger to arrive on their doorstep, and I know quite a few women who would like that most days if truth be told but that is another thing, and welcomed guests are offered food and drink, mostly drink!  Such activities go on through the dawn, and often are repeated the next night.  The day after this few curtains are drawn back before noon. The New Year has been welcomed in, 'Auld Lang Syne' has been sung (badly), first footing has taken place, drink and food consumed, the Heart of Midlothian have defeated Hibernian again in the derby, and we face the new year hoping for good things, in reality knowing it will continue much the same as before. 

May your Hogmanay be a good one!

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Happy New Year 2010

I do not know where this picture originated,

but somehow I recognise that attitude!
I wonder if you have many resolutions to make?



I wish you all a
Happy New Year
and may 2010 be all you wish it to be.


All the best to one and all.

Happy New Year

A Good New Year to one and all!