HAPPY NEW YEAR
Its January! The house looks bare after all the adornment of the Festivities.The preparations of filling the fridge and freezer, finding a Christmas tree, ordering the Turkey, hanging the decorations, getting everyone to midnight mass, and cooking Christmas dinner was as usual, squeezed into just a few days.
We managed to find a couple of days of relaxation before starting to organise our Hogmanay 'get together'. Friends brought food and drink along this year which helped alleviate things. Roger along with Ben found time to cut up a beech tree which had blown down in one of the many high winds we suffered in December. So the cellar is well stocked with firewood.
Apart from hosting friends and family from 9 p.m onwards the girls sang a couple of songs and my mother managed, aged 93, to recite some excellent poetry before we all attempted to sing Auld Lang Syne. By the time 2 a.m arrived most of our party guests had left - leaving the family and some overnight guests to tidy up.
On New Years Day we joined our neighbours for their annual party and watched a brave few jump into Loch Awe. I may add that they ran back to shore quicker than I had ever witnessed before but they vouched the water temperature was warmer than most years.
It has been great to see all the children and to have them home. This year they have been a great help and as well as all the prepping they were here to clear up too.
The bookings are coming in now and it wont be long before the season is in full swing again. Meanwhile we have a couple of months to try and get all those odd jobs done.
We have had our full share of wet and windy weather and now look forward to some cold crisp sunny days.
