"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right" Oprah WinfreyAnd so it’s over. May I start this post where I left off the last; by wishing you all a very happy New Year. I hope that it is prosperous and full of adventure.
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We went a little left-field for New Year’s Eve this year. We drove down to Leicestershire and spent three days locked away in a health spa.
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Random, I know, but was really great. Nothing to do but relax. Healthy, nutritious meals made for you. And plenty of sleep! What is not to love about that?! Turns out that the Boy is a bit of a wimp though; he shied away from any form of deep tissue massage (“it bloody hurts”) and squealed like a girl when we went swimming in the snow in an outdoor pool* (*not a real outdoor pool … a heated outdoor pool with lovely jet streams and waterfalls and pretty lights). Still, the karma gods came to bite me on the backside for laughing at him, when I swam into a step in that very same outdoor pool and nearly broke my knee. Cue the evening spent with blood steaming down my shin and an ice pack numbing the swelling. That will teach me.
It wasn’t all water and fruit though. The staff made us all a lovely dinner on NYE, provided live music and champagne and canapés at midnight. One awesome older lady cut a mean Gangnam Style on the dance floor not long after 1am! I hope that I am still that sprightly when I get to that age.
There was a games room there. Naturally, we had a couple of Bromley Battles. The main event was a game of Connect 4. We may have been missing our usual game of choice though, given how we stacked our pieces:
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Resolutions:Turning to the brutality that is January, I see that we are once again surrounded by detox, fitness DVDs and promises of a “New Year, New Me”. Urgh. I refuse to diet or commence a horrendous exercise regime in January; it is depressing enough without all of that nonsense. I intend to carry on eating as much crap as I can fit in my mouth and lounging on my sofa doing nothing but staying warm and cozy. I realise the irony of that plan, given that I spent New Year in a health farm, but that was much more about detoxing a very stressed-out mind, rather than an out-of-shape body!
I also refuse to make New Year Resolutions. Please. There is a good reason for this; I am destined to fail. Take the following example list:
- I will not diet, as I am inherently greedy and lazy
- I would love to visit more art galleries, seminars and museums, but I don’t have the time so probably won’t
- I absolutely will rekindle my shoe shopping habit
- I will definitely reboot my entire wardrobe and be as stylish as Blake Lively (this will not happen)
- I will attempt to purchase fully matching, designer luggage so that I can enjoy packing early and be super organised on our travels. Then I will waken from this dream, throw everything I own into mismatched bags at the last minute and arrive at my destination with two toothbrushes and one half of my pyjamas
- I will never ever consider giving up chocolate
I may have mentioned this in previous posts, but instead of resolutions, the Boy and I write a “This year we will …” list. Sort of a mini-bucket list that we both pick three items from. It forces us to keep life interesting and challenge the adventurer in us. And so, here is 2015’s list.
1. Go on the Orient Express
2. Learn how to tap-dance
3. Stargazing
4. Visit the Grand Canyon
5. Shoot a gun at a shooting range
6. Visit somewhere new in the UK that neither of us has seen before
No doubt you will hear of our adventure as we tick them off the list, but in the meantime I hope that you are all writing your own story for 2015 and making the most of this wonderful world.
Until next time.
B
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