Happy New Year!
So we are on the starting blocks for 2016, what an excitement. So many adventures to be had, so much that might happen, I am looking forward to it as much as any school-leaver on the brink of the new world.
Not because anything very different is likely to happen, I don’t really suppose that it is, although there is always the joyous possibility that it might: but because the whole cycle of it is is so wonderful and varied and beautiful. Snowdrops and daffodils and cherry blossom and bluebells: and the birds nesting, and the leaves appearing, and everywhere becoming rich and green. Life is splendid and we are still here for another round of it, what a wonderful thing.
The fireworks last night were absolutely brilliant. Two of the Bowness hotels compete every year to come up with the best display and hence we were treated to extravagant pops and bangs and brilliant showers of green and silver and gold.
We were at work, of course, but dashed home for the children at ten to twelve, so we could all watch together as fireworks exploded over the lake filling the air with blue smoke and the magical gunpowdery smell, and everybody sighed with New Year happiness.
A burnt stick from a rocket clattered down in front of us, much to Oliver’s delight, and he saved it and took it home. I think one of the dogs has since chewed it up but I am keeping quiet about that because I think Oliver might not remember if I don’t mention it.
Afterwards I took them home and dashed back to work. One of the ace things about New Year customers is that they are everybody, we are not just picking up our normal late-night customer base of intoxicated adolescents: and everybody was cheerful and wished us a happy new year instead of the usual sort of things that late night customers wish upon an intractably expensive taxi driver, we were busy taking home happy people until four in the morning, which was a splendid way to be at work.
Lucy has made all sorts of improbable resolutions, like doing more exercise and eating less chocolate, and Oliver thought perhaps he would not play quite so may computer games but would read and practise his spelling. I have got no idea when they intend to start with these, quite clearly it wasn’t today.
I have got a collection of New Year resolutions, the first of which is to replenish my dwindling stock of Vitamin D, which has been in short supply in Windermere lately. I have been urging Mark to appreciate the importance of this replenishment, and to consider applying his credit card to addressing the issue, but we have paid it off lately, and he is frustratingly unwilling to use it at all.
A clean credit card means that we have got a colossal amount of money at our disposal if only we felt like being reckless, they have recently upped his limit of available credit to seventeen thousand pounds, which was when he cut the card up in horror and I had to order a new one. That could be very satisfyingly reckless indeed.
We have, of course, got no means whatsoever of repaying seventeen thousand pounds if we borrowed it, which obviously is why we might want to borrow it in the first place. I suppose we would just have to shoot ourselves afterwards, which seems a bit extreme and would render the whole process of restocking our Vitamin D a bit superfluous anyway. Hence this particular resolution has not yet got off to a flying start, although I am working on it and have been looking at pictures of unaffordable sunshine with enthusiasm.
This is my first resolution, then, to find some sunshine which will not cost seventeen thousand pounds. Mark said that the way to do it is to go and shift the stones off the allotment and get it dug over, and that this will make us fit whilst the PamperMe Loveliness BeautifulPerson health Spa is out of action as well as helping us to be outdoors in order to soak up whatever sunshine manages to seep through the clouds.
Sometimes I think his ideas are rubbish even though I know they are right really.
My second resolution is to try and be a better person. This is about as likely as the one about Lucy and the chocolate, because it entails being kindly instead of ironic. It makes people feel happy when other people are friendly and interested in them and I think I should try this with more determination.
In fact I started this at work tonight, when I managed not to say: “Gracious, what an interesting choice of perfume,” to a noisy and not-terribly-warmly dressed lady who got in the taxi tonight, clearly drenched in something acidic and disturbing.
I was proud of this and thought that maybe I was making some early progress. I will keep you posted about the development of this good intention, who knows, I may become a completely reformed character before 2016 is over.
If I can manage that and the Vitamin D I will count the New Year a success.
