Looking Forward, Not Back

Another year begins. Thank goodness we could say goodbye to 2020, but the less said about that, the better. It’s a time to look forward, not back, and think about what is to come, make a few plans, list a few goals. One of which, is to publish my next novel in the Filton Shield series plus a self-help book.  We have plans to have a new kitchen fitted; mind you, we’ve been planning to do that for the last 5 years! I seriously intend by the end of this year, the kitchen will be upgraded, the long-needed and yearned for eye-level oven installed. Meanwhile, whilst the weather here in the UK is cold and wet, many parts enduring snow, between bouts of writing and painting, housework and reading, I take daily pleasure in watching the birds in the garden and, more importantly, hunting for signs of Spring. And I’ve found some. Hurrah!

Yes, lurking by the front hedge, the snowdrops are up and in flower, patiently waiting for a sunny day when the white flowerheads can open fully and perform their delicate nodding displays. Mixed in with these I spy the first of the crocus (yes, I know the plural is croci, but to me it’s easier to say and people know what I mean) growing the lawn are up, their long purple flowerbuds holding tight until the sun shines on them. They’re a little late arriving this year; most years this particular variety is in flower as early as New Year’s Day. And looking across the lawn, I can see more and more dark green and white striped sword leaves of later crocus poking through the grass, a promise of a colourful display to come next month.

We missed last February’s crocus flush as we were abroad on holiday, likewise the early daffodils, but they too are growing well, their leaves coming through since December. So too are the hyacinths planted in the shelter of the long hedges. And my ever-faithful hellebores are in flower with more to open up as the weeks move along.

What are starting to come into flower, and rather early, are our wallflowers, the plants surrounding the drive looking exceedingly verdant and healthy. I don’t think I’ve seen wallflowers plants so vigorous. I’m looking forward to them being in full flower as their perfume is wonderful on warm spring days and fill my heart with joy.

To help us through the dark dismal days of winter we grow many flowering plants and bulbs indoors. Hyacinths, whose intoxicating smell fill the house, the bulbs of which when the flower is finished, we plant outside along the hedges to flower year after year. And we have two cactus plants, a white and a red flowered one. I noticed yesterday my white “thanksgiving” cactus is in bud again after dropping its last flowerhead just before Christmas. Along with these we have a lovely red amaryllis. Usually a single-stemmed plant, this year it has outperformed all others by throwing up three flower stems, each with magnificent scarlet flowers.

And, of course, my orchids. It wouldn’t be the same without these exotic but easy to grow plants around the house, these two magnificent specimens sitting on the mantelpiece.

So yes, Spring is definitely on its way here and there is so much to look forward to and am eager to get outside and start the spring tidy but that must wait at least until late of February. Hopefully, if the world has sorted itself out by the autumn we can plan another trip abroad, a lot depends on many factors, but it is something else to look towards, as are visits to garden centres. But what I’m really looking forward to is the sun and summer. To be able to sit in the garden with my morning coffee or evening cocktail, to feel the warmth on my body, see blue sky and smell the roses. It will all come in time. Simple inexpensive pleasures that fill the heart and swell the soul. Bring it on!

What do you look forward to most this year?

Kit Domino’s website and blogs

The strange ‘in-between’

Firstly, I hope everyone managed to have a good Christmas, despite the less than ideal circumstances we all find ourselves in. We had a lovely time, but it was hard not meeting up with family and friends. All I can say is, thank heaven for Zoom!

This year, the ‘in-between’ week from Christmas to New Year is a strange one. The normal things that happen during this period aren’t taking place. Here in the UK we are basically in lockdown. So there has been no trips to the post-Christmas sales; no outings to the cinema; no festive evenings with friends… There’s a kind of stillness in the air, a flatness in the the lead up to New Year. It’s as if the world is holding its breath in the hope that better things are coming.

This week always finds me in a reflective mood (I suppose it’s the same for most of us). I think about the year that’s rapidly coming to an end and take time to look back on the good things… what went well, what goals I managed to achieve, etc. Also, the things that didn’t go so well, the goals I didn’t achieve, and the things that didn’t get done. I tend not to dwell too much on the later, except to resolve to do better in the future.

While I’m extremely grateful that my loved ones have come through the year and have remained virus-free, there has been one major family health challenge that came out of the blue and has left me reflecting on the fragility of life. It has certainly put things back into perspective, making me realise that my distinct lack of writing focus in 2020 (caused by major procrastination issues – no excuse) is really, in the bigger scheme of things, not that important. I failed big-time in meeting the goals I set, but there’s always next year.

But regardless of meeting goals or not, it’s always a good idea to set them. It is our goals that can help keep us rooted when life is especially challenging. They push us forward into the great unknown where all kinds of possibilities exist. I’m reminded of the wonderful Desiderata with its instruction to “keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.”

As the New Year approaches, I wish you everything that you wish for yourself. Stay safe, my friends. We’re getting there!

And Breathe….

Yes, 2020 is here. A Happy New Year to you all. A new year, new beginnings. I was certainly happy to see the back of 2019, as were so many people I have spoken with, all of whom equally had a bad year for one reason or another. We had my mother stay with us for Christmas week despite my not being able to stand up for long and none of us in the mood to celebrate for various reasons but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. Dave, bless him, did all the shopping, prepared all the veg, cooked Christmas lunch (with me supervising), and cleared away everything, looking after us both brilliantly. I say both, as Mum also had a bad leg, caused by being hit on the shin by a recalcitrant supermarket trolley back in October, causing a cut on her leg that went septic, the dressing having to be changed every two days. Thankfully, it had now healed.

Still, that is all history now and I am starting the year back on my feet, no crutches, only the occasional painkiller needed, and able to walk properly and drive again. Things are not quite recovered but I’m certainly well on the way, walking more each day as the weather permits as there is so much to look forward to this year. Starting with next month, when Dave and I are off on holiday again, this time to mainland Spain. And boy, am I looking forward to it as last year’s was tinged with sadness and illness.

Once we are back from our trip, we must do some work revamping our kitchen. The ceiling needs replacing, a new floor laid and we would like a new cooker. Not that there’s anything wrong with the freestanding one we’ve got but we want an eye-level oven because bending down as I get older is slowly becoming a problem. To fit one in requires a lot of rejigging of the current units which we don’t want to replace as there is nothing wrong with them.

I’m busy working on my new novel which I intend to see published this year. It’s already written but I have decided to introduce another main character into the story, so a fair amount of rewriting is necessary. I’m also programmed in to run a second art course at my painting group in March, and trying to decide what to demonstrate etc. I missed not being able to paint whilst I was laid up but finally managed to complete a painting I began back in the summer, something large and colourful to brighten up a bare wall, so I came up with “Tulips”. It is currently hanging in our lounge until such time as it sells… if it sells.

The best part of this year so far for me is, in fact, the garden. The weather here is currently very mild, though windy, but already the snowdrops are out and the crocus in the lawn up with many in bud, enough to see their colour. The daffodil bulbs are growing tall and dotted around the garden the hellebores are about to burst into flower. Seeing everything emerging is a sure sign the world has tilted and turned a corner, like me, and Spring is well on its way.

That’s all from me for the moment, folks. Next month, on my due date for posting, I will be jetting my way back from holiday thus my post may be a day or too late, so apologies in advance.

Kit Domino’s Website and Blog

Merry New Year

Jillian here.  Sorry I missed December’s post. I was out of town and knew it was my day, but I figured I’d post some pictures when I got back. By the time I got back (after experiencing a flat tire … Continue reading →

A New Year Begins

A Happy New Year!

It can’t be 2019 already, can it? Where’s the last one gone? Gone far too quick, that’s for sure. Seems like only yesterday I was saying a Happy New Year 2018 to you all. I hope you’ve all enjoyed the recent festivities. Ours was quiet, just as we like it, with my mother, Dave and I together over the period. This year, for a change we opted for a traditional Christmas dinner of turkey, including sprouts, followed by Christmas pudding, something Dave would never eat once upon a time. Now he asks for it and is hoping when we next go shopping the store will have some left. He even enjoyed the mince pies,  Lebkucken biscuits and Stollen –things he’s always turned his nose up to before. He’s also ventured into the pleasure of eating yoghurt, and curries. (Okay, who is this man and what have you done with the real Dave?)

Mother enjoying a quiet moment.

Boxing Day was made even more enjoyable by a surprise visit from our daughter and two grandchildren. My mother, their great-grandmother, was delighted to see them as she doesn’t have much opportunity to nowadays. I often think the term “grandchildren” sounds wrong for adult grandkids. There needs to be a better one. Any suggestions?

As Dave packs away the Christmas tree and decorations into the loft, I have a quiet moment to look back on 2018 in the Domino household. It’s certainly been a busy year, one with many ups and frequent let downs, highlights and disappointments, and worry over the health of one of my sisters, who thankfully is now okay. And a sad one too, with the loss of two family members, but made up for by a new little member to the clan, which I’ve yet to meet. We endured a freezing spring with the Beast from the East, made up for by a gloriously hot summer to remember. And it was a year that saw a milestone for us with our 40th wedding anniversary, not that we celebrated; we never do.

It’s also been an expensive year as we’ve revamped and restocked the garden and the dining/living room, and had to unexpectedly change what was meant to be our car for life. This was thanks to a design fault in the sunroof which let in water when it rained, destroying all the electrics. And having paid out previously for a costly repair which didn’t work, the car had to go. We are thrilled with our serendipitous replacement, so it turned out good in the end.

Back in May, I enjoyed a successful art exhibition which led to a few sales and a request to teach an art class, which starts next week for 4 sessions. I’m feeling quite chuffed although a little daunted and nervous at the prospect.  The response for a place was so overwhelming, I’ve already been asked to run another later in 2019.

I missed having a holiday abroad, but fully intend to make up for it this year by having two (or more if I can!), and maybe I can finally get Dave abroad again.

So what else does this year hold in store for me? Teaching more art classes, perhaps? I will if the opportunity arises. And I must, must, must, stop dithering and wasting time on social media and other things when I should be writing. I’ve no excuse, but as we all know, it’s so easy to let it slip. And with at least four books either finished, nearly finished or even half-way finished, I need to knuckle down. That’s where the disappointments came last year. Too many rejections. But I shall not give up. I mean, what else am I supposed to do whilst it’s cold, and he’s downstairs watching cricket, and rugby, and American football? No, no excuses at all.

And what of your year? Whatever you have planned I wish you one of good health and harmony and success in whatever you do to make it a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR indeed.

Kit’s Website and Blog, Kit’s Kitchen,  Kit’s Art  Site

New Year, New Name

I hope everyone had a happy, healthy and wonderful Christmas. It’s over all too quickly, isn’t it?

So, 2019 beckons and with it comes the annual goal-setting and forward planning activities. Next year I’m planning to write more and that means simplifying life wherever possible. With that in mind, I kept a log for a few weeks noting the unproductive time spent on social media just surfing around and doing nothing much in particular. It was scary. Hours passed and at the end of it I couldn’t tell you what I’d been doing. I know many of us relate to this phenomenon.

One the of things I’ll be doing to simplify things is run down my online presence as Tricia Jones. Seeing I no longer write under this name, it seems a sensible option. Having spoken to Laurie and Lavada, they agreed that I could write future blogs here at Over the Backyard Fence as Faye Avalon, which is the name I write under. That way, I can close down my Tricia Jones wordpress account (which will be great because switching between two accounts can be a pain, especially when I can’t remember passwords, etc.). So if you see this strange woman popping up on the blog and wonder where she came from, it’ll be me 🙂

Seeing this is both my last blog of the year and as Tricia, I thought to stick to tradition and post my favourite TV advert of the Christmas season. To be honest, I wasn’t overly impressed with them this year, so this one stood out.

Wishing you the very best of everything for 2019…

 

 

Season’s Greetings!

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is all but over now and we’re nudging another new year. Where did December go? Let alone the whole year? But it’s once again the time for reviewing what has gone before and for planning what will be. To take stock of goals, aspirations, and what we hope to achieve in the coming year. Some of my goals seem to get transferred from one year to another, with not much in the way of progress being made on them. So this coming year I’ll be tweaking my approach to achieving them in the hope that next year they’ll be off the list! After all, didn’t someone once say that “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”? 🙂

I know that 2016 has been a tough year for many of my friends here at the Fence, as well as a challenging year for the world at large, so I wish everyone a Healthy, Happy, Prosperous and Peaceful New Year. I’ll end this short post with my favourite TV Christmas Advert this year, which is a reminder that despite adversity it is always possible to emerge triumphant and find our way back home.

New Year – New to the Community

Hi Everyone,  I’m Marie Tuhart and I’m very happy to be here at Over The Back Fence blog. I’ll tell you a little bit about me, I’m a native Californian born and raised there until 2012, when I retired from … Continue reading →

Reflections

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Everything is pretty much back to some sort of normality here in the UK and the sales are in full swing. From Christmas Eve most of the ads on TV are for the sales which start here on Boxing Day (traditionally the day after Christmas when servants would receive gifts from their masters which became known as a “Christmas box”). Having shopped-out prior to Christmas, I always think I’ll be happy to give the sales a miss, and yet I always seem to be ready to bag a bargain!

But mostly the period between Christmas and New Year finds me in reflective mode and, can I say, a little melancholy. Not sure why, and I wonder if most everyone feels this way. It’s not so much the let down after the frenzy of the season, but more reflecting back on what I’ve achieved the past year and whether I feel I’ve made the most of it.

Looking back, I’ve met most of the goals I set myself for 2013 – written two fiction novels and one non-fiction book, boarded what seems a plethora of puppies for Guide Dogs, had some lovely trips away, and finished some jobs around the home that seem to have been at the planning stage for ages. All in all it’s been a pretty great year. But have I fulfilled the potential of the year? It’s always hard to say. What I do know is the year has gone by at lightning speed and I spent most of it in busy mode.

So here I am reflecting on last year and planning for next. Some of my goals so far are to be more organised (that’s a big one), write two more novels, take more trips away with AJ, but mostly I plan to take time to savour and value everything. To, in the words of Henry David Thoreau, “suck out all the marrow of life”.

That’s the plan anyway. How about you? What are your goals for 2014?