The snow that seemed so unconquerable a week ago has slipped away in the mild rain that has fallen yesterday. Nothing can resist the onslaught of a determined foe and the ice yields reluctantly to water for now leaving behind a brown, flattened landscape that is uninspiring. Christmas has now come and gone and though enjoyable as ever the anti-climax is palpable. In our hearts and minds we build it much bigger than we can ever achieve. It must be a remnant of childhood memories that plays a recurring theme through the rest of our lives. A time of warmth, love and safety with all those that have now left us. It is if you will; a reflection of our innocence when Christmas was a time of magic and life was evolving at a much slower and less cynical pace.

For now the time of year is for some sad reflections and perhaps recriminations. Nothing ever quite works out the way we want and yet the heart wells ever optimistic for a new year. If I have learnt one thing it is that there is no perfect life for us as we grow older. It doesn’t get any easier and things change because they must and that change will out, no matter the resistance to it. So my resolution for the New Year then is to begin to not keep putting off till tomorrow what can be achieved by me today, to be a little healthier and fairer and to finish my book by this time next year. I’m getting going now because I finally worked out how to do it the way I want. But it only took 50 years!

I plan to have a quiet time but whatever you plan to do tonight have a wonderful new Years Eve and opening to the year ahead.