HAPPY NEW YEAR.
My resolution for this year - To set my goals and to work as hard as I can to achieve those goals so that if I'm not successful I'll know that there was nothing more I could have done.
I had a surprisingly enjoyable New Year's Eve. Usually we have spent New Year's Eve at home doing nothing more special than staying up late and having a toast at 12.00. I think that wonderful New Year's parties are mostly a myth perpetuated by tv or given a rosy glow by boozy recollection. We went to some parties when we were younger but they had their share of drunken idiots throwing up, passing out or simply being totally boring and you get to an age where that is not an exciting prospect. Nowadays I find the parties I enjoy are with much smaller numbers of friends. The local village pub was rather empty the one year we went down to celebrate New Year's Eve so this year we had planned to go to Pete's local in town where there would definitely be a good crowd and plenty of atmosphere. Pete was not well enough to go out so that plan was scrapped.
At home all the 'well' members of the household were sat round the kitchen table doing various creative activities; skeleton army repair and painting- Sam, Vytas, Romas and Linas, drawing- Kate B, working on photos - Gemma. As usual there was a general disinclination to go out into the cold night so it was just Romas and myself who braved the frosty roads to drive into Barnstaple for the celebrations. AND I HAD A WONDERFUL TIME.
(Apologies for the blurry photos , but they still tell the story.)
The main areas were lit up with people heading towards the Square or the various nightspots.
There was a stage set up in The Square with a band ( friends of Romas), playing heavy rock music with a fair sprinkling of older covers. There were a lot of older people well wrapped up against the cold while many of the younger people were in fancy dress. It was amusing to see older respectable matronly women dancing away and singing all the words to Stones tracks. It was a very friendly atmosphere, I think the serious drinkers were in the pubs and clubs and there was a very visible police presence.
Just before midnight most of the revellers congregated on the bridge to watch the fireworks.
Romas' plans to meet up with friends for a house party went astray when various plans changed. 
After the fireworks people streamed back into town for more partying in the pubs and clubs. I was admiring someone wearing a mexican outfit including a sombreo with a dead chicken on top when I realised this was one of my WI friends who lives just up the road from us. We continued to party (dance wildly) until Romas pleaded to be taken back home. Despite most of the family being at home I have to say that I really enjoyed myself and this didn't involve any drinking (my head can't take it) and no money spent apart from a donation to the local hospice.
Today the sick were well, hooray! and no one else seems to succumbed. Peter and I had a gentle stroll up the hill in the crisp cold air, other than that after a lie-in it has just been kitchen and PC.
