NEW BEGINNINGS

I know it's rather late in January to be talking about the New Year, but for me the year starts when hubby and kids go back to school. By the end of the week they will all be back at their various schools and it's time for me to get back into some serious writing.

We've had a long, hot, and sunny summer which looks to continue for some time to come. I've read some great books, watched some excellent movies, visited with friends and family and made some day trips into the country. It's been a wonderfully relaxing time.

There are a lot of 'new' things about this new year.

Firstly, on a sad note, I have farewelled two friends who moved north at the end of last year. One of them is my great writing buddy, Ruth.  We have this great ability to bounce ideas off of each other. When I get stuck in my writing, a long talk with Ruth almost always solves the problem and rekindles my passion for the story. So I am very thankful for telephones and the internet, although I do miss the chats over coffee. Travel to her new home in Wellington and Whangerei, where my other friend now lives, might have to become a yearly occurrence.

I do, however, have a new companion of the furry kind. Monty arrived just after Christmas. He is the cutest little kitty and follows me around like a puppy! I've never had a cat quite like him. Every time I move rooms, or even walk from one side to the other, he's there. When I stop moving he flops down on my feet. When I have the house to myself again during the day, I will not be lonely!

Here's a couple of photos of him. He's about nine months and not fully grown.

And here's our other cat, Captain, snoozing on my desk.

This year I also have a new desk to work at. Much bigger than my old one, I can use it for card making as well and all my patchwork fabrics are stored in drawers underneath. It's the central hub of all my creativity!

Here's a photo.

I'm not one for new year's resolutions, but this year I am determined to devote as much time as possible to my writing. Over the last couple of years I have let other things get in the way and my focus has been splintered. I've made a few adjustments to fix that and one of them will be that I blog less frequently - perhaps once or twice a month.

So how have your holidays, or winter if you're from way up north, been? What are you doing that's new this year? Leave me a comment, I love to hear from you.