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.

PLANS FOR A NEW YEAR

2011 is well and truly over and as I look back on it I can say I'm glad it's passed. For lots of reasons it was a hard year.  However, there are always high points and interesting diversions to even the worst of years.

It was the year I was able to stand back from my first WIP and make some much needed decisions. At present Blackbird is quietly marinating in my bottom drawer, but not forgotten.

I started two new projects, faltered on one and am slowly progressing through the other.

Putting my hand up and becoming the president of our local Writers' Workshop was a moment fraught with nerves, yet it has turned out to be a very positive move. Sometimes it's good to step outside of our comfort zones.

Fountain at Versailles, France.

After much fundraising we were able to send our oldest son on a European tour. The experience is something he will treasure for many years.

2011 was also my final year as a homeschooling Mum. My daughter is set to start high school next Friday, leaving me with a lot more hours in the day.

As life takes it twists and turns we can never really know our future, but despite that we lay plans for the days, months, and years ahead; hoping at least some will come to fruition.

These are my plans for 2012:

1 Finish my present WIP: working title 'Tegan's Story'.

2 Be more creative: patchwork, card making, stitching.

3 Read plenty of good books.

4 Blog more regularly than I have been.

And as I work on Number 4, you'll get to hear about my long, hot summer; my first foray into 4 wheel driving; and my best reads of last year. I hope you'll join me.

Old Dunstan Road - close to where Rohan, LOTR was filmed.

Oh, I need to add another: Don't put bread in the oven and then write blogs!  (Don't worry, the house is still standing!)

THE SCHOOL YEAR HAS BEGUN

Most people talk about the new year in January. Very sensible idea! But with three school aged children and a hubby who teaches, January is holiday time. The first week of February is when it all starts.

We've just had our first full week and I feel like the year has got underway. My 18 year old son has begun his last year at school. He trotted off with his new pocket watch and feeling deprived that we still haven't found him a waistcoat. In the best steam punk tradition, he wants to be the epitome of the well dressed Victorian gent - with the addition of black jeans and high cut sneakers, of course.

Fourteen year old son has returned for his second year at high school and in the course of the the first week has decided to take up futsal and can't quite get his head around the fact that having guitar, bass guitar, drums and piano lessons are a little out of our budget! However, he will be continuing with guitar.


Twelve year old daughter is home schooled, and this is her last year. Next year she's off to high school. We've had a good week. We've started a new curriculum with a theme on the Middle Ages and she's going to the local intermediate once a week for technology - this term she's doing metal work.

Hubby started off the term with a terrible bout of flu and two days in bed, but is fit as a fiddle now. He teaches at a special needs school and although it's full on, he really loves the work.

And me? I'm thriving on the return to routine. It always helps me to achieve more. This year I plan to finish the first draft of my new novel - a New Zealand historical - and get through a big chunk of my TBR pile.

A NEW YEAR BEGINS

It's been awhile since I've posted. I've been in total holiday mode: late nights watching movies; long lie-ins and plenty of reading. A very luxurious twist to this decadence is my eldest son's New Year Resolution. He gets up before everyone else and makes his Mum and Dad breakfast-in-bed! Now that is something I can really cope with.

I'm not into making resolutions myself. I know I'd be doomed to failure. However, I do like to think ahead and make some plans. I've let my writing holiday stretch out much longer than I intended, but my Muse has been haunting me and over the last few days and I've laid out some achievements to aim for.

Having now completed the first drafts of all three books in the trilogy, my aim this year is to get the first book ready so I can find an agent/publisher. That was my aim for last year, but in hindsight I was being a bit ambitious. Now it feels achievable.

In a few days I'm off for a week's holiday in the Catlins with hubby and when I get back I'll be diving back into Blackbird and getting it into the best shape I can.

I've also added another reading challenge for the year. This one is for Historical Fiction and I plan to read 20 books. It's being organised by Historical Tapestry. I'll keep you updated as I complete both my reading challenges.