+ auld lange syne

20 things that happened in the last year that were good:

1.  we moved house to The Great Corridor and are very happy
2. we got moose / moosling / moose lightning, the most stubborn but lovely dog ever
3. chris has been an absolute rock for me whilst i've been going through some stuff, and i am super lucky to have him
4. according to spotify my most listened to artist was MGK but it should probably have been graham lake
5. sinners was my movie of the year
6. i paid off a lot of debt
7. we camped in the forest of dean and it was beautifully sunny weather and i met our grandson
8. i saw bullet for my valentine and trivium live and teenage me nearly died from happiness
9. we went away for my brother in laws 50th to a huge airbnb and the kids loved the pool
10. i raised a lot of money for cancer research by doing the muddy 5k with tara
11. i cooked an incredible cote de bouef, just because i could
12. my book of the year was the raven scholar by antonia hodgson 
13. but i also read a lot of other really fantastically fun books
14. i wore a lot of pink and red together and it made me smile
15. i didn't go cold water swimming as much as i would have liked, but i did still go, including braving the walrus dip on boxing day
16. i got headhunted for a fully remote job that starts in twelve days time -eek!
17. fi and cat came to stay and we had wonderful adventures in rhossili bay
18. i did lots of cross stitching
19. and baking
20. and binge watched every episode of 24 hours in police custody with my husband

ten resolutions for next year: 

1. move more. complete couch to 5k, and go to circuits on a monday night because it will be good for me. 
2. read 100 books (same as every year) 
3. finish three BIG cross stitch projects (and do some little ones too) and try and learn to quilt by hand.
4. spend less time on my phone. i'm averaging seven hours a day at the moment and that cannot continue. 
5. no takeaways, whatsoever. no excuses. i will save a fortune. 
6. aim for 26 cold dips. brr. 
7. journal every day, because it's a good habit to build and its not like i talk about my feelings out loud. 
8. pay off my credit cards and save £2000 in my emergency fund.
9. make time for quality time with my loved ones. 
10. keep decluttering - no nasty surprises in cluttered cupboards thank you! if i need motivation i will watch hoarders.

five places i would like to visit in 2026:

1. llangollen canal - especially pontycystylle acqueduct
2. the angel of the north
3. hell's kitchen marble arch
4. york for the viking museum
5. edinburgh for up helly aa

three things to leave behind in 2025:

1. being unorganised
2. being unhappy with my body
3. being unwilling to push myself

two books i can't wait to read that will hopefully be released in 2026:

1. the ballad of falling dragons
2. the fox in winter

one wish:

1. true happiness.