Fireworks

Happy New Year! It's a tad arbitrary when the new year starts but we're all in 2012 now aren't we? Even those who haven't woken up, ha ha! The Smurfs went down to town and Kim went out without leaving anything running and I had a shower and put my pjs on and dozed on the sofa til it was time to take my pill and watch fireworks. I watched Youtube clips from around the world...including Sydney's from various angles. Very good...well done Sydney! And then I watched the bongs on TV and the start of the London ones but the neighbourhood burst into sparkles and cheers so I had to pause the TV and keep jumping up to go from window to window watching and listening (it was still and cloudy and the sounds of the revelling crowds down the hill wafted up) - tiring but a good way of working off some of the toffees I'd been eating all afternoon! I've been feeling pretty rough and didn't even fancy a small glass of Bailey's or Crabbies ginger beer so I toasted my town and the astonishing fact I'm still here at the start of another year with spearmint and chamomile tea!

When I moved from Wales in 1999 fireworks were a rare treat but I noticed straight away that it's any excuse down here and 1st of Jan is just as good a one as 5th Nov...Pubs put them on as well as individuals letting them off in back gardens and on the beach. One year I'd had chemo on New year's Eve and the then friend who brought me home also took me down to the town later...We had never seen anything like it. Pretty much everyone in fancy dress, standing room only on the tables in the pubs (and people standing on the tables!) Piper in kilt, rockets and sparklers on the river beach...and an amazing warm friendly atmosphere. I'm getting emotional just remembering it...If I'd had the strength another time to go back I would have done. But of course the big firework displays in big cities get better and better and they are televised so you can watch them from your sofa any time and when I finally got round to pressing play I thought the London ones were gobsmackingly good...so good I rewound bits and played then again. Well done London!

It seems that I have a few Kickers fans among my readers...I'm thinking of switching to a new statistical tool but I've not heard of any that give that much demographic detail! Bob can see if it's males or females who look at his circuit bending videos (well, what they've registered as anyway!)and we are both quite fascinated by who finds us on the internet and where from and why they were looking... I've never actually owned a pair of Kickers, nor Doc Martins though I was tempted before Converse started making limited edition leather versions. I never really got the 'limited edition' thing. They do it with food and drink too: make something exceptionally good for a very short time and then make us do without when we've acquired the taste and would happily pay more to indulge it. Weird. Well the boots I've taken a fancy to are in a mail order catalogue whose courier delivers to the door and calls ahead so I can meet him there. I can try them on at home at my leisure and he'll collect them again if I decide they're not right, so that'll be the next thing I'll click on I'm thinking...

It's going to be another 'instalments' day today. Wash up and make some more mess cooking something being the main things left on the to do list. I'm pretty feeble at the moment but have an appetite for food and TV and books so nothing to complain about as I have all of those things within fairly easy reach. I'm grateful for another murky day the better to enjoy them!

I give thanks that apart from a few tired and emotional late nighters in the communal gardens no one has disturbed my peace since I finally got to bed just after one as solitude is often savoured better in silence...though the robin that sings in the night outside my window is most welcome! I'm grateful for the greetings I've received and hope you are all enjoying your day in whatever way seems most acceptable to you