Somerset: Winter

Very few people that know me will be surprised to hear that I dislike January. Like many folk, I struggle with dark mornings, dark evenings, and the weather. I am a cool blooded creature - I need sunshine to thrive.

I think part of the 'problem' is how much it contrasts with December. We're all looking forward to Christmas, holidays, time off with family and friends. There's lights and music and mulled wine and mince pies. There's novelty knitwear and glittery nail varnish. January? Not so much. Spring feels like a very long way away when it's so stormy outside that you can't sleep.

Part of my December was spent down in Somerset with family. I've been thinking about how lovely it was quite a bit recently, now that I'm back in the city and the rain is lashing against the windows (alas, no snow in Edinburgh). The more time I spend in the country, the more I realise how much I want to live in a little town, complete with its own book shop, cosy pubs and weekend walking group. Somewhere with a lovely walk along a canal towpath into town. 
One day, one day.

January Resolutions

I've been pondering New Year's Resolutions for a couple of days. Thing is - I sort of started what I'd been planning on using as mine back in September when I began my 52 books challenge. And seeing as I don't smoke, am not a big drinker, eat fairly healthily and am quite thrifty (ok, stingy - I am from Yorkshire after all...) I struggled. 

I then thought about doing a word for the year. They are the new thing in resolutions, partly (if we're all honest) because they're more about positive intentions than beating yourself up for failings. No one is going to mock you if you've not "develop"-ed by the second week in February. They will if you've resolved to quit smoking, only to be caught nipping outside "to keep someone company" after a glass or three of wine.

But - I couldn't think of a word either. What I really want to do is get into little positive habits. The things that I think "oh, I really enjoyed doing that". Or "oh, that's made a surprising difference to my health/work/house". They tend to be the things you never do because there's *so many* of them and it gets overwhelming. Or because you don't write them down and then promptly forget. 

So, I have decided that I'm going to start writing these things down. Four new resolutions a month - the idea being that if you do something frequently, it becomes automatic. A positive habit.

January: