Happy New Year...

So we've made it into 2007 with the help of numerous nibbles, half a bottle of Bacardi, a few Millers and some quality Champagne. We Boggled and we Pokered into the new year completing the evening with an all Exeter firework display (there are some distinct advantages in having a house that overlooks the city - makes for some spectacular and extremely cheap firework displays - I like to think of it as the re cycling of other peoples displays so to speak!). Robyn woke us at the crack of dawn (5am) and I grabbed some 'gulk' for her then she spent an hour or so in our bed fidgeting every two minutes until we called in the cavalry to relieve us and went back to sleep. Eventually got up about nine, felt energetic and spent fifteen minutes on my cross trainer which made me feel very smug. Then went in for a shower and weighed myself. Vowed to buy some new scales that registered correctly, then remembered these are new ones. Thinks ' I can't possibly weigh this much...I have never weighed this much', so promptly made a new years resolution never to eat again. Finished in the shower and then went to make breakfast. Feeling guilty about the size of my stomach and my new years resolution skimped on the Oat Crunchies and had only a few Crunchy Nut Cornflakes on top. Determind to burn off breakfast arranged a walk with Emma, Adam Robyn and dog around the university grounds which was very pleasant in the New Year morning sun. Burnt off some calories and got back just in time to wander with Marg up to the huge house at the end of out road (we call it South Fort) for New Years drinkies and nibbles. (Sugar, I thought all this had ended....oh well we have to try to be neighbourly!) The house is amazing, makes ours look like tiny little hovel. Everything is curved, landscaped garden, huge conservatory, massive dining room through to lounge. There were some young people continually handing out the smoked salmon and other canopays and their daughter, an on-call doctor replenishing the champagne as soon as your glass was empty. We met and chatted to a few neighbours we hadn't met before and it was good to be accepted into the Hillcrest Park social scene. I think people up here in general want to be friendly so guess you have to 'go with the flow'. So what has 2007 in store for us. Safe and successful, I hope for all members of our family. For Marg in her new practice management job and looking after her Dad, for Adam adjusting to life out of the army, and for Emma accepting the extra responsibility of a soon to be expanding family, for Steve making significant progress with his business and Sarah making sure that he does just that whilst educating Josiah and making sure Anna and Abbie get an education, amongst various other things. For me, to be around to give moral support to all of them, to also make sure that we sell absolutely hundreds of cars and make shed loads of cash, to kick the builders out by the end of January and start to enjoy this house again. Anyway, to sum up and to spite the fact that my age will become an even larger number this year I am positive and looking forward to the year. After sorting the new upstairs, I want to sort and develop the studio into a large screen film watching area with some art and music facilities. Also want to do something with the pond and make it Italian garden style and tidy up the paths around the house a bit. My new motto is going to be 'Eat less, exercise more' (we'll see how long that lasts!!) So that's it for now.. and if you've just got this far then I wish you a Happy New Year..