Happy New Year to you all, wishing you health and happiness for 2021. It is a grey cloudy day and the forecast is for SNOW!!! I wanted a walk, so I got ready and headed out before the snow arrives. I wanted to go into Fontaine and see their Christmas display, which was no disappointment. So apart from the usual cleaning jobs and being extra thorough for the start of the New Year, I have had to deal with the tarpaulin, which offers some privacy in the back garden, in very strong winds and during heavy rain, I was out “manhandling” this thing only to find that the post it was attached to had snapped! It was threatening uprooting the new photinia, so (having watched many a man deal with situations like this) I pulled it down completely at one side and “stuffed” it amongst another established shrub until I could get out again and do running repairs. Sure enough I was out the following day with cable ties and managed to regain my privacy by attaching said tarpaulin to branches of a laurel bush (not ideal for the laurel bush, but will do for now. After having spent a wonderful Christmas Day with my friend Anie, I decided to ask her to lunch on New Years Day. Now the problem is that I get these ideas, then wish I hadn’t asked, as I know the pressure I would put myself under to make sure that everything was “just so”. You cannot imagine the relief when she said that her family would be with her……...I had been having nightmares about the meal as my intention was to cook “Pintade with Prunes and Armagnac” a recipe I had not made before. When she declined the offer I still decided to cook this for myself, along with another five courses! To be honest, I need not have worried, the main course was delicious and cooked exactly as it had said in the recipe. My six course meal took around three hours to eat, but that was part of the fun for me, it filled in a large part of the day. I also had a bit of a celebration on Wednesday, as the 30th December marked three and a half years since I left the UK. Expectations of my life here were high when I arrived and I can say that this has truly been exceeded, the warmth and friendship I have received from people in this town, the ability for me to volunteer and help people less fortunate and the beauty of this place that I call home, I have had three and a half years of sheer pleasure. Marie-Therese called to see me for coffee, cake and a chat, plus she had bought me the most wonderful children’s book, it is for me to learn to read it in French, then when my granddaughter comes to visit I can read it to her while translating into English. I don’t know if it is an English trait, but I would never pick a friend up if the word they used was incorrect, or pronounced incorrectly, the wonderful thing I have found with a number of my French friends is that they do it automatically and ask me to repeat it. I never feel embarrassed by this and am happy to improve my vocabulary and pronunciation. I don’t normally venture into town late afternoon during the winter but I had to post a letter and so headed to the post office. What a joy to see the Christmas display, in front of the town hall, all lit up and looking stunning, there I was with my camera capturing the moment. I know that some people look back at 2020 and can only see the chaos that Covid-19 caused. For me, I had a holiday in Tunisia (first time in 31 years), had a break in Reims and really embraced the time that I was able to spend in my garden, with a coffee and a book, or singing to my neighbours as I listened to music on my phone (no they did not ask to be serenaded)! It has been hard for a lot of people who live alone and I know that had I still been living in the apartment, I may not have been as happy, as I had no private outside space to take myself into. I missed my family in the UK, having not seen them since July 2019, but we have always made use of video calling so I am with them in the front room albeit on a mobile phone. This pandemic has made me look at things differently, re-assess what I do and how I do them and ultimately take pleasure from having a new hobby or rekindling affection for previous hobbies. Once it is safe to travel again I will be going to see the family but until that time we will make do with video calls. Sorry folks, I had set the alarm for me to load the washer and set it going, cheap rate electric 12 -2 so got to make the most of it! So my diaries (yes I do use more than one) have all been put to good use, I received three calendars (two from UK and a free one from the pharmacy), so at my desk I am currently enjoying the brightly painted houses in Tenby, Pembrokeshire whilst in the kitchen I am rewarded with an atmospheric view of the cliffs at Saltburn-by-the Sea. The one from the pharmacy doesn’t have a “home” yet. With all the eating and drinking I have put on weight! I am now challenging myself to do #100daysofwalking three days under my belt so far and I am pleased although my toe (the one with the corns) doesn’t seem to be enjoying it so much. Tough I say! I am going to get out into the fresh air every day that I can. The peas I planted are still flowering but no sign of any pods, plus I now have the blackbirds, coal tits and blue tits back in the garden, where they have been lately I have no idea (perhaps my neighbour has not had food out for them) I noticed while I was writing this that he has been outside and sorting a feeder. I don’t put food out for the birds as I have a fear of rats, mice etc so my neighbour can feed the birds and then they come into my garden, win/win. Now to “The Daddy”, “The Mummy” and my gorgeous granddaughter, they are still in limbo with the sale of their flat and no doubt their Solicitor will be receiving a call and not to wish him Happy New Year!! Things really need to start moving for them and then they can move onto the next phase of their lives, it’s good to have a plan! “Nightshift Man” (still hasn’t got a new name), had worked his allotted shifts and was looking forward to a few days off, only to receive a call asking if he could work a shift, quick as a flash he was in the car and heading off to work. On his way home that evening, he received another call asking him to go in the following day too. Now they are in Tier 4, he works in a non-essential shop so no-one knows if there will be any work. We can only keep our fingers crossed. He is also dealing with buying essentials for his Aunt who has been in hospital for over 4 weeks and delivering them to the ward, coping really well in the snow and ice yesterday and negotiating Saltburn Bank. The New Year brings with it the thought for those University students, like Lucy, that this is their final year and the work just has to be done no matter how it is going to be graded. It is hard to remain motivated especially when having to work from home without access to libraries etc but keep at it, dreams are there to be achieved. Hope “the babies” Tilly and Chester are well. Until the next time…………. Photos: Fontaine,and sunshine on a cloudy day.

. 🎯 Write your 100 days list . 🎯 This week we will have a closer look at things that will inch you closer to your success. . 🎯 What is 100 days list, and how to write it? . It's very simple sit down and write everything you want to do in the next 100 days. . 🎯 Literally everything, places you want to visit, tasks you want to do, things you want to learn, things you want to buy, amount you want invest, funds you need to save... . 🎯 When you think of it now few things may Pop up in your mind, but when you start to write it down you will need additional sheets for sure. . 🎯 Do this activity today and we will see the rest tomorrow . 🎯 Have a great day. ☺️☺️👍🏼 . . . . . . #list #listing #listo #lists #todolist #100list #writedowneverything #listdown #writethelist #100days #100daysofpractice #100daysofpatterns #100daysofproductivity #100daysofsweat #100daysofwalking #100daysofrunning #chennaichallenge #chennaiblogger #chennaiinfluencers (at Chennai, India) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDsTD6rH22x/?igshid=j0htm45wa6eo

Have a 'Quackin' great Friday #100daysofwalking @ciarakellydoc @newstalkfm (at River Dodder) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtnPFGfCjhV/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1rybvvympddys

#100daysofwalking hit a bit of a flow the past few days and I had a new found appreciation for the simple sanity it can bring. . . . www.silewalsh.com [email protected] Free phone consultations #lifecoaching #wellbeing #goals #success #businesscoaching  #careercoaching #personaldevelopment #professionaldevelopment #resilience #selfacceptance #codependency #coachingpsychology #coachingsupervisor #mentalhealth #recovery #emotionalintelligence #motivation #selflove #selfawareness #positivity #dailyquote #therapy #selfhelp #Dublin #Drumcondra (at Dublin, Ireland) https://www.instagram.com/p/Btb4fK0jSrK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1goyli3e1biw7

Great morning Cost : €0 #kildare #100daysofwalking (at County Kildare) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs0GvgfFR7s/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ale6c97ji8za

@LeadAfrique: Tune in to @citi973fm today, Monday, 9am for Effective Parenting in Turbulent Times by @letitiaoheneeffah on the #effectivelivingseries.😉 #monday #effectivelivingseries #parenting #ghanaian #100daysofwalking #Newyear #family #twitter #love #Twitter #TREASURE #Trending #citi https://t.co/TEqebu91Wz

Day88 1st walk & in 15days! For anyone askin Im not stopping We need 100days more thn ever &its tailormade for now! 30mins of walking close to home! Whats more Im gonna keep goin for as long as we need it So we may hit day130 of #100daysofwalking yet Keep her lit!♥️♥️@NewstalkFM pic.twitter.com/JegpPJBHYB

— Ciara Kelly (@ciarakellydoc) March 28, 2020

🙏Good Morning🙏

"No one has a right to consume happiness without producing it."

#Training #5amwritersclub #leadership #leadershipskills #enjoy #FridayThoughts #100daysofwalking #Trending #NarendraModi #PMKisan #timesnow #RepublicTV

I will say:

“It take courage to live outside of the traditional expectations” Nice quote from #Bridgeton #creativecoaching #SaturdayMotivation #inspiration #100daysofwalking

Good Morning ppl from #East to #West @VTanriover @nsbchd @100daysofwalking @AroraRajdeep @sangeeta_tyagi @sukhvirgarcha @pawan_kg @kalyanjyotibarm @greatairi @sunilddesai @syedarifniazi @ChandBrajesh @SrbjitJainneelu @Sanjeevarora64 pic.twitter.com/hurKhSWGou

— Rajiv Bakshi (@AuthorRajiv52) February 1, 2020

Selection #2 from the afternoon walk @irelandsancienteast @discoverireland.ie @waterfordmuseum @failte_ireland #5kmfromhome #100daysofwalking (at County Waterford) https://www.instagram.com/p/CK9aq3mF5-K/?igshid=nmba505f6umw

Lost Threads and Planned Pauses

Lost Threads and Planned Pauses #100DaysOfCrazy

Doctor Who tonight! Tomorrow is my birthday and I’m going out so I’m hitting pause on my crazy and celebrating. I’ll be back on Friday to resume the insanity!

#100DaysOfCrazy

#100DaysOfCode – Finished the bootstrap code alongs and briefly went back to the portfolio page. I’m excited to really get in to it again on Friday. Log here.

#100DaysOfWalking – Walked JD for 22.46 and .91 miles. Link here.

View On WordPress

Mild January weather @irelandsancienteast #100daysofwalking #5kmradius #fillyourheartwithireland @gotoirelandca (at County Waterford) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKoni8flwIS/?igshid=1u1xiaiz54zbf

#forestbathing #100daysofwalking #5kmradius @irelandsancienteast @discoverireland.ie #fillyourheartwithireland (at County Waterford) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKonI1xlAG0/?igshid=2etmq0krx1sw

A walk to Colligan Church #100daysofwalking #5kmradius on a stunning morning @irelandsancienteast @failte_ireland @discoverireland.ie #fillyourheartwithireland (at County Waterford) https://www.instagram.com/p/CKomjhblNSQ/?igshid=ptjn8aq7rj0f

Old gates @irelandsancienteast #100daysofwalking #fillyourheartwithireland @gotoireland https://www.instagram.com/p/CKmtkwRlMsC/?igshid=2ntufd7zkras