Happy New Year, erm… Happy Middle of January?

So it’s January and pretty grey and miserable, Winter hasn’t yet happened (at least not here in mild, grey, wet Sheffield), there is blossom on the trees and squirrels collected nuts for next winter I suppose. They must be knackered with all this collecting nuts for a season that may never actually happen…. I need snow!!!

December passed by quite successfully. In amongst the Christmas parties and walks in the Peaks, there was a fantastic Richard Hawley gig at the City Hall, the amazing Christmas markets in Manchester (almost like being in Germany) where mulled wine was consumed, then a bit of a hectic Christmas/New Year in Sheffield, Wirral, Manchester, Hebden Bridge and Sheffield. I needed a break after all that travelling…

Yes and we did find some water pistols in a skip at 9am when we were walking back from the NYE party! Great fun “firing” them at passing cars (no water in them though)

Lots of books were generously given to me as Christmas presents and I’ve also been making use of Green Metropolis and ReaditSwapit to get some cheap second-hand reads. Now I just need a few hours of peace and quiet to read something.

I’ve just ordered some seeds from RealSeeds in preparation for this years growing season – only a few months to go. First I’m going to give growing some Basil a go on the windowsill.

The squirrels may not be hibernating but I feel like I’m just coming out of my burrow (?) for the first time in 2007. The grand plan is being formulated in a secret laboratory in my cellar and once I’ve added some secret ingredients it will be ready for general consumption. Anyway enough waffling….

I think the greatest achievement so far this year is doing a 17 mile walk around South West Sheffield last weekend. The Sheffield Round Walk was created in the 1930’s and is a 14 mile walk from Endcliffe Park right out to the border of the Peaks, round to Graves park and back to Hunters Bar. (We walked from/to Crookes/Hunters Bar which is why it was 17!).

Round Sheffield

The sun shone all day and it took us 7 1/2 hours including a lunch break! The next long walk will be the famous C2C (Chorlton to Crookes!) walk taking place at Easter … which doesn’t seem so mad after reading about the Extreme Celloists
Oh and in other news, interest rates are soaring, inflation is going ballistic and Gordon’s “economic” miracle is rapidly evaporating around him. (Sorry I couldn’t be cheery for one whole post…) 2007 is definitely going to be an interesting year

Oh and welcome back JIV!

[Note To JIV: Right that’s it now you’re back!… The celebrations are over…. 😉 ]

[tags]New Year, Richard Hawley, Books, Extreme Cello, Crookes, Chorlton[/tags]