Soul Surfing

Another year over and a new one just begun, or so someone said once. Everyone has a Christmas message these days, did you notice that? The Queen, Iranian President. Obama, (probably a huge number more, but these were the only 3 I saw at least a part of on the news over the last couple of days). I always watch the Queen’s Speech, but I don’t know why. The last patriotic act left in me, maybe? Or ingrained habit. Anyway, I always watch and thanks to Sky and their anytime tv thing, I didn’t even have to remember at 3pm, I could watch it whenever. I could probably still watch it now.

So, seeing as every man and his dog is doing it, why shouldn’t I? Except, I’ve not exactly had the most thrilling year and I don’t have any words of wisdom to impart, well, not ones I’ve not nicked from somewhere else in the first place. I seem to have spent the year working (and hating my job as the year goes on and the sheer hypocrisy of co-workers), being a mum (Zoe’s blossoming, the independent little madam, so I can’t be doing too badly there, right?) reading (I’ve read a lot this year, I’m proud of that achievement at least), studying (one more essay to write before I start level 2, plan to run my first course next summer, go me!) and trying to get pregnant again (9 months and still nothing, but, hey, who’s counting, right?) I intend to spend next year doing more of the same and maybe even being successful in one of them, who knows. What I do know is that on January 1st I make a final payment to hsbc and my debts (excepting student loan – they’re never getting that back – and my overdraft, which should reduce over the next 12 months) are gone. I am, rightly, proud of that as well.

Christmas here was all about Zoe. This is the first year she’s really grasped what’s going on. I finished knitting her stocking a couple of months ago and we placed that by her cot on Christmas Eve and put a mince pie for Santa under the tree. She went to bed quite happily, I think next year she’ll possibly be too excited by the whole thing to sleep, who knows? She did wake up early on Christmas Day – 6am. but that’s when she usually wakes up and it wasn’t a Santa/present related early wake up. She was very excited to see the stocking bulging with presents and she opened that in our bed, playing with everything as she opened it. I think she thought that was it, cos she was happy enough to get dressed and didn’t seem all that excited about going downstairs. But, once we turned the living room light on and she saw the cooker that my mum had given her (formerly one of my sister’s had had it) she was over the moon and then she saw all the other, wrapped, presents! She adored the cooker and play food and has definitely played with that the most over the last 2 days. She was thoroughly spoilt and we spent most of the day opening presents, and I know she still has more to come. Luckily, she didn’t wake up on Boxing Day expecting more!

We decided to brave the shops on Boxing Day, for the first time ever. We’d seen the news in the morning – shops opening in London & Manchester at 7am so it was very disappointing to discover hardly any shops open at 10am in the centre of Newcastle. I’d really wanted to go to Lush – I never get to their sale early enough to get one of those huge gift boxes free, but they were closed all day. We did spend money in HMV and Waterstones though, which was where we’d really wanted to go, so it wasn’t a total loss. There were the vulture shoppers circling Zavvi, after it was announced on Christmas Eve they were going under, no doubt they’ll be in Woolworths today, picking over those bones too.

It was nice to have a Christmas where I wasn’t ill during it and we’ve had a lovely, almost relaxing time, the three of us. As I type, Zoe and Duncan are asleep on the sofa, cuddled up to each other. It’s cute. And that’s what 2008 has been about, more than anything, my family. I’m a lucky, lucky girl.

Until there is a next time…

xx