The Last Post ...

...of 2011. I've never been big on New Year/ Hogmany, never seeing the passing of the year as anything momentous. Being brought up in a house with people who abused alcohol, it as often a night of confusion if not outright pain and disruption. The only Hogmany I remember fondly was 1996 into 1997 as I was heavily pregnant with Vee and toasted the new year with a cup of tea. Even the millennium was a nuisance as Gee's brother had decided of all days to get married that day - we went to my brother's afterwards and I think that was the last time we were all together.
Anyway, this afternoon we are off to our mates Phil and Dougie's for their first Hogmany in their new home and with their rescue dog Rudi. We've known Phil since 1990 when she moved up to Glasgow from Llanelli to work in the vegan cafe where I was a co-op member and came to stay with us as we had a spare bedroom. We met Dougie about the same time as he was one of the few other young people who lived in our tower block - we were in a housing co-op with loads of pensioners. It's nice to be able to spend time with your best mates of such long-standing and I'm sure we'll have a rare old time.
I've never been one for making resolutions but this year I'm making a pact with myself to write more, especially comedy, to lose weight by walking more and build up that walking to be able to go back to hillwalking again, to stand up to my various diseases (hopefully there aren't any more surprises like my thyroid of this year) and to look at maybe, maybe going back to work.
I've started watching the BBC series "Wonders Of The Universe" presented by Professor Brian Cox (not to be confused with the Scottish actor from X-Men 2) which has put things into perspective for me I think - we are made up from the same basic components as the stars and every piece of us was once part of something else. We only have a loan of these atoms and one day we'll be part of something else. So while I have this collections of billions of protons and electrons whizzing about making up this mess that is me, I'm going to have a good time. I wish you and your atoms all the best with lots of love xxx