What have I learned?

It's been a funny old year 2011. Like all years, it's had it's highs, lows and downright ridiculous moments. I'm not going to wax lyrical about it. I'm not going to make any resolutions. It's taken time but I've finally accepted that the whole process of making resolutions feeds on the reality that before long they'll be broken - it's just part of a cycle, and not something I'm going to get hung up on. History tells me that regardless of my good intents, certain things usually happen in the course of a year; I get older, wiser and increasingly rotund. The bit that naffs me off is that they don't all happen in equal measure or what I could even consider a fair proportion!

One thing I am going to internalize and take with me into the coming year is the success of last night. Despite my having done nothing in terms of shopping or food prep, last night's dinner party was still a wonderful success.

The fact that the hand towels in the bathroom were not freshly laundered and folded on the towel warmer didn't seem to matter. I'll even go so far as to say that, given the company we were in (warm and loving), it didn't really matter when fifteen minutes after having finished our starter, Craig announced he was about to prepare, saute and then bake (!) the main course. Conversation flowed even faster than the wine, and before we knew it the Mixed Bean Enchiladas smothered in cheesy natural yoghurt were sizzling on the table.

Will this change how I feel next time people come to dinner? I hope so. Don't get me wrong, I'm not about to turn this place into Chez Waynetta, but then I quite liked watching Craig dance as he prepared dinner, laughing, relaxed and happy. Perhaps there is more to life than fluffy hand towels and a meal which is well punctuated with equal stops between courses.

My only input into prepping the evening was to add these little ditsy wine glass charms which I have made. Making wine glass charms is my creative craft of choice right now. I just thought on about buttons a couple of days ago and like them. I'm not entirely a beaded person and think these chunky colorful buttons ease onto my table much more graciously.

The purple dotty one, and a peach one which isn't here as I had camera shudder, are my favorites.







Well, all that remains is to wish you all a year full of growth, zest, love and laughter; and for those who know the year ahead will bring it's challenges, I just want to share this poem I've found, which for me really sums it all up.


Ella Wheeler Wilcox

What can be said in New Year rhymes,
That's not been said a thousand times?
The new years come, the old years go,
We know we dream, we dream we know.
We rise up laughing with the light,
We lie down weeping with the night.
We hug the world until it stings,
We curse it then and sigh for wings.
We live, we love, we woo, we wed,
We wreathe our prides, we sheet our dead.
We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,
And that's the burden of a year.