Here we go again!

Well, it's another year. 2009. I'm not sure what to make of it, really, I gave up long since making long term plans, new year resolutions, etc.

In fact, this was the first time we've been out to play at New Year for about seven years. Most of the last few years we've been apart anyway, so there wasn't much point. I'd got a New Year's Day Proper Walk booked in - the Two Valleys starting and ending at St Neot, so when Roger and Doreen invited us over to Downderry to see in the New Year it seemed like a good idea for them to bring Ron to join the walkers for the New Year Breakfast at the pub there.

I was under the obviously mistaken impression that public places such as public houses did the Big Ben or countdown thing at midnight at the very least, but where we were nothing happened - various people were checking their watches or mobile phones for an approximation of the right time, but nobody got it quite right. Still, we met a fair few people we haven't seen for a while, so it was quite pleasant, then a very short walk home to Roger's house. I actually got up a couple of minutes before the alarm went off, so that was OK. The weather wasn't quite as cold as it has been lately, but quite windy and a bit misty damp. We did the walk anti clockwise, which means it starts with a very steep climb up out of the village but the rest is easier. For the first five minutes I was giving serious thought to giving up because I couldn't breathe, but then I realised that the other three were all suffering from heavy colds and they weren't doing any better than me anyway! We only met one group of walkers going the other way in the whole six miles. There were actual primroses out on the hedges right up high. It was altogether a thoroughly enjoyable way to start the day.

When we got to the pub the Downderry party had grown to seven, outnumbering us four walkers, but they managed to find us two tables together so that we could all talk and eat. I'd naively expected that we'd go home after lunch, but Ron and Roger, egged on by various friends and relations, stuck it out until 7pm! I had one glass of wine with lunch, probably far too much fizzy water afterwards, and ended up only being able to talk to Doreen (who was also sober chauffering) because everyone else was on a different plane altogether. Ty worked the room with his usual understated charm and no fewer than three people tried to take him off me and keep him forever. He's a credit to me, which is more than can be said for Ron... How is it that I can turn a horrible unloved puppy into everybody's friend and I can't make a man do anything at all, even after thirty years?

I'm getting a cold now. I had two days backache and high temperature, then yesterday I woke up with a blocked nose (it's not blocked now - it's running like a tap!). Lemsip and whisky may or may not be good for me.

Happy New Year.