Wednesday 31 December 2014

New Year Plans, Gender Roles and Shoddy Service.









Xmas is done and dusted and I am now looking forward to the New Year.  I always like the feeling of starting afresh, making plans and looking forward to new challenges.  I can't wait to take the decorations down, but will resist until after New Years Day or my family will protest .   I won't be bothering to make New Years resolutions as they usually barely last the month.  Instead I will be working on my 60 by 60 list that I set myself last year.  I would like to move house this year but I have been saying that for a few years, something always happens to prevent this.  Who know, maybe this is the year.

We had our two little grandchildren to stay for a few days which was huge fun, they are funny little people.  Our two year old granddaughter loves Frozen so she was singing 'Let it Go' over and over in her own unique way and insisting on wearing her 'Princess' dress.  As an old feminist it does feel like we haven't achieved anything when little girls are still encouraged to be pretty princesses, but I seem to be a lone voice in the gender role debate.

My xmas present to myself arrived after xmas, it was a book 'Women's Work the First 20,000 Years - Women, Cloth and Society in Early Times'  which I had seen recommended on another Blog.  I ordered it from a used book site which described the condition as 'very good'.  Well if this is very good, I'll eat my hat.  It was grubby and had coffee stains over it.  Lucky it wasn't a present for someone else.  After an email from me they did refund my money but they shouldn't have sent it in the first place.  I have a 'thing' about looking after my books, it really upsets me to see books abused.

The weather has been frosty here so the last few nights we have lit the open fire.  I love sitting in front of it listening to it crackling away, the sound takes me right back to childhood.  As the only heating in the house, we would all be huddled around it in the evening, I was always told off for sitting too close.   The frost looks beautiful in the garden, though I do feel sorry for the birds, they are eating me out of house and home at the moment poor little things.






























We will be going to St. Ives this evening for New Years Eve where everyone will be filling the streets in their fancy dress costumes, it is one of the biggest parties around!  Our samba band will be entertaining the crowds, I'm really looking forward to it.  Do you have any plans for tonight?

Happy New Year everyone,

Chickpea xx


22 comments:

  1. Our decorations came down last night in preparation for the New Year. We don't do resolutions either, but choose between 5-10 things we all want to have achieved before the end of the year. One of mine is to run 5 miles without stopping :o) Have a lovely time this evening- I'll bet St Ives looks lovely this time of year :o)

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  2. My tree and the sitting room decs will come down on the 2nd as usual, the dining room is back to normal.
    I have bought lots of used books lately and have been lucky as they have all been in very good condition. I do agree with you though about respecting them, I once took a book out from the library to find that someone had used a rasher of bacon as a book mark. Enjoy your Hogmanay, I will be with Jools Holland as long as I can keep my eyes open.

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  3. We are off to a party organised by our eldest girl and her friends. It is to be held in their local Social Club and all the children will be there too.
    I remember sitting in front of the only fire. Did you get those speckly red legs that come with sitting too close?
    Where are you hoping to move to?
    Happy New Year to you and yours
    Gill

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  4. Beautiful photos! I'm a bit of a misery - I took things down on 27th Dec and I burned the christmas cards on christmas eve, hehe! Dave protested about the 'stickmas tree' though, so that's still up as he likes it (but I can't wait to take the decorations off and put the box away!

    I'm with you on looking after books, and on gender roles for that matter. I was never a girly girl and I must be one of the only people left in the world who hasn't seen frozen!

    Your frosty photos are beautiful and I hope you have a great night in St Ives.

    Happy New Year :)

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  5. Look forward to following your progress on the run CT x

    Pam, I usually get my used books through Greenmetropolis or charity shops and they are very good. This was another online seller, I won't be using them again! Rasher of bacon.....how could someone do that to a book! x

    Yes I did Gill :) I want to move back out into the countryside. We don't need to be near schools and colleges now. Truro is a beautiful city but I want more space around me, they have built on all the fields we used to have around us. Enjoy your party x

    You're not a misery, if I had my way they would be down by now. Happy New Year to you Louise x

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  6. Chickpea you'll have to come to some Jumble sales with me as they have some books in perfect condition and it amazes me how people just don't seem to buy them.

    One lady rescues the really good condition books and sells them to her friends when they come for coffee, she has a semi library in her garage. All the money she raises goes to buy cat food for the charity.

    This year she sold loads of donated Christmas cards as well. Saint Wendy I call her.

    I digress.....

    I don't like to see tatty books either especially if I've paid more than a few pence.

    Have a great New Year my lovely and thanks for the support through 2014 xxxxx

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  7. My decorations come down tomorrow and the winter clean then begins, along with lists of what needs to be done during the year - including getting the house ready to sell. Yes, we are hoping the same that this will be the year! Wishing you a very Happy New Year xx

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  8. I hope you have a good party tonight and wish you health and happiness for 2015

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  9. We are Christmas free as well, the last items were packed away this morning, tonight we will spend with our daughter and her partner in their new house. I don't make resolutions, but I am thinking about my goals for next year. Enjoy your party.

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  10. A Happy and healthy New Year to you to Julee x

    Good luck with the house move, fingers crossed we will both manage it this year! x

    Same to you Sue, enjoy your party x

    Thank you Marlene, wishing you successful goals for next year x

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  11. I can't wait to get the decorations down either... A job for Friday as we have family here tomorrow. Happy new year!

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  12. Happy New Year Chickpea and Family!

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  13. I hope that your New Year will be wonderful! Best wishes for all good things in 2015 to you and yours! xx

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  14. I thought about ordering that book and joining in the read-along with Annie, but in the end decided not to. I'm sorry your book arrived in poor condition. It's one thing to order one knowing that it's in bad shape, but quite another to be told it's in fine condition and have it be like that.

    Happy New year!

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  15. Happy New Year Gina, Sol, Amy Kristie and Dawn!!xx

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  16. I agree with you, the 'princessification' of little girls irritates me too. I get even more wound up when grown women claim that they want to be treated like a 'princess'! Anyway sounds like you will be having a much more exciting new year than we are. Have a wonderful time and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2015 x

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  17. Lovely, Lovely photos !
    As for Frozen, I disliked the story an animation very much. It should not have won an Oscar for best Animation Movie.
    But that said my 4 year old Granddaughter loves the movie and song. My Son who lives in Japan with his family does not like branding in any way. But when all the little ones are sing the song and watching the movie he lets her do it too. They also temper it with art, legos, train set and imagination play.
    So your and my feminist ways are still strong.

    Happy New Year.
    cheers, parsnip

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  18. After reading that you would like to move this year I wondered if you had read any of Mortgage free in three posts recently about goal setting? It suggests in the video links that you write down what you want and also attach a picture. Maybe worth a try, I'm going to try and have more belief in making stuff happen this year. You also did the right thing sending the book back, the same thing happened to me only my book had notes written on every page! You can't sell books in that condition. Happy new year. xx

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  19. That sounds like a fun New Year's Eve. We had to make do with food wine and Queen concert on the TV. I've enjoyed following you this year and wish you all the best for 2015. Am not too far behind you age wise and love the idea of 60 by 60.

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  20. Thank you Saver, Happy New Year to you x

    Glad to hear there are some of us old feminists around Parsnip x

    Hi Sewing Green Lady, I'm afraid its been health problems and bereavement that have prevented our move, theres no planning for that. I didn't send the book back, they just said to keep it and they refunded me so at least I get to read it even though its grubby. Happy New Year to you x

    Thank you Doris, happy new year to you x

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