28th December

It's the 28th today.  I slept great last night, (artificially generated, but what the hell.)  It's one of my cousin's birthday's today, so I sent her a text quite early to wish her a Happy Birthday.  She very excitedly replied a while later to say she was going to a shopping mall with the family, her son had bought her a Pandora bracelet and she had some Christmas money to spend, so the girls, her daughter and daughter-in-law were going to help her to choose charms.  She sounded so happy, then proclaimed how lucky she was and what a lovely family she has.  Moving words indeed.  She's right and almost made me cry.

I arrive at Starbucks and have my coffee and a chocolate coin while I read more of, "Eat, Pray, Love."  I only have one or two more chapters, then I think Liz is off to India.  I did tell you how much I'm enjoying it didn't I?  No Mr Regular, I wonder if he's away as I haven't seen him for a couple of weeks I think.

Remember Auntie Beryl, Mum's friend who died this year?  I've been thinking of her quite a bit lately.  Writing Christmas cards, I came across her address in my book, I usually phone her Christmas morning, not necessary this year, then yesterday at Ness, you can see Moel Famau from the gardens and she lives, lived in that vicinity.  I could only remember approximately when she passed away but I went through the blog and it was 13th March.  I ended up reading a few blog entries and made myself laugh, that's so wrong.

So, I have my usual, "the end is nigh madam, you'd better get your arse into gear," head on, at present, so I've already started to sort out, or rather, re-organise the back bedroom.  My plan is... did I already tell you this?  I'm going to have the one, small, back room full of stuff which is to be sorted, and the rest of my home clutter free and organised in the style of; "Sleeping with the Enemy."  But in a good way.  You know I have OCD, but not the tidy kind damn it, just my luck.  Can you please keep reminding/asking me this coming year?  I won't do it on my own will I?

I really dislike New Year, for many reasons.  I have so many memories of New Year's.  Some good, but mostly sad.  I remember the happy and excited ones, with the whole family here, at this very location and happy and all but one or two of us staying behind at 11.50pm, usually Mum and my Auntie Phe who was too old to trek around outside in the cold.  So, the rest of us, maybe 25 plus, would don our winter coats and gloves and would all file out of the back door, hike around the outside of the houses to the front.  Someone would turn on the car radio.  The kids, me included would walk and run around the island in the road in front of ours, excitedly waiting for the exact moment, then, we'd all congregate and count down with the radio from 10, to Happy New Year!  Then we'd all join hands and sing Auld Langs Syne.  After many hugs and kisses, the male with the darkest hair amongst us, would have a silver coin in his pocket, salt, bread and coal in a baggie, he'd knock loudly on our front door and Mum would answer.  This was supposed to be lucky. (It wasn't as I remember.)

This ritual hasn't happened for a very long time.  I always find the 31st very sad, it just reminds me of everyone who isn't here, who I miss.  The 1st is always very exciting.  It may be the eternal optimist in me but I always wonder what the year will bring me and how fabulous things will  be.  Not long to go now.