Why do we make New Years Resolutions? It's said that Julius Caesar started our tradition on January 1st as a way to honour the Roman mythical god Janus, whose two faces allowed him to look back into the past year and forward to the new year. It is said Romans often made morality based resolutions, such as seeking forgiveness from their enemies, I wonder if we ever see this in Shakespeare’s version of Julius Caesar?
Around the boat yard the New Year resolution has been to really get on top of the winter maintenance programme, so we closed the office for some extra days to allow everyone to get on and focus.
The new bunk beds in Swallows and Coot Club, made by Stephen, look wonderful, as the ones in Secret Water got such a great reception last season, we thought we would change the style in the houseboats with bunk beds too. Come and see for yourself if you can.
The soft furnishings are coming together slowly, and I am now experimenting with different waddings, as I have found one that is heat resistant. I have made a few table mats for us to try in our barge, and if they are successful, I am going to make stake me heat resistant mats for furniture tops. Most of our guests are wonderful, but occasionally accidents happen, and hot mugs get left on furniture and the dreaded ring occurs. I am hoping that these mats may solve that issue. I will let you know next month how we get on.
Later this month (if the weather permits), Stephen and Simon will be getting down and dirty as they start digging a trench for the new power cable to our brand new field pod, arriving in February or March, and to repair the damage to the quays caused by the heavy rains. I guess it’s free exercise for them both, they both like to keep fit.
New Year is definitely here, what resolutions have you made? I have to admit as I get older I make very little except to try and do something for the first time every month. I want to make sure I keep living and experiencing all that life has to offer.
When I first started a first a month, I found I was looking at opportunities in a different way, and instead of saying no to things I was not sure about, I said yes. This led to me jumping off a telegraph pole (I was on a rope held by an instructor who talked me cleverly through my fears), attending a speed dating night (clearly before I met Simon), cycling across the Mekong Delta and drinking Cosmopolitans at Grand Central station New York. Since we have brought the boatyard my personal firsts have included owning a Boatyard, passing my VHF course, passing a paddlecraft safety course with Boardinskool, and riding a water bike.
Looking ahead to 2020, I am planning some new things for us to do as a family, and will let you know what we get up to over the months. This is a perfect time for looking ahead, and sitting somewhere warm planning your adventures and firsts for the summer. Perhaps it might be a stay at Hippersons with one of our new “Sparrows and Amazons” packages We look forward to hearing from you and hope we can help you with some of your plans.