Tuesday 3 January 2017

Welcome to 2017

Gardens at Entally House (near Launceston)

Happy New Year everyone!

My 2017 has begun slowly and quietly.  You know that saying "begin as you intend to continue"?  I'd be quite content for a slow and quiet year.  Of course, that's highly unlikely, but maybe just being aware of making slow, quiet choices is a good way to begin.

We have ended up being home for the summer holidays this year, for perhaps the first time ever.  In a couple of days the girls are off to housesit for friends who are in Austria for a few weeks.  Mr Busy, Dh and I may spend a few days with my parents, near Ballarat.  Otherwise, it's just reading, and napping, and movie-watching, and planning a kitchen overhaul, and trying very hard to avoid watching cricket.  Given Dh's adoration for the game, this leaves me with lots of YouTube watching, or watching catch-up TV online.  Thank you unlimited internet!  I think the slothful life needs to come to an end, so I'm beginning to think about bite-sized tasks that need to be dealt with before I head back to work in a few weeks.

  • Clear out dining room.  We don't use the dining room for dining.  Ever.  So it has become Dh's "Chinese Laundry" and general dumping area.  I can't stand it!  That'll be the makings of a before and after post, I think.
  • Deal with Yr12 Artworks.  With two girls having done Yr12 Studio Arts, we have some bulky items that have been languishing, inconveniently, about the place.  These. Must. Go!  I'm going to be setting a time line, after which they cannot reasonably expect these pieces to continue their space-clogging ways.
  • Term Planning.  What can I say, I have some work that needs to get done before I arrive back at school for  what we call "Work Break" - that time between teachers going back to school and when the kids start back.
  • Friend catch up's.  I need to schedule in some time with a few friends.
  • Freezer Stock Up.  This will need to be closer to going back to school - a trip to Costco and some pre-cooking preparation will go a long way to keeping us fed with less stress at dinner time.
  • Kitchen Preparation.  I need to look into kitchen sinks, tap ware and tile for the backsplash.  I have a design consultant coming in this week, so I'll likely need to add to that list.  Having said that, I already know what style of doors, door handles and bench top I want.
That'll do me!  I need to make sure I have space to continue my slow and quiet beginning to the year.

What are your short-term goals for the summer (or winter, if that's what you've got going where you are)?


2 comments:

Joolz said...

Sounds like you have a nice plan of action for the new year. I'd like to set aside more time for craft for me without feeling guilty for sitting at a project. I'd like to cut back my hours at our business, hopefully from 35 hours back to 30, knocking off at 4pm instead of 5pm. We'll see.

My health needs a gee up! I know I'm overweight. I have just started cholesterol medication so I need to get that under control and I need to
get moving before I really start to seize up. My knees and feet are my worst problem so that makes walking painful.

I've started listening to a meditation app on my phone which is just 10 minutes of sitting still, listening and breathing.

It all starts today, as we head home from a 4 day break at a nearby beach town. Healthy meals and snacks - no cheese! I'm going to drag out my many Weight Watchers recipe books and try and use their meal plans. Wish me luck!

Wishing you a peaceful and purposeful 2017,

Cheers - Joolz xx

Tracy said...

Joolz, I'm so with you on the health stuff...weight, knees, feet... I'm back at the GP's this week to find the results of blood tests. These are all long-term goals for me - my bite-size is just learning to enjoy regular early morning walks again.