Old Year’s Day

Old Year’s Day

Hi there

Thanks for popping in on this, the last day of the old year. And what a year it’s been. I for one shall be very glad to move into the new year. Am actually happy to be drawing a line under this one, and cautiously excited about 2024. How about you? I know, I know. Tomorrow’s just another day. But somehow we have to make use of the calendar, to actually conclude this year, finish it, so that we can have a new beginning. Otherwise the perpetual, unrelenting 2023 crap would just keep on coming. Better to roll the dice again.

You’ve just got to keep smiling I suppose, put on a brave face and take each day as it comes.

I woke up early this morning and wrote a little verse. It’s short but to the point…

Ode to Old Year’s Day
Last day of 2023
Look over your shoulder and what do you see ?
It’s been violent, ugly, sad and wet -
and it ain’t over yet!
So move through this last day 
with caution and care;
And take my advice: don’t go anywhere!!

So, whilst Grace got her glad rags on, and has headed up to London for a night of revelry with friends, Dave and I have elected to stay indoors with the cats, and light a candle. I used to absolutely LOVE NEW YEARS EVE. I think the most memorable ever was back in the 80’s, when I was single, a bit wild, and living in Nürnberg. I just remember the fireworks exploding above the rooftops, and the thick blanket of snow underfoot. And I remember thinking how magical it was. We didn’t have fireworks on New Year’s in England back then, so it was quite something.

Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing this evening, stay safe and warm, and have yourself an enjoyable time. We’ve got a tasty Marks & Sparks Curry lined up, a log fire and an excellent film: The Big Lebowski. Old but gold. What a treat.

The Germans have a beautiful way of wishing you a Happy New Year. They say Frohes Neujahr (you can see the similarity there, right?) But they also wish you einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr, which translated verbatim is to wish you a good slide into the new year.

So slide gently my friends,

Love always

Barb x x x

PS. Last chance tonight, to take advantage of the Clarity Club 12 months for the cost of 11 off. CLICK HERE. New Year, New Start! x

43 thoughts on “Old Year’s Day

  1. Happy New Year to both you and Dave, heres hoping 2024 works out a better one than the last! Enjoy your meal and film and take care xx

  2. Happy New Year to you, your family and all the Clarity community. Let’s hope 2024 brings joy & peace. 🤞🤞xx

  3. Love the little poem, so true!
    Hope you and yours have a wonderful 2024!
    Like you I will be glad to see this year end.

  4. Happy new year! Enjoy your curry! We’ve got duck in plum sauce! I shall go to bed early and be woken by all the fireworks!!!
    Looking forward to a new year and what it will bring! X

  5. Happy New Year Barbara and all at Clarity Towers
    We have also had a rough year so wishing for a better year to come…. for all. We are cosy inside with a nice M&S meal too and a couple of mocktails….oh we know how to party!
    Take care and here is to a better 2024 🎊🥰OXOX

  6. Happy New Year ! A quiet one in for us – never been fond of going out New Year but we certainly have in the past! Hopefully this will be a healthy one, can’t complain but you never know what’s around the corner, what with hubby having his gall bladder out the week before Christmas !

    Best wishes to you and yours for a Healthy & Happy New Year ! Xxx

  7. Happy New Year Everyone. Alcohol free lager and an early night for me, not a New Years Eve person and early fireworks already scaring the dog. Enjoy, whatever you are doing

  8. Happy New Year to you all. May we all look forward to a happy and prosperous 2024. It’s a quiet night in for me also .xx

  9. Happy New Year to you and Dave and wider family. I spent 2 weeks at the Nürnberg toy fair in 2013 – what a beautiful place – I can imagine the fireworks over the old town with it’s gorgeous buildings and bridges . Unfortunately it was not a happy time for me and New years Eve especially is difficult. So anyway I’m usually tucked up in bed watching who knows what yet- going with the flow and slipping into 2024 gently.

    Enjoy your evening and I’m very much looking forward to supporting Clarity again next year. I don’t usually make a resolution but I’m planning on trying to learn how to blog- wish me good luck! Oh and the usual eat healthy!

    Bye for now. 💕

  10. Oh and a very happy New Year to you all …Husband’s cancer test is CLEAR – we are all still here (not an intentional rhyme!) – new to us cat. It’s all good. Renewed my membership early December – top priority for me, Clarity is my only ‘subscription’ now!
    Love
    Maggie (York UK)

  11. Happy New Year Barb, Dave and family. It’s great to start a New Year and look forward to whatever it throws at us. Looking forward to getting back in the Shac, seeing all things Clarity. So wish you all what we wish ourselves. We are sitting watching T.v., had dinner, lit a candle, warm, roof overhead so so GRATEFULx

  12. Happy New Year to you all xx
    Colin and I are watching a film then will see the New Year in with Jools Holland later. That’s what we’ve done for a few years now. Much quieter than we used to do!
    Anyway New Year will bring some new challenges for me. My first is to believe in myself. That’ll do.
    Love and Hugs as always.
    Xxxx

  13. Evening Barbara and Dave. Blessings to all your family and friends.
    Different cultures treat this day in different ways. In many Caribbean islands it is viewed as old years night. A period of reflection and you are more likely to find a church service than a party, with people regretting and confessing some of their actions and inactions and vowing to do better in the new year. Perhaps something we should all consider.
    May 2024 be better for many people in this world than this year has been. I for one consider myself very lucky and am trying to learn to be more grateful with what I do have than grumbling about things I can’t control like the rotten weather!
    Our excess of water is somebody else’s lack.
    Take care and be healthy. Will be looking forward to another year of the Shac if you can manage it.
    Lots of love xx

  14. To Barbara, Dave, your families and of course the Whole Clarity family, wishing you all a Happy New Year for 2024 xxxx

  15. Like you and Dave, Stan and I are staying in – we’re looking after our neighbour’s elderly Jack Russell for the evening. I’ve never embraced New Year’s Eve (apart from when we were young and thought we’d stay young forever). We’ve had a couple of G&T’s and some party snacks and I for one will be hitting the sack before midnight. It just leaves me to say thank you Barbara and Dave for being you and for being Clarity. You have the most amazing team behind you – I look forward to being part of your vision in 2024 ❤️

  16. Quiet night for us, dinner over, waiting for midnight to welcome in 2024. The important thing is we are together and happy and watching a film.
    Happy 2024, may it be better than 2023 for everyone.

  17. Happy New Year Barbara and Dave, all at Clarity and all who look in at the Blog. Sometimes it’s just good to still be here and have a New Year to look forward to once more. Hoping to stay awake and see the New Year in and some local fireworks.

  18. Happy Healthy New Year Barbara, Dave, family and the Clarity team. Staying in and up, just in case there are any local fireworks, as hopefully can turn some music up loud, so Meg won’t get upset with loud bangs, or else, as well as bangs, I will have barks as well to see in the New Year. Lovely picture. xx

  19. Here’s wishing a Safe, Happy And Creative New Year to the whole of Team Clarity and the extended Clarity family! No matter what 2024 has in store for us, the heartening thought is that the Clarity Community will be there for each of us! Take care all, and slide safely and happily into the New Year.
    😄🥳👍🏻

  20. a Happy, healthy and safe New Year. Best wishes to you all. Barb, Dave, Clarity ans Shacker friends. lets tackle 2024 together and try to make it a better one. Love to you all.

  21. Happy New Year to you Barbara, Dave, Grace, Paul, all the rest of the Clarity Team & fellow SHACERS. Like you we are sat in the warm watching TV after a nice meal. Just waiting for a phone call from my 95 year old mom to say she is home from her party !! not what you would expect I know but glad she is enjoying herself with her friends in her flat complex.
    Here’s to 2024 & a year of more crafting, whether in person or in the SHAC. xx

  22. Happy New Year to you too and all the lovely Shac-shacers and Clarity posse. “let’s hope it’s a good one without any…”
    Never really celebrated New Year Eve but my most memorable was 2000 when was lucky enough to know someone that lived in London close to the Thames so could watch the celebrations live. Having said that, last night, had a brilliant evening playing board games with our neighbours.

  23. Happy New Year to everyone in this lovely crafty community of ours. Like many of you we stayed in by the fire had a lovely Chinese take away & watched Jools Holland with a glass of fizz with a couple of friends. Quiet but oh so enjoyable just eating, drinking, talking & laughing. Good riddance 23 but hello 24.

  24. Happy New Year to you Barbara and to Dave and Grace and all at Clarity Towers. Also to all the SHACERS and Groovers. May 2024 bring you what you hope for and more. Xx

  25. I too have just had the worst 2 years so am sliding cautiously into the new year. Started out by taking advantage of the club offer. Wanted my Groovi journey to go further in 2024. Happy New Year to the Clarity family. Hope it’s filled with crafting fun and for me learning from the best – yes, that’s you Barbara!

  26. Hello Barb, Happy New Year to You, Dave, the family, the Clarity team and the wider Clarity Family. Your verse says it all. Take care, may 2024 be the year of dreams. Bx

  27. Happy New Year Barbara and family. X
    I have a Danish friend, and they ‘Leap’ into new year.
    Bit dangerous after a few sherbets I imagine! 🤣
    X

  28. Srečen prehod iz ne najboljšega leta 2023 v novo z upanjem na srečnejše čase. Pri nas je bila huda poplava v hiši (1,5 m mulja in vode) tako, da je bilo veliko uničenje. Nismo še sanirali, ker še sušimo prostore. Bo letošnja pomlad zelo aktivna – upam da uspešno. Edina pozitivna stvar, ki se je zgodila je bilo rojstvo tretje vnukinje. Vsem želim srečno, uspešno in srčno leto 2024.

    1. Thank you friend x x And to all our other friends, here’s a translation, from Slovenian into English:
      Happy transition from not the best year 2023 to the new one with hope for happier times. There was a severe flood in our house (1.5 m of mud and water) so that there was a lot of destruction. We haven’t renovated yet, because we are still drying the premises. This spring will be very active – I hope it will be successful. The only positive thing that happened was the birth of the third granddaughter. I wish everyone a happy, successful and heartwarming 2024.

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