New Year’s Eve.

New Years Eve began at 6am with Keith clambering over me to visit the smallest room on the boat, so whilst he was up he made us both a cup of tea, which was drunk in bed at such an early hour. The wind was blowing a hooley outside, but all was warm and cosy in the back cabin, even Marmite paid us a visit to say “Good Morning”.

8 am it was time to get up and start the daily routine, of making up the fires, taking the dog out for his walk and having breakfast. Today in some respects was different though because I found myself thinking about the year we had enjoyed and then looking forward to the New Year we were about to begin. I got to thinking about the highs of 2012, which for me was visiting places I had never been to before and the sheer excitement of using the Anderton Lift for the first time. Also part of the highs was meeting many old friends, but also making new friends, who we hope to see again sometime on the cut. We have been to a few festivals in 2012, all of them great fun, I think the ones I enjoyed the most were, the Northwich Festival, Shackerstone Festival and as always The Village at War gathering at Stoke Bruerne. Some very good memories. The lows of 2012 included having to buy five new batteries and redoing their electrics, which cost us a lot of money, but that is the joys of owning a boat, you take the rough with the smooth and move on. We will have to tighten our belts for a few months.

With the boat jobs done, there was a knocking on the engine room door, one of our regular customers had arrived for a couple of bags of coal, so we got to chatting about our plans for New Years Eve, he and his family were having a party and for Keith and I well, we had thought of going to Br 61 at Foxton, but with the weather closing in and with Keith having another doctors appointment on Wednesday, we decided we would stay put. I cannot see the point in wasting diesel to go there and back and not only that neither of us are big drinkers, and I would prefer not to sit around watching others getting drunk and making fools of themselves all for the sake of the New Year. Just the way I am I guess. So we will be staying on the boat, I am cooking us a nice dinner and we will open a bottle of wine. We will stay in nice and cosy, watching TV and toast the New Year in before heading off to bed. I have a feeling I may not make it awake till midnight, but I will do my best.

I hope what ever your doing, you have a wonderful evening.