Day Three

Twelfth Night today so have put away the tree and decorations for another year. This is something which always makes me slightly melancholy, thinking about about next year and hoping that we'll all be around to see another tree and hang up the family collection of baubles and tree decorations next Christmas. Sounds depressing, but a year feels like a long time away and nothing can be taken for granted. The secret is to focus on all the opportunities and events planned between now and next December, including a new Spring and hopefully a warm and dry summer to enjoy. That will make a big difference to how I experience my first year in retirement.

For next Christmas I will have no excuse not to be better prepared than I was for this past year, with lots of time available to plan, pre-prepare food, shop for imaginative presents. Although it might be sensible not to raise expectations to an unrealistically high level, as a friend emailed to me today, "under-promise and over-deliver.'

Today brought a lot of contact with ex-colleagues who have also become great friends, and lunches and dinners are being put into diaries.

Tomorrow the great house tidying/cleaning project needs to start to happen, as I was waiting to get rid of the Christmas stuff first. The boxes need to go into the loft, so that will be a start! As this will involve a lot of carrying and stair climbing, I should get to bed to keep up energy levels.