So, it is now close to nine in the morning of the last day of 2018. I'm waiting for the service call-out fellows to arrive for moving the fridge-freezer out from its slot so I can get in there to FINALLY properly arrange the shelves. TIP: never let the delivery men persons (must not be forgetting to be Pathetically Correct in these days of government sponsored Thought Polis trawling the 'Net for 'hate-speech' crime) leave until satisfied the shelving in the new fridge-freezer is adjusted. My mistake and now I've finally convince Paul we needed to ring for a call-out as he is not able to man person-handle the awkward columnar appliance safely - it really is a 'two-stout' men people job especially if one wishes to prevent accidental voiding of the warranty/possibly damaging the appliance.

My day is essentially 'on-hold' until these fellows appear. Paul is heading off to purchase a small amount of non-fireball emitting fireworks for our midnight celebration and I'm peeved as I did want to go with. sigh.

Thing is, Paul left to his own choosing the NYE fireworks is liable to come home with the most motley collection, and to forget the pizzas. Mercifully, all things considered, Paul and I cannot recall exactly what we were doing this time last year - the old house is such a faded memory we are finding we remember only the slightest bits of life there. But we do recall last year he did forget the pizza, and he did not come home with a nice box of fireworks with which to ring in 2018. Five firebal emitting fountains do not a NYE celebration make!

We've been in the new house for a mere four months yet we feel more settled despite the yet-to-be-unpacked boxes, the slightly disorganised cupboards and both sheds, and the beginning to feel never-ending discovery of all the little things a new home owner discovers could do with replacing sooner rather than later.

The name we chose for the cottage has been approved and is now appearing in the drop-down menu of websites as the official first line of our address. The boxes and cupboards and sheds (and ok, yes, wardrobe drawers) are shaping up. Broken down boxes are going to the skip regularly, 'why did we bring this' items going to the charity shops as soon as the large designated box is filled, things we're keeping are finding storage places easily...we are indeed settling in.

The weather is co-operating to a degree and we've been able to do some garden work. The big push comes in the spring but we have managed a good bit of hard-scaping already. In the preparation for the smaller shed to be erected we discovered two little holly plants we've potted and put by the front door. We've chosen a spot for the bin store. The veranda and patio no longer look like Steptoe's Yard (Sandford and Son for the American readers:).

Our modest Christmas outside lights have gone over a treat - nothing over-the-top, just spiral 'warm-white' micro lights on the potted dwarf evergreens flanking the front door and a string of novelty candy cane lights in the kitchen window. I hit the online Boxing Day sales - scored candle bridges and 4-for-£10 sets of multi-colour micro lights for next year (and all the years to come, God willing) - WINNING! Our indoor decorations, may I be permitted to congratulate myself, are AMAZING - the Christmas tree is so lovely! 

SIDEBAR MOMENT OTHERWISE KNOWN AS 'DIGRESSING'...I very-very-very highly recommend 'micro-lights' for the Christmas lighting challenged (like meownself). Now, I think I've mentioned my utter devotion to clip-on lighting before but I now wish to bang on about micro-lights. WOW ARE THOSE THINGS AMAZING! The LED bulbs are within the wire which by the way comes in several colours (copper, green, black, silver, and clear) and bulb options of warm or bright white or multi-colour. The user simply unwinds the strand (from ten to 300 bulbs per), clips the business end (battery or plug-in) to the bottom of the desired decorated item/window, winds the strand EASILY where lighting is wanted, and steps back to justifiably bask in the pride of accomplishment. BONUS: the 'twinkle' feature actually really truly does twinkle - none of that chasing tosh here, set these new-fangled micro-lights on twinkle and boy howdy, they twinkle. 

Erm, the twinkle feature also shockingly quickly drains the life out of the batteries if choosing the battery operated sets, especially if buying in multiple lots the way I have. To save money I highly recommend the additional purchase of a battery recharger and at least 60 rechargeable batteries of the type most called for in your battery operated light sets. I plan to spread the purchases over the next twelve months because between the cost of a reliable good quality charging unit and the batteries we're talking close to £150 here.
END SIDEBAR MOMENT OTHERWISE KNOWN AS 'DIGRESSING'

We are preparing to bring in the New Year in our usual quiet manner but are restricting our usual midnight fireworks to small fountains instead of ones that shoot flaming fireballs to avoid hitting a new neighbour's roof or cows or chickens. For a property smack in the middle of town, there is a surprising lot of livestock quite close in - every morning the chooks on the other side of the back garden wall and I enjoy a lovely and lively 'conversation'; close to midnight Christmas Eve I stepped out on the front garden path to look for the Star and heard first hoof-beats then neighs in the lane next to ours. So we do want to avoid the risk of injuring any of the neighbours, human and otherwise.

Have we made our New Year resolutions - oh yes, we have. Looking back at the ones we made last year (duly noted for 1 January every year in both our personal diaries and the house one as well) we agree we've managed to actually keep some of them!

Happy New Year to all, may your 2019 be filled with love, light, and loved ones. May you enjoy rude good health, peace, and yes, no small amount of prosperity!