new year new inspiration

so christmas has well and truly passed. we had family to stay for 10 days - lots of lovely meals, drinking wine and staying up late playing games and putting the world to rights. and New Years was a fun night out. We threw a 60th birthday party for my Mum on New Years day... we scurried around all day and my sister made the most amazing canapes for 50 people. 

i have enjoyed a long break from blogging. i love blogging and find it rather addictive - the more i do it the more ideas i have for things that i want to write about - but recently i have found myself really liking the freedom from it. i have felt with the passing of 2012 (as one often does at these junctures) inspired to do more reading (novels, biographies, histories, and especially the News!), listening to music, playing with my kids, praying, staying in touch with friends (picking up the phone!), going out with friends, staying on top of our filing and family photo albums, figuring out a way to make money, sewing, maybe even exercising and definitely more sleeping! .... so for the time being i am going to blog less. 

i want to get a bit more experimental with my cooking and find fun recipes in cookbooks. i frequently make up quick and easy grub that is fairly basic. i will carry on blogging and building up a bank of my own and my favourite recipes. but i do not want to be a slave to the blog... life is too short... there is too much to do & enjoy.... i would like to be more present in the moment and spend a bit less time with phone and computer screens.

here we are on New Year's Eve at our awesome local pub where the theme was: Where The Wild Things Are