In the village yesterday, after the second time I started to automatically wish someone “Happy New Year”, I stopped myself and said, “Given what we’ve been through and what’s still to come, let’s not aim for the stars. I think it would be more appropriate to be wishing for a better new year.” The person to whom I was speaking – and a couple of others within hearing range – agreed wholeheartedly. Better New Year it is.

I’m not going to make resolutions about exercise or weight loss or learning a language or revisiting Ulysses (the impenetrable James Joyce version, not the one by Homer). Making resolutions just sets you up to fail. But I am resolved that I am going to try to get back to writing something – anything – every day.

That said, I am not going to be an open book. I confess being tracked down and upbraided by Mick D rather shook me. I did a Google check afterwards on .com, .ca and .co.uk, each of which offered up 17 (mostly identical) pages for “Anne Holmes”, not one of which led to my website. So full marks for perseverance, Mick D, but still.

When I first added the blog section to my website, I was going through a rough time with depression. The blog was intended for friends only and for a long time that was the limit of the audience. To my surprise, somehow other people stumbled across and began following it. Odd, but okay. Now, not so much.

So, as of tomorrow most posts will be password protected. Most of the people who should have the password already do, but some of you may not. If that’s the case, send me an email or leave a comment (with your email address if I don’t already know it) and I will send you the password.

As I said yesterday, I’m very lucky to be living where I am. This evening I will be going to a very good restaurant with three “bubble” friends to have a nice New Year’s Eve dinner. When I get home, I think I will watch this on Netflix.

Then I will go to bed and see 2021 in with Michael Connelly who arrived, slightly late for Christmas, in the post yesterday.

For now I wish everyone a

HAPPY BETTER NEW YEAR!