Another New Year
1 January

So, there was this party in the road last night. Actually, as of 9am this morning, it is still going strong judging by the deep thudding bass sounds of the music emanating from somewhere near by.

As predicted, Ross and I had snuggled down in bed to listen to a tape of Roald Dahl reading his Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I managed about 10 minutes of that before I entered the land of Nod. However, I was made aware of the turning of the year by the cheers and whoops and hollering coming from the party but went back to sleep quickly. And, I was woken again at 2am, 4am, 6am and 8am by the continuing ruckus.

So, I'm entering 1998 on a somewhat bleagh note.

However, it's time for my third set of New Year's affirmations. As usual, there's no meretricious stuff about giving up smoking, saving money or spending less time looking at Bel Ami models. It's all stuff that I want to do rather than feel I should and, believe it or not, that does include the first affirmation.

That said, I don't really feel I want to be too adventurous this year. Getting through and seeing Ross on the road to recovery is my major wish. I managed most of my serious affirmations last year. I got the bathroom, garden shed, Internet connections and exterior painting sorted. And I did a lot of the other more fun stuff too. This year...

• I shall visit the dentist.
• I shall decorate at least one of the interior rooms.
• I shall get the gas appliance maintenance contract sorted once and for all.
• I shall sort out a second telephone line so that we can use the Internet and still be contacted by phone.
• I shall take more trips into the countryside for picnics.
• I shall visit Dungeness to see where Derek Jarman lived.
• I shall lie out in my back garden and sunbathe.
• I shall sit out in my back garden and listen to beautiful music or marvellous literature.
• I shall actually use some of the compost I've been making for two years now.
• I shall watch some glorious sunsets.
• I shall go and see more films.
• I shall sit in bars and restaurants and talk with friends.
• I shall have a couple of holidays somewhere hot.
• I shall maintain my Weblife project.

Moreover, Ross and I will still be taking into account the old maxim that, if a newly married couple put a penny in to a jar for every time that they make love during the first year they are together and then take a penny out of the jar on every subsequent time that they make love, the jar will never be completely emptied.

Ross and I think we probably shagged about 200 times during our first year together. Even throughout Ross's illness of the past few months we've kept up a reasonable degree of intimacy and last year's holiday in Sitges was a real shaggerama. So, we've maybe clocked up 50 in our second year together leaving 150 to go and still counting.

Fingers crossed for 1998.

PS:

And may I just say that our thoughts go out to 17-year-old William Straw in his time of troubles.