New Years Resolution Review

Photo is of the old man, not very relevant for the topic but I thought it was a nice photo and in winter I need to be reminded that there is a summer and we will walk at the beach again. This is at Lulworth Cover in Dorset.

I don't actually 'do' New Years Resolutions as I don't like being told what to do even by me, but I do like to have a serious think about what I can do better, what I can stop doing and what news things I can try. Back in December, before I was poorly, I made a start on some ideas for 2008. I want o have a look back at them now and see if they still are what I need or if I need to re-visit my plan.



1)Try meal planning for a month and see if it suits us.I haven't actually tried long term meal planning but I have been made sure that I have bought all i need in a week for sensible healthy meals on most days, allowing a day of leftovers (some hope with teenage boys) and a day of snacky/on toast type dinner. Seems to be going pretty well but I may try some longer term meal planning as the year progresses. Having said that when vegetables start getting ready for harvest then dinner is decided by what is ready that way, so to some extent meal planning is done by the weather then rather than by us mear mortals.
2)Shop for groceries a little smarter, possibly using a price book. Started but still a work in progress.3
3)Find something to do with my hair! ( I mean a style rather than something I can make with the actual hair)- I have been moussing it to bring out the curl rathan than the dish scrubber look which I was favouring for a while there. Still haven't had it cut but I think it will have to happen.
4)Lose weight. Beloved has lost 8kg and looks much better with it (or rather without it)and seems to have More energy. Sensible eating, more exercise and a weekly weigh in with some friends are all underway.
5)Try making olive oil soap. Sues lovely olive oil seems to good to use for soap but maybe she has second pressing available. Having done this yet although I now have all the ingredients. Beloved brought back 3 large bars from visiting his sister at new year, having misunderstood my plans but its the thought that counts.
6)Try making butter. I have read about this on three sites this week. My only fear is that we will eat more butter. Tried this and it was successful in as much as it was butter but it was way too creamy and i felt sick after having my toast, however this may well be a good thing bearing in mind resolution no.4
7)Cook more interesting meals and generally spend more time in the kitchen. No so much a resolution as a wish. A lot of the kitchen equipment is still boxed up in the shed but once the building work is finished I want to take possession of my kitchen and put it back into use again. The kitchen is still boxed up but work is progressing outside and in ,depending on the weather, so I have some high hopes of success here. In the mean time meals are more interesting since the Hot & Spicy cookery course started. Also stew with dumplings has been requested this week.
8)Sort out the back garden. It was really lovely before the building work commenced but now it looks like a war zone. Again I can get to grips with it once the building stuff is gone. We have started to clear out the rubbish. The back fence blew down in the wind but beloved and my dad have a built a better one complete with gate to the back road with wood which used to be at the front of the before building started. They have also started cladding the shed so that it is warm enough to use all year round.
9)Getting the allotment producing to maximum efficiency. Hopefully there wont be a another year of blight causing us problems there. Nothing here yet as the ground is still so wet that the allotment looks like a muddy Venice.

I think I will stick with these but add a few others. We have got a little slack with spending lately. Last evening we went out for a mystery dining meal but ended up spending more than our allowance, so it cost us to go out. We are planning together how we will look after our income going forward. I will report back how this progresses.