An interesting custom .... whilst I do - of course - wish everyone on here a happy new year I suspect that for some it may not be as happy as I would have wished and therefore my wishes - however heartfelt - may be fruitless..
What has led me to this jaundiced view is that my mother, who is 88 and currently living in a soulless place known as a residential home for the elderly (otherwise knows as 'God's waiting room'), seems to be 'checking out' and may not be with us much longer - I was hugely shocked at her condition on Christmas Day...
And - my mother in law - who is 93 but is still living on her own - is 'progressing' through the stages of dementia and she too is not about to have much of a good year what with not knowing who her grandchildren are and forgetting already that we all just went to see her at Christmas ...
And with these 2 events unfolding I suspect we may not have much of a happy new year ourselves ....
I am sorry if this pulls down 'the mood' but when you have these things happening and you are working in an office where every phone conversation around you starts with 'Happy new year to you' it all just grates on me ....
However ... to lighten that mood back up ... I am not ALL bad ....
We went into St Ives as a family for the New Year street celebrations and the tradition is to dress up - so we did...

That's me as Foghorn Leghorn on the left - then there's my wife - my son - his girlfriend - my daughter - her 2 step children and her husband ...
The streets were packed and the fireworks were amazing ...all very good natured and happy .... a chance to forget it all with family around us
