Happy New Year to all my readers – even the spammers 🙂 who seem to delight in constantly targetting this blog.

I hope that this new year will be a constructive one for you and will reap the kind of results you are looking for.

We had such a lovely day today. Graham and Dave went for a ride with some of their MTB mates and then when they came back, Angie turned up, with a young puppy in tow, that she is babysitting for a friend.  Together we went next door to visit our neighbour Trudi and her son and spent a lovely afternoon listening to her reminisce and tell us stories of life where we live over 40 years ago.

I wonder if people only really value what the elderly have to say when they themselves get older?  Although I remember loving listening to my grandmother tell stories of her past.  Trudi reminds me of her in some ways.

We’ve been getting to know her over the past year and sometimes I go over to fix her computer. Graham sometimes mows her lawn with his ride-on mower. And I often traipse over there to take photos of her garden and the birds there.  In fact I made her a calender with photos of her own garden, and some of her statues too (she’s a clay sculptress) and we gave it to her today, as she was unwell for visitors before Christmas. She was delighted with her gift, it brought tears to her eyes.  I wanted to see her reaction and was suitably satisfied to watch her as she turned each page to view the next month.  A gift that will be in use for the next year!

If you read my photoblog and commented last month (December 2010) you might also end up with a calendar – one lucky commenter certainly will!

Here’s to a new year and more memories in the making!