...and a Happy New Year!!

It's so good to be back!

I haven't been near an email or an internet since Christmas eve.

We had my Dad here for a few days over Christmas and although it was very lovely to have him here it was also very hard work. These days he needs help bathing, dressing and getting up and down stairs - it's been a learning curve for me! He did go home happy and relaxed though :-)

Today, we decided to recharge our batteries with a visit to one of our favourite beaches.

We made our first footprints of the year in the sand....



....dodged a few waves....



....and wished we had one of these.


Hengistbury Head has the best beach huts. Many of them have a sleeping loft, with water, electricity and a chemical loo.....and some great views.

The beach cafe also has a lot to commend it....

Apart from today, my camera has not been out once over Christmas. Not even for the opening of presents!

After a total blog break, I'm feeling recharged and am looking forward to 2009.

I love New Year for the anticipation of what the year ahead may bring. Whether this be good things or not we have yet to see.

With so much gloom around in the media right now it is harder than ever to remain positive but who knows what great experiences are just waiting out there for us over the next twelve months?

I intend to make the most of every minute. I'm not making resolutions. There are things I want to do and, hopefully, I will do them.

After a great year getting to know all you lovely bloggers even better, I'm looking forward to more of the same.

I'm looking forward to another year of exploring all things crafty.

I'm looking forward to a whole year of sock knitting - I'm on my fifth pair! (after spending most of last year belly-aching about how I couldn't knit socks!!!).

What are you looking forward to?

To start the New Year off on a good note, I have a prize to award. You all came up with some great suggestions for a name for Mr P0045.
It took quite a bit of choosing. I was very taken with Totty Teabag's suggestion but in the end the prize just had to go to Leanne.

In the truest spirit of obsessive blogging, Leanne googled 'Gloria &'

Just look at what she found - here.

Faced with such a superb piece of research I felt I just had to go with it and name Mr P0045 after the lovely newlywed chap on the website.

So there you have it - Mr P0045 will henceforth be known as Marcel. Only time will tell whether the woolly Gloria and Marcel will have as exciting a year in 2009 as their interwebs namesakes did in 2008.....

......who knows, maybe there'll even be a wedding of the feathered variety!

Well done Leanne, on a fabulous bit of work. At some point soon I will get something on it's way down under as a reward :-)

I'm now off to read 126 blog posts that I've missed but before I go.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

XXXXXX