Last day of the year. What are you going to do with it?

I've had a sad day as one of my darling cats was run over on Monday night. Yesterday I distributed Lost Cat notices all over the neighbourhood, today I found out and took them down and tried to trace the man who kindly moved my poor boy off the road. But what did he do with him? I want him back to bury him. He wasn't taken to either of our vets.
New Years Eve with poor boy's brother searching and miaowing all over the house. Sniff.

Bit of clearing up this morning. Popped out to buy some polyester stuffing for draught excluders I am making. Short walk in a local country park to exercise my new knee. Now snuggled in fleecy jimjams, fluffy dressing gown and slippers. Spaghetti Bolognese for dinner and a glass of non alcoholic pina colada.will probably be snuggled up in bed before midnight. New year will still be young enough to welcome in the morning.

Happy New Year to all.

Hope you all have a Happy and Healthy New Year. Personally although I love Christmas I really dislike New Year and find it rather depressing. My family have departed back home this afternoon leaving me lying now on a comfortable sofa in a nice clean living room ( bedrooms still all over the place and kitchen not yet perfect washing machine and dish washer going full pelt) but I will have a nice plate of nibbles and a glass of champagne to myself a bit later on and enjoy it. Missing family ( daughters and grand children ) already but will see them soon and for the first time in a week will sleep by myself again and can stretch over a whole bed ( not as nice as having little bodies and legs lying all over you but you can't have everything!) so my quiet New Year will suit me fine but hope everyone else enjoys themselves.

joyBloggs A tall dark man being the first foot to come in at the front door would be good luck to the house. He should bring with him food, drink, and fuel so that the house will be well suppled with them all year (whisky, shortbread, and a lump of coal - often abbreviated to just the whisky).

If it didn't seem likely that a tall dark man would turn up first, one of the inhabitants of the house was smuggled out of the back door, so that he could be the first person in at the front.

When we were younger, we would first-foot all our friends' parents, en masse. The older folk would stay indoors and welcome the first-footers. It was the done thing to bring a bottle with you, and fill a glass for the hosts, who would fill you a glass from their bottle, and supply shortbread and black bun to soak up the alcohol. You took your bottle on with you to the next house. Some nights we got home at 8 am, in time for a cooked breakfast.

That was OK in a small village, where you can walk round to everyone, or in the days before you risked being arrested for driving after a drink. These days it is more likely that a group of friends will meet in one house to see in the New Year - though a dark man is still often pushed out of the door to be the first foot.

The other old tradition was to clean the house from top to bottom at the end of the year, and to smother the fire before midnight, to relight it afresh once the New Year began. And the midday meal on January 1st was a steak pie, mashed potatoes and sprouts, served up at noon, whatever the state of your head.

for you apricot, so sorry to read your sad news

I'm reassured that I'm not the only one that has very mixed feelings about NYE. Seems odd to celebrate the beginning of a year when you have absolutely no idea what it will bring. I'll stay up to watch the fireworks on television though. DH will have been asleep for hours by then!

So sorry to hear that apricot, (((hugs))) and , x

So sorry for your loss Apricot, what an awful thing to happen. I will be sharing your sadness tonight. Be kind to yourself in the coming days.
xx

Mixed traditions with us . Family were Shetlanders who emigrated to Liverpool so tall dark man(DH)is out the back door to let out the Old Year and takes coal, bread and whisky . He has to race round to the front of the house before the cathedral bells stop and let in the New Year. The coal goes on the fire, the bread is eaten and a toast is made to friends and family.

apricot I too hope you find the man in question and he can help you.

So sorry to hear about your cat, apricot. It's why I don't think I could ever own a cat again; I couldn't go though that loss again. Perhaps a dap diffuser would help your other cat to get over his loss [?].

Elegran Thank you for the very interesting info about first-footing!

It sounds as though you had a great time visiting houses, what a lovely way to welcome the new year.

So sorry for your loss Apricot. If you don`t find the man who moved your cat, try asking at the local highways department, that`s where my beloved Pepper was taken.

I've really enjoyed the New Year coming in tonight, unlike most others on here. I cleaned the house so that it can come in to a nice fresh house, we had a lovely tea, watched some tv and then celebrated watching Queen and the fireworks.

I may not know what is about to come, but that is the beauty to me and the joy of it all, the unknown, anything could happen. I didn't know this time last year that I would be in a new house, have given up smoking and now sport some fine nails when I've been a nail biter all my life. What a surprise this year has been and now I have a lovely house to decorate, with healthier lungs.

Things can change for the better.

I slept through it!
Zonked at just after 11, woke up at 1am and now, of course, can't get back to sleep.
Sorry about your cat apricot , that's sad. Mine is nearly 21, and can't be here much longer now.....

I will do the happy new year wishes when I have had some more sleep, folks.

We were at the party in the village hall ! Ears are still ringing this morning as the music was loud and everyone seemed to be yelling - but it was good! DH is snoring loudly as I speak......I'm in the spare room, but can still hear him. A combination of McEwan's Export and Macallan whisky. He will suffer when he wakes up (in more ways than one.... !