I really must begin by thanking you for bearing with me over the last few weeks. I know I’ve always maintained that blogging should be done as and when you feel you have something to say, not to some self-imposed schedule, but even so, I have been well and truly off-piste since November, so I do appreciate you sticking with me.
The last couple of months of 2015 were pretty full-on for me. A mixture of dreadful lows and gorgeous highs, set against the unrelenting onslaught of Christmas. I’ve learned now just how much energy this kind of ricocheting takes and discovered that I can now say ‘no’ fairly effectively (I recommend it!). I’ve also been humbled by the tremendous care and help my daughters have offered over this rocky time, they’re growing into extremely lovely young women and I’m proud of them.
I want to apologise to all you wonderful bloggers who I’ve failed miserably to keep in touch with lately. My one and only resolution for the New Year is to get this back on track. Blogland is a wonderful community and I love being here with you.
And so, 2016 – what’s happening?
I’m hoping to use 2016 as a year of exploration. The old loves, history, nature and landscape continue to fascinate me – more than that, they have me enthralled. I think I’ve always known that these threads were calling to me, this year I hope to weave them together in a way I hope will begin to express their importance to me.
Last year was an enormous learning curve for me on the practicalities of being an artist. For this year I’m intending to protect more time for making art. I’m going to brush the rust off some of my old organisational skills to help me achieve a better balance – in fact I think I might adopt balance as my word of the year.
When my dear friend died last year, far too young and with far too much still to give, it really brought home to me how precious life is and how important it is that we use our time for the really important things, and so that’s what I intend to do.
May you all have a wonderful, happy and productive 2016 – be you!
❤
I continue to photograph the oak most days on my morning walk. The shots in this post are from the end of December and beginning of January – too much grey, not enough sunshine!
Dreaming In Stitches 
Welcome back. Really lovely post.
Thank you x
Like you,I am a sporadic blogger but always come back. Love your photos of the winter-bare oak tree and good luck with the painting. This is a great time of year for exploring the way forward I think.
Thank you Marianne, yes, definitely time to get on now. x
Great tree 🙂
I always find when I’m not writing things, there’s usually a reason that is as important and noteworthy as when I am. Also, predictability is totally overrated.
That’s very true, I like the idea that we need to feed our creativity or we’ll dry up and I suppose that’s what happens, we have to go off and nourish ourselves – and that can come in many forms.
Bless you Anny, so good to see you here again, I’ve missed you. Hope this year brings you good things to balance last year’s loss – always sobering and, as you say, a thing that focuses the mind on the gift that is being and continuing. How lovely to have two daughters to be your help and hope
Thanks Kat, to be honest I feel enormously grateful to have had this wake-up call, it puts everything else into perspective. The girls are really wonderful, they practically ‘did’ Christmas for me which relieved a lot of additional stress. Love what you’ve been doing with the shibori!
I’ve missed you and hoped you weren’t too down for any reason. So glad you’re back. Love your oak. We had a huge old beauty but it finally fell down, now nourishing the earth. Yours is a lovely sight, grey skies and all.
Thank you, much appreciated. I’ve been taking a picture of that oak almost every day for nearly three years now and what I love most is seeing how the quality of light each day totally changes the way it looks – it’s become more a measure of the weather than the seasonal changes of the oak! I talk to it now – am I bonkers!
Your photos sum up this winter with its grey days. How I long for some cold days and blue skies instead of this relentness gloom.
Life is for living, not blogging. I blog and read others when life is rolling along on an even keel and seem to take a break at the least sign of turbulence (good or bad). I totally agree with you, life is precious and we should use our time for important things.
Have a wonderful 2016.
Oh so grey! I can manage a few days, but after that it becomes a conscious effort to stay positive and the last couple of months have been very testing indeed. But you’re right of course, just need to focus on the important things. Happy New Year.
Good to have you back Anny. I too may be bonkers having formed relationships with several trees throughout my life, albeit silently.
Let’s hope for less grey gloom soon; there was a gorgeous pink and gold sunrise here this morning; any break in the clouds gratefully received!
Yes, some sunshine here earlier too, although the clouds are back now! Glad I’m not alone on the tree front. Best wishes for 2016.
What a fantastic looking tree, your photographs are lovely. All the very best for 2016, I’m looking forward to seeing what you post this year!
Thanks Phil, I’d walked past that oak so often without really looking and then one day it just seemed to call out and I’ve been taking a picture on the daily dog walk ever since – I thought it would be interesting to see how it changed over time, but in fact it’s the daily changes in the weather which have been the most revealing to me. I thought I’d stop after a year, but I don’t seem to be able to now 🙂
I think you were not the only one to find last year accelerating at the end. We’re got through it and can now start looking for balance – yes, a good word for the year. Do you mind if I borrow it?!
Please do, feel free! Hope 2016 is a very good year for you x.
Good to have you back.
Thank you x
So sorry for your loss Anny, such events do have a way of drawing you into yourself and re-evaluating your priorities. I agree with the previously expressed sentiment that life is for living and we really do have to make the most of it and please ourselves more. Best wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Arty 2016.
Thanks Theresa, wishing you all the best for 2016 too!
I could almost have written this post myself, I’ve been AWOL too, as you know. And like you I miss the blogging community when I’m away from it. Here’s to both of us sorting things out.
And thank you Anny for the lovely comment you left on my blog 🙂
Lovely to hear from you Annie. Wishing you all the very best for 2016 x
Welcome back, Anny. No need to apologise – at least not to me, as I’ve turned into a rather dilatory blogger and commenter in recent months. Your images of the oak tree are lovely and I look forward to what you will offer us this year.
Thank you x. Yes, so many people seem to have felt like us. I hope 2016 will have us fully energised and ready to go!