Staff Reporter
Here we are at the end of the year, frankly, I haven’t got used to putting the date as 2017 yet so how I’m going to cope as it becomes 2018 is anyone’s guess.
I have just had a few days back home in Blighty where I’ve had every bit of winter weather you can imagine. Not too much of a problem as friends houses were warm and I’d got a very thick coat with a hood. The predicted snow came along and caused the usual chaos of closed roads, schools and transport disruption but not having to get anywhere but a pub restaurant or a relatives house wasn’t a problem for me. Happily, for once I’d timed it to perfection and it had all but gone by the time I needed to come home. To be honest, it actually felt colder when I came back here!
Well yes, here we are, all hurtling towards another year whether we like it or not. Years ago a school teacher told me that the years would go quicker as I got older. That is certainly true, or is it that I just can’t remember as much as I used to (which is also certainly true). I really like New Year’s Eve, it’s just a great big celebration, forget all the rubbish that’s gone on and embrace the clean slate. I think you could pretty much turn up at any party and get in. There’s absolutely no pressure, no special meal to prepare, no work in the morning, no special clothes to wear, no set rules to follow, well except something about a red haired woman with a piece of coal, but that’s just not going to happen. All we have to do is belt out Auld Lang’s Syne at Midnight, and as we only know the first two lines it’s only for a minute. I would also add that you don’t have to buy presents either but I have two very inconsiderate friends with NYE birthdays so unfortunately I don’t get off scot free.
I’m saying all this but as it happens I have never actually experienced a Mallorcan New Year’s Eve. Last year, being the eternal party animals, we both fell asleep in front of Spanish TV and missed the whole thing. Disaster! Well not this time, we’re booked into a seafront restaurant with a bunch of friends. As they are all English we could have two celebrations. Surely with the time difference there’s two midnights, so if you miss one you can join in the second one. I like the sound of that.
Speaking of TV we have finally got ourselves a box that gives us a whole selection of channels including most of the British ones. Oh the excitement that first night as we flicked through them all! Mind you, having gone right through the lot twice we looked at each other realising there was nothing we wanted to watch. Not one single thing. There was camel racing, 14 different versions of ITV all showing the news, various versions of Midsummer Murders but no Channel 4. For some reason we can only have that on the Plus 1 option and a view of Muro Beach on real time amongst other gems but there is nothing worth spending an hour of your life looking at. It doesn’t matter too much really, it’s only as a plan B on cold uninviting nights. I’d feel pretty aggrieved if I missed out on my annual dose of It’s a Wonderful Life or The World’s Strongest Man and I know Her Majesty likes it when I tune in to her little effort. One thing I think we all know about New Year’s Eve is that the TV schedule is absolute rubbish except for the Jules Holland extravaganza at the end and then watching the fireworks. No problem, I shall be out partying with the best and worst of them.
Wherever you are and whatever you do, I hope you have a great time and that 2018 is a happy and healthy year for you all. As for resolutions, I have one this year and that’s to be more positive. Ha! -Fat chance, it’s not going to happen is it, I said the same thing last year and nothing changed…
