Resolutions?

It's that time of year again, when people make their New Year's resolutions, most of which will be broken over the coming few weeks.

That's the reason why I can never decide whether or not to make them and what they should be in any event. By the time I come to a conclusion it's usually too late to bother.

Having said that, 1st January is an arbitrary date to pick. Yes, it marks the beginning of a new calendar year, but then you may as well make birthday resolutions to mark the beginning of a new year in your own life. Or you could even spread them out over the year and have spring, summer, autumn and winter resolutions and anchor them on the equinoxes and solstices.

I think if I do make a New Year's resolution this year, it should be to be more decisive. I'm too easily distracted by other things that are going on around me and often have the attention span of a goldfish. That's part of the reason why I frequently come up with plans, which I either never start, or begin, but never finish. I write myself "to do" lists and cross off the items I complete, but then keep adding new ones, so the list constantly grows.

Some things always appear on those lists: tidy the garden; take more exercise; eat more healthily; improve my photography, etc. They are the long-term aims, that are often hard or impossible to complete, as they are constantly evolving. Then there are the short-term aims: finish my novel "The Dangerous Touch"; finish my short ghost stories and re-read the castle notes before the season starts again.

Trying to tackle two items at once may be problematic, but taking photos whilst out for a brisk walk seems to be a good way of dealing with improving my photography and taking exercise. I tried this a couple of days ago, with a walk along the seafront at Littlehampton. It was a grey and windy afternoon, but quite a few other people were out blowing the cobwebs away too. The fresh air was invogirating and I slept better that night. Here are three of the shots I took.

One resolution I will try to stick to, is writing a blog and sending out a newsletter each month. My aim is to publish the blog at the end of the month and the newsletter half way through.

If you have made any interesting or exciting New Year resolutions, please send me an email and let me know.

Anyway, happy New Year to everyone, wherever you are!