Well, Christmas is finally here. The vegetables are all prepared, the meat has been slow-cooked and the presents are all wrapped. In fact, it’s all over now apart from the eating and drinking. Christmas is a time for children and now mine are older, I miss them being small when they believed in Father Christmas. The magic of Christmas is no longer the same.

This year has been one of the best years I have ever had personally, in terms of what I have achieved. I have been meaning to write a book for years. This year I finally stopped procrastinating and set myself a target of writing a thousand words every day. This meant that I completed the first draft of my novel in April. I felt quite emotional when I finally finished it. Of course, I still need to work on it and next year I shall be doing the second, third, fourth, fifth… ad infinitum drafts. I don’t know what I intend to do with it as it is based on quite a difficult period of my life. However, the achievement of finishing a novel is something that I am incredibly proud of.

I started my blog in August of this year and I have done so as a discipline to ensure that I write every day. If you are considering starting to write, then I would highly recommend that you try this. The more you write then the easier it becomes. This year I also completed several writing courses with Laura Jane Williams and Curtis Brown and I found these invaluable.

I had two of my short stories published in a volume, edited by Nev Raper. Nev  has been a great support to me in my writing and he also supports other writers. He’s written a few books himself and I find many of his stories hilarious.

I’ve continued to teach, and I love my job, tutoring young people, as  I can make a difference. I also took on a new role in my examining and this made me feel valued as well as challenged.

Of course, I am never far away from my love of gardening. This year I was lucky enough to be featured in a gardening magazine, which will come out in the Spring.

The last achievement of this year is that I’ve finally finished a ten-year stint going through the family courts. I may write about my experience one day. I am so relieved to bring this difficult period to an end.

So, what are my plans for 2019?

I shall continue to write. I am hugely grateful to everyone who has supported my blog this year. My subscribers increase daily. I may try to write another novel and I am currently mulling over a few ideas. The one thing I have learnt is that it’s important to continue to educate yourself and step outside of your comfort zone. Writing has really enabled me to find an outlet for my creativity.

Next Year I shall be fifty and rather than have a party, it is my intention to visit a few old-friends instead, that I haven’t seen in ages.

Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to two people who has been so supportive of me throughout my writing journey. My Dad treated me last Christmas to two writing courses with Curtis Brown. These courses gave me much constructive feedback and encouragement. And my husband, Jonathan. He has truly enabled me to write and does a great deal around the house from shopping, ironing and cleaning the bathrooms, so that I can write when I need to and meet deadlines. A few months before I met Jonathan in 2010, I went on a holiday with my close friend and met her brother, Jonathan and his wife. Her brother was so devoted to his wife that it made me wish that I had my own Jonathan. It happened not long after. Which just goes to show that if you wish for something hard enough, then dreams do come true. Everyday I pinch myself at how lucky I am to be  happy in my marriage. It only took me about forty years to find the love of my life!

Thank you for all your support throughout the year. I really love receiving all your thoughtful comments.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2019!