And another month passes

Wow, another year and I am still writing and people are still asking for me to continue. So we enter the seventh year and if this was a marriage we would be reaching the point where the itch to look outward at something new would be creeping in. wonder where the emphasis of our minds will foray during this year; one of changes all round I suspect.

So far the weather has proved interesting and it has surprised even the most hardened of us to its ferocity. December saw the lowest temperatures on record for this country, with readings almost as low as Siberia, and Australia is experiencing flooding which again is only ever recorded once before in their history. The extremes are coming and as Brisbane has proved it doesn’t matter how far above sea level you are, there is still a chance of flooding. Well, the only thing we can say is we didn’t reach some of the potentially low temperatures as experienced in the Russian Steppes, but then minus 21 is certainly low enough for me.

The birds have found it a struggle, finding much comfort, I suspect ,in the fat balls and seed I have kept coming all through the worst of the weather. OK, so some of the birds would be not your favourites such as starlings and pigeons but they all have their place and they all deserve a chance. Nothing worse than freezing to death; after all we have the central heating, what do they have?

Gardeners World have a very interesting article this month about the common birds in the garden and how to feed them throughout the year. They have tips on what to feed when, which, if you want to have plenty of visitors, would be worth reading. They have a handout of identifying birds which I would imagine would be of interest to children and they are running a piece of research into which birds come into the gardens when. I suspect they will give this to RSPB when done as it will give further information to the comings and goings of our birds and to some extent where we are losing them and perhaps where we maybe gaining.

New research shows the interest children have in new toys is approximately one month. This means by the end of this month, the items purchased at great expense and possibly overdraft, will be confined to the back of the cupboard never to see the light of day unless you remind them of the purchase. Ouch, that is what I call an expensive month of playtime.

So its January and that time or year when resolutions are going to be set. How have you done this I wonder, or have you, like some of the people I know, avoided even setting them because you can guarantee it wont succeed. What was it one of the clients said, “I want to give up the chocolate but the problem is chocolate doesn't want to give up me!” And that’s the rub; in this magazine I will give one explanation why these resolutions do not work and ways in which you would side step the problem.

To all of you, have a great year and let’s make 2011 a fantastic one regardless of what the pundits agonise over.