A Review of 2013 at Sweetbriar Dreams

2013

How can I sum up this year?  I think the first thing that comes to mind is 'discovery'.  I have been 'riding the wave' a term I say to quite a lot of people, meaning just going with the flow and seeing where I land.  Sometimes it is a good place, sometimes it is a place that I am not entirely comfortable with, but for me this has helped me carve out what I want to do in 2014.  My blogging journey has been one of the good places that I have landed, where I have found so many wonderful, like minded people on this particular 'wave'.  My blog has gone through many changes this year, with twists and turns, but I think I have finally found my voice and how I like to write along with the visual input as I tell the story.  

I have had lots of fun  today looking back on this year and re-discovering the different events.  Each month was so different.  

The days we went out on either locally or a little bit further afield were always fun and educational.  One risk I took during 2013 was taking my two teenagers to Greenwich, London for the first time.  Our visits to London were numerous this year but I skirted around Greenwich as I felt that I would not do my Grandad justice by bringing the place to life with the history he imparted to me as a child.  This ended up to be a great success with my kids falling in love with this quieter part of London and begging to be taken again and again.  2014 will be full of weekends here as I bring the stories to life as we walk around the streets, some still standing and then through the London Docklands where so much has disappeared and been re-generated.

From looking back at 2013, my crafts obviously took a back seat!  The wallpaper is waiting patiently in my dolls house and the amount of unfinished crochet projects is quite embarrassing!

Our garden was beautiful this year, even though a bit slow in waking up from its winter slumber.  The flowers all bloomed in the glorious summer, giving a spectacular show throughout the months.

However, the produce from the greenhouse was pretty poor, in fact quite pathetic!  But, the fruit crops this year were huge!  Along with the lavender which was tenderly cared for by the bees.

The wildlife was more abundant in the garden, with the bees arriving quite late but then being so busy that they actually slept on the lavender at night!  So much life this year.

2013 also has allowed me to plan ahead for the journey of writing 'the' book on my Grandad's research and stories.  The pens and note books are ready for notes, my fingers are itching to tap away at the keyboard, the papers, maps, photos and books are ready and waiting and I have an idea of how to start the initial lines of the book, I am excited to start to see how this flows.  

So what do I have planned for 2014?  Well, 2013 was 'discovery', 2014 is going to be 'change'. Change is a good thing and should be embraced fully.  I am one that loves change, things start off as a mess but then after re-organisation and diligence, everything falls into place for the better.  I plan on changing things in a lot of ways next year so I can concentrate on the things that really matter to me  (such as the book) and not focus too much on things that I do not agree with and that hinder my progress in my life.  There have been times where I have not felt comfortable with situations around me and where they are totally against my own morals, so these things have to change.  Hard words I suppose but 2013 has made me discover who I really am and what I want to do.  

One thing that won't change is my love for reading your blogs and discovering new ones. It's a catch up at the end of the week with friends over a coffee and a chat.  Around the world in 80 minutes... usually longer!!  I love the evenings when settling down to read what has happened in blogland.

So as I close the door on 2013, may I wish you all a wonderful 2014.  Thank you all for your generous and kind comments and visits during this year and encouraging me to continue by following me with all the various methods that there are now (I've just discovered Feedly - great for Kindles!... a gift from hubby!).  I look forward to reading and seeing what you get up to next year.

Happy New Year!

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