This year's resolution

Who really gives a fuck about NY’s resolutions?

Well, I suppose I must do, or I wouldn’t be
writing about them.

My resolution a year ago was to have some
fun.

In the past year, I’ve had a lot of fun
creating some simple websites, including a
photogallery, taking lots of photos as well,
and doing a lot of fun things … for example
playing electric guitar and singing along to
old Beatles numbers and the like, with a
couple of my mates. The words "Last of the
Summer Wine" spring to my mind.

I’ve joined an adult education group in Nottm,
to get me out of the house a lot more … to
meet other people mainly. One of the groups
I’ve joined has been great fun .. wine-tasting
and getting fairly merry/pissed in the process
… in the morning too!

Another group I've joined is the oral history
group, where we hear and share some very
amusing stories about our lives. The theme of
the current series is holidays.

So my main resolution this year is to carry on
having fun.

I’ve got a few long term projects in mind,
which include doing a lot more on my family
history. I’m not so interested in going back
through the centuries finding out who my
ancestors were … I think this is somewhat like
train-spotting (and rather dull). I’m more
interested in collecting as much info as
possible from the current older generation
about their lives, and what their family life
was like.

I often wish I’d started all this in my early
twenties when my grandparents were alive. This
is what people often say when they get going on
their family history later in life … “Well,
what could have motivated him to do that” or
“What led up to him separating from his wife”,
etc..

One of my other long term projects is to write
some children’s fiction … in the style of
Roald Dahl. I have given the matter some
thought in recent years, but I've found it
very difficult to come up with ideas that are
truly original.

The idea of creating Harry Potter came to JKR
on a train journey from Manchester to London
… an amazing flash of inspiration, which is
just what I need. As a kid I was spellbound
by horror stories like “Hansel and Gretel” and
“The Tinder Box”, and later by adventure
stories like “Treasure Island”. I’d like to
write something equally fascinating for
present-day kids.

So I’ll carry on blogging for the time being,
until I dream up a blockbuster (some hope!).