Blog entry 300 and all the best for 2008

This blog entry - number 300 believe it or not - should ideally have been written yesterday. Still not too late I trust to wish anyone passing by all the best for 2008. Should you have read my blog on 1st January 2007 you will have quickly realised that I for one have zero interest in any New Year celebrations. This village is particularly noisy when it comes to midnight on New Year's Eve with plenty of fireworks being set off for 15 or 20 minutes. The question for me was whether to stay up until the mayhem had gone or to try and get a couple of hours sleep before the banging of the fireworks. I chose the latter alternative even though it meant my sleep being disrupted by this pyrotechnic nonsense!

Enough of my complaining! At least on New Years Day we had a very enjoyable local walk close to the Tamar and were overjoyed to see a barn owl flying across a meadow to the nearby woods. Wow! That was a special moment. I really love these birds - friends in the Valley have a detached store close to their house with nesting barn owls and they can see the birds emerge in the evening when sat in their lounge. Now that's what I call civilised bird watching!

Although I had a very pleasant Christmas with family in harmonious surroundings I'm conscious of the fact that many many folk spent their time in caravans as a result of their homes drying out and being repaired after the floods last summer. It was good to see that the TV news people were highlighting their continued discomfort during this holiday season. It is all to easy to forget these people once the initial shock of the effects of the flooding has worn off. The good thing to mention though is that we haven't had any prolonged rainy spells since the flooding so that the situation hasn't been made any worse.

As I said at the start I am now up to 300 entries. Hopefully you will have read something to amuse or interest you in this blog.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! We say this automatically every new year don't we. I would prefer to say "I wish you all the best in health and happiness for the rest of your life!" The reason I say this is because I find all the new years eve/day shenanigans leave me distinctly underwhelmed: I am almost a bah humbug person I suppose - perhaps I should audition for that excellent tv programme "Grumpy Old Men".

Unlike the winter and summer solstices the last day of the year is an entirely artificial construct and really has no significance for me over and above other days of the year. I have to admit that I'm not really that much of a party person and don't join in the celebrations. There were plenty of fireworks let off in the village at midnight and after (and in the time leading up to the magic hour for those who couldn't wait). I find this activity quite bizarre.

However I prefer to state some positives in my posts! So I could see on today's BBC news that the fireworks display held in the Capital in the area of "The London Eye" were spectacular and would have been worth watching. Stormy weather put a stop to some of the activities in Scotland and the north of England though. As usual pub and hotel owners in Devon and Cornwall had something to smile about: the usual hotspots like Bideford and Newquay, Looe and Dartmouth being popular with revellers and the fancy dress brigade. It is always pleasing to see people having a good time provided they are not upsetting others in the process.

But as for me it's not my cup of tea, or pint of St Austell ale for that matter.