I no longer make New Year resolutions since I know for sure that I will only go and break them all. Making them is one great way to get nowhere - at least, for me that is so. Instead, I like to list lots of goals and then work towards achieving them. There seems to be less compulsion, therefore I am not hooking my sneaky little rebellious streak.

This year I did achieve one of them. Getting this little website up and running happened this year, and it has been a fun thing to play with. At least that is something. The rest of them, well… they can carry over to next year, I guess.

Next year sure needs to be a much better year for us than was this one. Too many unhappy things - a year best pushed under the rug. And it is going out with some more sorrow as well.

Last evening we were out driving in our 40 year old classic car, having just got it back on the road after a lot of restoration work. New parts had been sourced and imported from England, and it was running beautifully and looked a real picture.

Well, it was looking a picture… until we went around a bend in the road and another vehicle travelling too fast for the corner came straight at us on our side, not his own. Split second evasive action helped, but we took a major blow that demolished one side of the car - the structural centre pillar pushed right back into the rear door, both doors stoved in, one unable to shut and the other unable to open, and huge scraping and gouging to the entire side from front to back.
Thankfully no one was hurt, but our car was un-driveable, needing to be towed away, ourselves being returned home later by police car.

We feel so sad. It was our pride and joy. Yes, it was insured… but the cost to fix it will be well over twice it’s so-called commercial value. It will be considered a write-off.

But it isn’t a write-off. Well, not to us. We will get it fixed because it matters to us. I guess that is a goal for next year.

Yep, I’m looking forward to 2006. It surely has to be better than the year that is now nearly over. I like making goals, and then trying to meet them. There’s lots of them swarming around in my head already, just waiting to hatch. And were they just resolutions, I’m sure they would be broken long before the sun sets on New Year’s Day.

Bring on 2006… and welcome to a New Year, a fresh start, and good things instead to unfold.

And a Happy New Year to all you good folks reading this too.