Happy New Year

I love 1st January. The fresh start, the promise of reinvention, the sense that this will be the year that everything falls into place. The excitement normally wears off once February rolls in and everything is same old, same old but, at the moment, I'm enjoying the sense of optimism.

Given that this is time for a new start, I created the mosaic above. There were so many things I didn't have the time to share but that are worthy of a picture. The Christmas markets in Cologne, my friend's wedding in French Guyane, chickens at my sister's house in Scotland. All of them should have had their own post but I didn't have the chance to do them justice and, unfortunately, I can't carry them over into my fresh new year. They're simply too 2008!

I'll leave you with one of the cakes I made for my birthday tea in September. Well, we need a reminder of something rich and chocolatey amidst all the January austerity. Wishing you all a very happy, successful and peaceful 2009.