I have decided it was time to get a grip once more when it comes to blogging. I think it is easy to blame Covid and lockdown for a lot but I honestly feel that over the last two to three years many of us have felt tired and dispirited. I know I have and it has been a bit of a struggle to stay positive and 
to post here on Random Jottings. I did think of giving it up as it was all an effort and I was not enjoying it any more, but it has become a part of my life and I would miss it so on I go.
I have been doing this for seventeen years now which I find hard to believe and Random has gone through many stages. Started quietly and blogs were new and rather looked down upon by writers and publishers. I remember reading a hugely scornful article about bloggers in the Guardian the writer of whom seemed to take umbrage at the idea that the plebs might have something to say about books. Of course, this changed and now book bloggers are valued.
I used to get masses of books dropping through my letter box for reading and review, some of which were, quite frankly, pretty dire but there were plenty of gems and discoveries to be had. These days more up to date reviewers and readers have taken over and I do not get as many as I used to which I am happy about. It was sometimes a worry. Now I just write about books I enjoy whether they be recent or or not and that is the way to go.
In 2022 I was absent for a while as my daughter was over from Australia for the summer. We had not seen her for three years and so I abandoned serious blogging to spend time with her. It was a wonderful time and the whole family reconnected in a beautiful way and we are all the better for it. I found myself doing more and getting out more and feeling stimulated and full of an enjoyment I had not felt for a long time and I liked it.
So my plan for 2023 is to do more. I have joined a gym, some four months ago now, and swim at least twice a week and this has helped enormously with my arthritis and well being. I have decided to book concerts and events, if I go on my own so be it. I have a train pass for us Oldies to enable me to go to London when i feel like it. I have booked into a concert in March to hear my favourite opera singer, Bryn Terfel, doing a Wagner concert. Also a concert with a conductor John Wilson, who over the past seven or eight years, has had a special orchestra playing music from Hollywood and the shows. So I have tickets for one of his next autumn. And last week, after dithering and delaying I booked a holiday to go to Salzburg and Vienna. So it is all systems go.
I have already mentioned that I intend to take down a book from my library shelves, be it old or new, and write about it and I have already compiled a list of several so that will be my theme for the year, as well as recent reads.
As always, I am delighted and pleased to have such loyal followers who have stuck with me through thick and think. Thank you everyone. It means a lot and I wish you all a Happy New Year.
Elaine
x
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