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Sunday, January 1, 2023

New Year Celebrations - Fireworks on New Year's Eve, Concert on New Year's Day

New Year's Eve was great. Watching the world, but surrounded by friendly family. We are now used to the world timelines. New Year's eve turning into New Year's Day starts in New Zealand, then Australia, then Asia, then Europe, then the UK, then the USA.  

In the UK the crowds are out, despite the cold. One year we had a New Year's Even dinner in a basement bar restaurant in central London. After midnight huge crowds were trying to board trains at the nearby station. The police had set up barriers and were letting people enter the station in a controlled way to prevent a crush.

We went back to our restaurant, hoping they had not thrown away our leftover Champagne. Our was gone, but fortunately they were good enough to give us a free top up from another table's leftover bottle.

The next year we stayed in the suburbs, partying with friends and watching the countdown on their TV. Here is the TV and a member of my family on New Year's Eve 2022, after 2023 is rung in. 



What about New Year's Day? Most years, when in Europe or London, we set an alarm to be sure we are ready to watch it.

New  Year's Day Concert in Vienna, on BBC 2, in Europe in the morning. If you missed it, after an hour or two's delay, I presume whilst they load it up, it's on the iplayer.

Looking back at 2022

Looking forward to 2023

New Year's Resolutions

1 LANGUAGES

My first resolution is to keep on learning languages. With more than 60 lessons, each of up to half a dozen five minute mini-lessons, that takes two to three months per language. I could finish between 2  and 4 languages a year. That is good going. 

I have French and English and Latin from School. I disregard Latin and the made up language Esperanto, as languages not actively spoken in any country as a major language. So I started with English and French. I did Duolingo, German completed, still working on Spanish.

If I can complete Spanish and German and Hebrew in 2023, I shall be up to 5 languages. Add Italian and Portuguese which are close to Spanish and Italian the following year. 

But I have to revise my previous languages in order not to lose them. 

You could do the same. Either work on the opening lessons of several languages out of interest. Or work consistently on one foreign language.

2 TOASTMASTERS

My aim is to become DTM. After a lull whilst I sort out my UK home and finances, I shall return actively to Toastmasters meetings online. If all goes to plan, I shall achieve DTM by doing a project at Writers Summer School with my good friend Carolyn.


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