So it’s the time of year for looking both backwards and forwards…assessing, planning and – very probably – wondering where the hell the time went!
Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Or do you have a more relaxed way of working out what you want to do with the brand-new year? Is it really necessary to have one day of the year when you try to make commitments that are often unrealistically demanding? Or is it better to have an ongoing awareness of what you want to accomplish and how you may be able to do it?
You will have realized that I’m not too bothered about making resolutions at this time of year. But, as a keen gardener, it’s a useful opportunity to think about the work I want to do and the plants I want to grow. It’s a good time to plan seed-sowing and (especially if it’s too cold to work outside), to take a while to imagine how I’d like the garden to look throughout the year.
Garden-planning, for me, also means planning what I want to grow to photograph, and trying to come up with ideas for making areas of the garden more photogenic. (I think that may be a long process!)
Making a list of gardens to visit is one of the nicer ways of spending an hour or two on a grey January day. It promises both inspiration for my own garden and new subjects to photograph. Maybe I should make a resolution after all – to visit more gardens this summer. (It shouldn’t be too hard to keep that one!)
Perhaps the most successful approach to the New Year is simply to decide what is most important and where our focus needs to be during the year. No make-it or break-it big declaration, but something calmer and more persevering. Encourage something to grow quietly month-by-month, and by the end of that year there may be something very pleasing to show for it.
No big display of resolutions, then. But this year I would like to concentrate on using my time for the things I really want to do. (Now my time is much more my own than it was, and I realize just how precious it is.)
That means spending time working on photography and gardening. It means continuing to learn printmaking and drawing skills. And just to enjoy time spent in our garden, visiting other people’s gardens and exploring the countryside. (Luckily Hubby enjoys these things too!) The ideal would be for me to be able to bring all of these things together as much as possible – something for me to work on steadily through 2019.
Of course, I hope to make this blog grow and flourish during the coming year. No resolution needed there! Thank you for reading and for your comments – it’s wonderful to be able to ‘chat’ and to feel a sense of community. (I’d like to be able to put a really big smiley face here!) I hope that you all have a very happy New Year.
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
I don’t do very well with keeping New Year’s resolutions so I tend to just pick one or two and try to keep them. It usually is based on my painting or drawing skills. Love the top image especially! Happy New Year Ann!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Syd! I usually have some things I plan for the year, but not necessarily tied into New Year. One for 2018 was this blog – 2019 will be all about photography and continuing the changes to the garden…no surprise there! Hope you have a ‘Guid New Year’! š
LikeLike
Beautiful photos, your garden?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, I’m glad you like them! The photos were taken in gardens I’ve visited – but I’d love to have both the sundial and the fern sculpture in my own garden. (Not so sure I’d want the peeping statues keeping an eye on me though!)
LikeLike
I really enjoy your blog posts. I have lots of things Iād like to do in the New Year, but as far as resolutions I think I just want to do my best to live my life. I love that fern sculpture! It makes me want to create a water feature in my backyard. Happy New Year Ann!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Laurel! I enjoy writing the posts. š It helps me focus on what I want to do with my time and where I want my life to go…..so I understand what you mean about just wanting to do your best to live your life. Me too! And at last I have the time to do the creative things that matter to me. I’m re-developing a border that will have a pond in it and I’d love something very like that fern sculpture for it. I can dream!
Hope you and your family have a very happy year!
LikeLike
Enjoyed your post Ann and I look forward to seeing more on your blog about the gardens you visit and the progress of your own garden. I love the fern sculpture.. that would be right at home in any New Zealand garden! I’ve enjoyed our 2018 chats via WP comments very much and hope that we’ll stay in touch through 2019! Best wishes for the New Year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Liz! I’m looking forward to making lots more garden visits! And I’ve been out digging in the garden whenever the weather’s OK. (The garden got a bit neglected during the last years of my parents’ lives, so there’s plenty of work to do.) I’ve enjoyed our chats very much too, so I will certainly be staying in contact… š I hope 2019 is a wonderful year for you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No resolutions here either. I’ll just try to focus on the things which are important to me. My own garden needs attending to when I’ve time, and the weather’s better, but I have enjoyed seeing photos of yours, and reading your blogs after they’ve popped into my inbox (I’m always a little behind though.) Happy New Year.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Jill, I’m glad that you’ve enjoyed my posts! I enjoy writing them – it reminds me that spring and then summer aren’t so far away. Hope 2019 is a great year for you! š
LikeLiked by 1 person