I cannot say that I am excited about the prospect, and I certainly have not made any resolutions, but there are a few things that I am looking forward to this year (in the same way that one might look forward to a birthday or going home from work).

A car – Jo’s brother found a very tidy Volvo estate for us a few months ago. Since then, he has been trying to find time to strip down the engine to fix one of the only things that is wrong with it. By all accounts, when it is fixed we shall be the owners of a very nice-looking automobile. It cost almost nothing (around 4500 crowns), which means that we do not mind so much paying for the empty garage space that we hired in November. A car, of course, will give the family the mobility that we have missed since our old Volvo died.

Personality change – Over the last few years I have put myself through too much stress, and much of it unnecessary. Some of that stress has come from work, where I have been unwilling to realise that I am working with children between 3-5, and that I just need to chill out a bit. Despite demands from the school, and demands from the government to document everything (including documentation) I am spending my days with individuals that cannot use cutlery cortisons, or even know what the word “cutlery” means. This stress needs to be addressed, coupled with the fact that I must improve my health, and thus improve my chances of handling it.

A toilet and a bathroom – We now have enough money in the bank to afford purchasing two basic elements of the house in the north. I cannot say I am that excited about it as I write this, though I know it will make a big difference to our holidays up there, not having to rely so much on the family for our washing and eating requirements. At the moment the house is little more than a shell, and having access to making food and having a shower will help no end.

Excursions – One of the things that all the family enjoy, and have even talked about being one of the highlights of 2012, is going on outings, missions or staying in hotels. With the coming of the car, this will open up the possibilty of making the weekends more action-packed.