The End of the Year here in my town was filled with beautiful sunshine. I went for two lovely walks in my neighborhood that day, cleared up a portion of a garden, checked the books I’d read, paid my bills, and enjoyed a happy movie with a small glass of whiskey and a couple of Belgian chocolate cookies before going to bed early.

The Beginning of 2024 was chilly and foggy but dry. After finishing the few remaining pages of my last book of 2023, Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing, I fed my two schnauzers and took Henry for a walk. Once home, I went upstairs to my attic art space and worked on finishing up a couple of projects for the garden. Repairs and varnishing can be very therapeutic. After which, I ate a whole wheat and peanut butter sandwich. Here’s the funny thing: I don’t really like 100% wheat bread or peanut butter. But when I put the two together, I enjoyed it. What I enjoyed most was that my two negatives created an enjoyable positive. To finish my day, I went to our local bookstore, returned a few more books, and picked up $22 coupon from the last book drop-off, which enabled me to buy more books.

BOOKS AND WRITING

I was disappointed to discover that I had only read 71 books this year compared to 83 books in 2022. The three I enjoyed the most were Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult. I loved the different layers of truth, the unfolding of a mystery layer by layer, and the story of the real rescued elephants. The Book of Eels, by Patrik Svensson, was a fascinating read about the life of the mysterious and elusive Eels. The third book was Hemingway’s Girl by Erica Robuck. But then I looked at everything else I had done. I have written 63,000 plus words for my memoir. I am at present editing and rewriting the last few chapters. I have also written 21 essays and short stories for the Blue Bottles Writing Studio I facilitated during the year. I started my blog in April of 2023 and have since written 30 entries. I also created eight fairy houses and held a delightful tea party in the garden, raising $500 for a charity. I am pleased with myself. What will I be able to achieve in 2024? The possibilities are, of course, unlimited. 

One thing I will do is finish and publish Bewildered, a memoir about growing up in England as a teenager, far from my home in the sunny Caribbean. Marriage, children, renovating houses in London, and finally getting into college. The Blue Bottles Writing Studio will continue. We will be writing Micro Fiction for a  few sessions. This is a story in under 500 words. It should be action-focused, have one setting, 1-3 characters, minimal description, and lean sentences. Our first one is called The Roost. Add your own Micro Fiction story to the comments. I will post a couple of our writer’s stories next week.

IN THE GARDEN

There isn’t much to do in the garden at this time of the year except to plan for the spring. The moles, which were at their worst last year, have abated their furious digging for a while. I am hoping that my efforts, both friendly and unfriendly, will encourage them not to return. I am also removing some plants from the hundreds I have to make it easier to work in the garden with an aging back and arthritic fingers. The art stuff I am working on will add more tchotchkes to my garden. Plus, I plan to add a few more fairy houses to the front garden, where, hopefully, children passing by will be enticed to look through the windows and see a small world of art inside the house. I will update progress and blooming throughout the year.

I welcome positive comments. Subscribing is free to have my blog come directly to your mailbox. Thank you for reading.

Elizabeth Jane Pryce