happy new year!

hope you all had a wonderful break and it doesn't feel too far in the past yet. i spent christmas in brighton and new year in bristol and a highlight was a boxing day walk on brighton beach (pictured above and below).

i gave up making new year's resolutions a few years ago when they just repeatedly got broken. and so early in the year too. but there are a few goals i want to achieve this year and i think i've kept them attainable.

first up, to continue to spend carefully. towards the end of 2010 i *finally* got better at living within my means. about time at the age of 33. i've found that i get just as much satisfaction from scoring a bargain or selling something as i do from splashing out on something lovely. and i always ask myself 'how much wool could i buy for that?' which helps stop me from parting with money sometimes. i don't want to be dull or obsessively frugal about this but just sensible given my limited income at the moment.

become a better frugal cook (see above). i enjoy cooking and i'm good at it but i never have much of a budget in mind when i buy ingredients. i think my food will taste so much sweeter if i know i've been careful about my purchases.

be more active. nothing specific about this goal otherwise i'm just setting myself up to fail. possibly. this does not involve forking out on joining a gym or the clifton lido (which i've previously considered) especially since there are so many beautiful spaces to walk so near to where i live - ashton court being just one...

image via 

finish my PhD (eek!) my scholarship runs out in october so this is when i aim to submit it. i am fairly determined and on track to finish on time so i should be Dr West before the year is out!

image via

blog more about the PhD process. i am saving any thoughts about my findings for my published work. so, my thesis or any articles i get around to submitting for publication. but i think i'd like to record these final two terms - the process of writing up, some methodological thoughts etc.

knit something for myself this year! i have been knitting for about four years and have learned lots of new skills just in the last few months (which i'll blog about soon). but every single item i've knitted so far has been a gift or a commission. my friends just keep having babies and now that there is a lull in pregnancy announcements, i plan to knit something (even just little) for myself.

learn a knew knitting skill each month. next up, cable!

learn to crochet.

take a photo everyday. this is off to a good start. i upload my daily pictures to a flickr set but may record them weekly or monthly in some other way. not sure yet.

and finally, keep from being too narcissistic on this blog. so, not to only focus on what i'm up to but also showcase others' work particularly those who create beautiful things. i do this already but i want to increase it and have so many draft posts lined up...

what are your resolutions / goals / aims for 2011?


nancy x

ps - blogger drives me mad with the layout sometimes and resets itself everytime i edit the post. it's still not right! any ideas on how to avoid this?