My New Year goals
The ones I'll put on the internet anyway ;)
There’ll be a slight change to regular programming this week as I’m sending out lots of NY-themed posts to ease us (mostly me) into a proper routine and setting us (me, again) up for a good 2024. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you there won’t be a whiff of diet culture or anything overwhelming or judgy in these emails. Instead, you’re getting this here list of my own personal/home/garden goals for 2024, a sort of manifesto for what you can expect from TWP in 2024, the best cookbooks to buy if you’re aiming to make more meals at home this year, how I’m preparing for a full year of growing my own veggies, and a bumper list of listening, watching and reading reccs. I’d love to hear about your NY thoughts/feelings/plans and goals in the comments too. Enjoy!
I’m not hugely into the whole new year, new you thing and find goal setting and timelines and putting the previous 12 months and person it made you in the bin quite icky but equally I hate when people are anti others hitting refresh or wanting to try at something. My word for 2024 might be trying. There’s no denying January feels quite appropriate a time - when the whole calendar is shiny and untouched, there for the taking, stretching out in front of you - to make a list of manifestations or challenges or just a general vibe for 2024. So here are some of my NY hopes that I thought fit nicely into the niches of TWP and this growing community’s shared premature grandma interests…
Learn to pipe icing
I have never mastered the art of piping. Finesse in all areas of food presentation are low to non-existent in this camp, especially when it comes to bakes and desserts, so I want to work on that. Alex always, completely selflessly, wants my NY resolution to be ‘bake more’. I think he envisions trays of brownies and cookies, a sponge cake always sitting beneath a cloche, tins ever-filled with biscuits. My attempt to make prettier sweet treats should make my housemate happy too.
Learn to sew
My new sewing machine has been threaded with some success several times now and I’m gaining confidence in stitching straight lines and even some corners (I know). This year I’d like to become a capable seamstress who can create versions of the home bits I ogle in House & Garden magazine but can’t justify the price of. Thick thermal curtains as well as frothy, frilly striped ones are top of the list and I’d quite like to try a cushion too. Alex has again chimed in here and would like to see me magic up a quilt.. TBC on that. I’m attempting a ruffle this week!
Decorate the house
I’m not going to set any wild goals here. I’ll simply say: I’m going to get on with decorating the house we bought nearly a year ago with the intention of making it our own. Vague AND realistic! The one part I think I can confidently say I’ll start and perhaps finish this year is my office/craft room. I plan to de-wallpaper it this month, in fact.
Grow TWP
I’ve got a whole post about my 2023 learnings and 2024 plans for TWP coming soon (I think tomorrow?) so won’t go ham here. I’ll just say, I’m as dedicated to this space as ever. This year, I want to write more of what you want, more consistently and in turn I hope that brings more subscribers to this community. I’d love your help. Please, if there’s something you want to see on TWP, let me know. Liking, commenting on and sharing posts with like-minded friends is a huge boost that will get my writing in front of more eyeballs, not to mention make this a more fun place for us all to hang out. And of course, upgrading a free subscription to a paid one for less than £1 a week shows Substack there’s something worth reading here, enables me to keep writing and keeps my dog in chicken feet (his current, quite rank snack of choice).
Grow a glut of veggies and plentiful blooms
With a full growing year at my disposal, I’m gonna go full throttle on the veggies! The