Some days it’s hard to find much of beauty in the world. The News is a litany of greed, corruption and gloomy predictions for the years ahead. Outside, the weather is in sympathy with the zeitgeist: grey, dismal and dank. Of course, my mood may be jaundiced (literally) by the fact I woke up yesterday prepared to enjoy my five days of liberty from the work grindstone only to find myself blurry- and sore-eyed with conjunctivitis and I am not brave or stoical about such things – no, I whine and feel sorry for myself.

It’s very easy to forget the sunlight and the small pleasures as one plods through the darkest and most dreary time of the year, but I dislike to be constantly negative as I’m not a gloomy or demanding person by nature. I get restless. Generally, little things please me. So, while I have no intention of gazing at my navel and analysing the year gone á la reverb10 etc, I do intend to try and sift through the remains to see what happened, or more often – didn’t. I DO know it’s time to finally let go of some old dead-weight lumber I’ve been hauling about with me. I need to look objectively at what ‘creativity’ means for me, follow my spontaneous instincts and not beat myself up about the failures.

In short, I need to get my feet back on a path I’m happy to explore instead of hauling baggage carts up dead-ends. And if that means indulging the occasional impulsive and ill-conceived whim, so be it. It’s all part of life’s great weaving.

Aw heck. I feel a new muse trying to prise the playground gates open… just what I need - NOT!