andy and millay - snapshots

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new things for a new year

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:46:00 +0000

We've spent the past 2 weeks driving up and down the country seeing family and friends over Christmas and New Year... It's been good, and now we're both somewhat spent and looking forward to playing hermit for the rest of the month. (Apart from the Vann family Christmas next weekend...it never stops!) Despite being extremely grateful to see our own bed again, being able to simply get in a car and drive a few hours to see loved ones is still immensely satisfying and still feels somewhat novel.

Here's a few fun things that our trip included, aside from good time catching up with folk:
1. We took a day trip to London, as a Christmas gift from my parents, and spent the day bumbling around art galleries, coffee shops and cobbled streets and soaking up the vibe (and the rain) of London. As part of the day out we made a point to find Seizure, an art installation in a dilapidated council flat in Elephant & Castle into which the artist poured 70,000 litres of copper sulphate solution, creating an incredibly beautiful crystallized cave. Very blue. Very amazing. Very London.

2. We drove to a small village in North Devon and watched my very dear friend Josie get married to her life's love. The day was sunny and crisp and blue, and the bride didn't stop smiling once :)

3. On our way back, we went for an extremely bracing but beautiful walk along the beach at Woolacoombe, where Andy spent his childhood holidays. We shimmied down sand dunes, took pictures of our shadows and wrote dreams for a new year in the sand.

Here's to a year of new adventures...

Thanksgiving II

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:07:00 +0000

Last weekend we threw our second Thanksgiving feast for our northern friends, bringing some stateside tradition that we got love over to the UK. Thanksgiving is one holiday that I feel like I can really go in for - its all about sharing good food with family and friends, which in my books sounds like a pretty great combination. It feels weird and really good to be able to officially call something "our annual...(event)"; there's something about establishing traditions that makes you feel connected and rooted to a place and its people, which is something that I am slowly beginning to feel here.

It felt like an appropriate and timely celebration as well - near the end of what has been an often tough and bumpy year, I do feel so incredibly thankful for our lives here and the people in them. It was awesome to share a feast with the people that have seen us through our first year of transition to Manchester and in a small way return the favour!

We chowed our way through an enormous turkey (that had a very happy life!), homemade stuffing, candied yams, bacon-beans, mash, creamed corn, apple cabbage...and after a break which included a quiz (do you know how fast a wild turkey can fly?), we went on to a dessert of mostly pies: pecan, apple, cherry and of course the star - pumpkin pie! (Thanks to Sarah who smuggled a can through from the US last summer!).

It was a great day, and are still working our way through the leftovers...We're looking forward to carrying on the tradition every year, connecting past traditions with friends we meet and walk with on our journey...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pass It On

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:01:00 +0000

A brief blog entry for World Aids Day. Having spent over 3 years working with persons living with HIV in New York, it's great seeing my bro Dave doing HIV awareness work in a totally different context with Samaritan's Purse. Check out what they do, and if you are based in the UK, it is SO SO easy to make a huge difference in helping to raise a) awareness and b) funds for those living with HIV in the 3rd world. Seriously, watch how easy:

Step 1: Get out your mobile phone/iphone/crackberry/etc

Step 2: Text the word 'EPIDEMIC' to 60999.

Step 3: Hit 'send'.

That's it! The whole pound goes to AIDS work done in collaboration between Samaritan's Purse and local groups. I bet you anything you'll never even notice it on your bill this month. Heck, why not hit send a few more times? What are you waiting for?

Today reminds me of how much I learned during my time in NYC working with people whose lives are affected by HIV/AIDS. For one, the enormous slap in the face it was to realise that this is NOT something that is solely a third/developing world issue. And secondly, just how much misinformation there is about HIV and AIDS, even in our ostensibly well-educated, well-developed society. I know at times I felt that there were never-ending mountains to climb in responding appropriately to the issue on a personal, local and global scale. We have a long way to go with education and justice around this issue...

Pass it on!

lull and laud

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Both of us have been very much immersed in our work this past month; time feels like it is free-flowing and already Christmas seems but an arm's length away. I hate it when someone, as they did today, asks what we've been up to, and I end up scratching my head in wonder and with total lack of recall. Um...went to some lectures? Read books? Ate, slept?

That's okay I guess, some weeks are just like that. Andy's been buried in work and I've been buried in ploughing my way through the final year (eek!). There have been some fun different things to break up the routine, such as a Halloween reunion with some dear friends from university (above), where I went all-out as a lego person. I rocked second prize! I'm also still loving my weekly life drawing classes (above), relishing the total contrast to the rest of my social-work-theory- laden week.

Because I haven't been up to much excitement, I thought I'd take the opportunity to give a shout out about some people in my life who have been doing some more amazing things! Firstly, my friend Kenneth is officially my hero for running the New York marathon, in an incredible time. He trained for what seemed like forever, including during when we met up in Spain this summer, where he would get up early and run up the Sierra Nevadas in ungodly heat. Now that's dedication. Way to go, KP.

Secondly, my sweet friend Cory passed the bar and can now practice law in New York City! I met her at the beginning of her journey and let me tell you, the law degree is no picnic. I think she probably had some of her toughest times doing it it, but she did it and I'm totally proud of her and in awe. Finally, in the next 8 weeks, three separate friends: Bekah, Joanna and Josie will tie the knot and start the adventure of doing life with someone else - this too I believe deserves applause as one of the most crazy, brave, challenging and worthwhile things someone can choose to do in life.

Here's to knowing some incredible people...

cotton couple

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:40:00 +0000

On October 1st Andy and I celebrated out 2 year anniversary (by collapsing in a tired heap on the couch, clutching a whiskey glass each) and on reflection, it seems that some standard cliches hold true - on the one hand it feels as if we've always been doing life together, while on the other hand I can't believe two years has flown by so quickly.

Apparently year two of marriage is for cotton, and for anyone who knows me and my cold-natured self, I officially got THE BEST cotton gift I could possibly have wished for - an electric blanket!! I love love love it. Andy found it on ebay and knew a good thing when he saw it...No more climbing into a cold bed with ice cubes for toes, and getting up in the middle of the night to add towels and dressing gowns to the pile of blankets already on top of the 15 tog duvet on my bed (no word of a lie - that's how I roll). Two years in and my husband knows me :)

I won't get too deep and soppy cos I still haven't figured out how to prevent this from streaming into facebook (just come read the blog, KP!), but suffice to say that this year has given each of us some challenges and the more time that goes by, the more I come to understand the magic, mayhem and mystery that is involved with walking through life with another person. I was trying to think if marriage was meeting my expectations/assumptions so far and I have to say it really does exceed anything I imagined - for one, in some ways it's easier than I thought - I don't mean to say it's always smooth sailing, and I know we're only 2 years in, but I just love doing life with my best bud. I love knowing and being known, and realising how much more of that there is to come as we navigate life together.

Plus, if the electric blanket breaks, I can always clamp my cold feet on his for warmth. :) Here's to more adventures to come...

the final countdown

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:10:00 +0000

My second and final year of my Masters started this week - if last year flew by, I sense that this one will go just as quick, and I'm determined to savour it this time around. Looking back, the first year seemed like a blurry dream and I really want to feel like I've sunk my teeth into everything possible while I have the privileged (and globally, relatively rare) experience of higher education. I love learning and am looking forward to learning more about my chosen elective in mental health. We'll see how my 'takes one to know one' philosophy works out... :)

Also, today I met with an agency who have agreed to take me on for my second year practice placement, to start in January; they're called the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture and they work with asylum seekers who have experienced torture, assisting with everything from clinical and legal documents needed for their asylum claim through to case work and long term counseling to help them deal with their torture experience. I'm REALLY excited about this placement - they do such vital work with a client group that the government offers virtually no assistance to. If you get a chance, have a look at their website. I'm really impressed with their ethos and holistic approach to helping people who have come through such horrors to navigate their way to healing and a new life.

In other news: the life drawing is going well - I'm still churning out fairly bizarre interpretations of limbs, but am enjoying every last scribbly minute of it. It also gives me a funny new way of seeing bodies - suddenly I'm grateful for that sagging boob or find myself longing that the model would only have a few more rolls of chub to work with!

Tomorrow is our 2 year anniversary! Perhaps I'll do a separate post on that..I also realised/remembered after my last post that this blog is somehow linked with facebook (no doubt something to do with Andy's clever computer hijinks), but I think I'll try to take it off if I can - that way hopefully only the people who really know me and want to hear about the random ins and out of life will read it and I won't clog up people's feed with my ramblings. So, in future if you want to read this find it at www.andyandmillay.com !

seasonal advice

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:04:00 +0000

I can't believe the summer is drawing to a close; I was so sure this one would stretch on forever...Regardless, I'm actually really looking forward to the challenge that this coming year will bring. I'll be diving into the final year of my Masters in Social Work, focusing on mental health and potentially getting my second placement with refugees and asylum seekers (watch this space).

Speaking of mental health, I'm currently trying to lay down some groundwork for my own mental health survival for the coming months. Last winter was long, and cold, and (deep breath) hard. There, I said it. I spent a lot of time over last winter and beyond feeling really rather cold a lot of the time (thanks Manchester), pretty tired and generally not on my A game. None of which is great for maintaining sanity during the final year of my MA, so I'm trying to put some things in place to keep my cool over the next year!

Here's my plan so far:
1. Actually get out of bed/off the couch and go to the gym. Exercising gives you energy. And endorphins. And better circulation, which will in turn hopefully help me combat the cold. Please feel free to pester me about this.
2. Keep going to the life drawing class I started last week. Two blissful hours of focusing intently on putting pencil to paper and forgetting absolutely everything else that happened that day/week/year. Nevermind that I end up with something resembling a missing evolutionary stage...it's escapism and that's what counts.
3. Good music, good books. I have some recommendations for you on both counts: Go take a listen to Susan Enan's brand spanking new album 'Plainsong'; I promise that you will not regret it. Beautiful, haunting, poetic, uplifting. Once you've done that, go read Ali Shaw's debut novel 'The Girl With Glass Feet'; he is an incredibly talented story-teller and this story is deeply creative and does a fantastic job of transporting you to another world - more great escapism.
4. Even if it means playing truant, take every available sunny day, cold or not, and get out into some scenery. Sun on face+green things= happy heart.
5. Drink good coffee, take deep breaths and hot baths, and never underestimate the power of a good nap.

Here's to a new season...

cold tents, warm hearts

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:06:00 +0000

We just got back from the Greenbelt Festival and have the feeling of well-earned exhaustion. It was my first Greenbelt experience and I wasn't disappointed - much, much mellower than my last big festival experience at Glastonbury, Greenbelt had a huge variety of stuff going on that really catered for any age and any walk of life. I drank lots of tea in hippified tea tents, saw some great comedy, music, engaging speakers, and ran into a great deal of old friends.

Particular highlights were sneakily getting the best seats in the house (up on the sound desk with Andy's mate) for Ockham's Razor, an 'aerial theatre' group who put on a heart-stopping and beautiful performance (pictured above). Other memorable shows were Foy Vance, Susan Enan, (buy her new album, you won't be disappointed) and an incredible performance by Duke Special, complete with 7-piece band, costumes, lights, wine, the works. Stunning.

I also got to meet several of Andy's old friend who I'd not yet crossed paths with - it's cool to continue to piece together the past of the person who you're sharing your present and future with. During one of these encounters I was alerted to the fact that some people actually read this blog (!), which I have to say I was vaguely surprised about...as a response to a direct request I shall endeavour to be little better at updating it. You better be reading this, John! :) Incidentally, even though this page has really just turned into my sporadic injections of events and tidbits, if you want to get a feel for some of the stuff that Andy has going on, check out his microcosm at indielab .

sun for the soul

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:13:00 +0000

We've recently returned from a much-needed break in Spain. At one point in the chaos that preceded the holiday I though it wasn't actually going to happen, but we made it off the island, Andy lagging half a week behind me, and enjoyed doing some serious relaxing in a remote mountain valley in the Sierra Nevadas. The region is called Las Alpujarras and was just so tranquil and beautiful - our little rustic cottage was in one of the tiny whitewash villages dotted throughout the mountains. With a balcony and rooftop with an incredible view, we spent our days reading, sleeping, hiking, and sampling our fair share of the local chorizo. I had the first three or four days as a solo retreat (long story) and to my surprise I lapped up every last peaceful, inert, sleepy minute of it.

Our good friends Sarah and KP happened to be staying a few hours away and so the following week, we invited them for a night in the mountains with us where we found the most incredible vegetarian restaurant in this teensy village, run by the immensely talented Frenchman Jean-Claude, who treated us single handedly to a gastronomically divine evening. The following day we all drove to Granada and stumbled around the breathtaking Alhambra palaces, slack-jawed, taking in the incredible Moorish designs and architecture.

The final few days we spent in Atequera, mainly sitting in the sunny town square reading papers and eating tapas, with the occasional random element thrown in like a blues festival and food poisoning. What holiday is complete without it? Though it feels like it was over all too soon, the sunshine and nature did some serious good for my soul and helped both of us let the dust settle on what's been a somewhat tough and draining few months. I tried to store up as much sunshine in my bones and in my soul to make in through the rest of this grayer Mancunian summer!

buddies, baldies and bagpipes

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:08:00 +0000

The past week our very good buds Sarah and KP were in town visiting us from Missouri as part of their European summer tour. We had loads of fun showing them around a few particularly 'English' sights, including small Yorkshire villages, the cobbled streets of Oxford, curry on the Manchester curry mile, and of course lots of real ale in some fine pubs.

By far the highlight was an impromptu meeting with an eclectic acoustic music group as we were enjoying a pint in the Peveril of the Peak in Manchester. Halfway through our first pint in strolled a bald, totally tattooed, fishnet-clad northerner brandishing a set of tartan bagpipes and with an equally random mix of musicians in tow. You really can't make this stuff up. Needless to say we hung around for a few more beers to enjoy the Irish music and generally soak in the randomness of it all. What this man does as a day job is anyone's guess...

button love

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:51:00 +0000

I love buttons. I can't really explain why...I just do. I love them on my clothes - generally, the bigger the better. I've also recently discovered the joys of marrying a glue gun with buttons...this one was sent to my friend Iona for her birthday...so some of you might start finding buttons turning up in your mailboxes more and more these days... :)

Monkeying around

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:07:00 +0000

Last Friday we took a few of the Mustard Tree's Freedom Project participants to a woodland high-ropes course called Go Ape. It was a gorgeous sunny day and we had a great time swinging around in the trees, going on ziplines, and spending time getting to know each other as a team somewhat outside of their comfot zones!

I am still floored by the guys and gals we have coming through the project - I feel incredibly lucky to work alongside such inspiring human beings, who are so full of perseverance and hope despite the journeys their lives have taken. Many of them are homeless and/or in different stages of recovery and face daily struggles on all fronts. I love getting to know them all better and walking a small section of their journey with them. Each week we see incredible changes in their lives - finding homes, jobs, getting off drugs or alcohol, rebuilding relationships, etc. Its definitely not all highs but it's a powerful thing to be part of a community that is willing to walk through the lows with each other too. I'm honoured to be along for the ride.

Day O' Sun

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Sun, 24 May 2009 17:49:00 +0000

Today was warm and sunny, which is pretty much all I need to have a good day. After a city day yesterday at the Hungry Pigeon festival in Manchester, we wanted country this time. Went to Heaton Park for the first time and was impressed by its size! Rolling fields, lakes, historic buildings, farm animals...we strolled and then napped in a sunny spot by a horse meadow. Here's pics of the topiary, a (noisy) peacock and me just woken from a nap. Sadly, Andy couldn't find his beloved highland cows but he promises me they are cool :)

Adventures in Love

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Sun, 10 May 2009 16:29:00 +0000

Yesterday Andy and I had the pleasure of attending our dear friends Sam and Lisa's wedding. The day was packed full of smiles, laughter, good music, good food, and really excellent company. I looked around and was acutely aware of what a phenomenal pool of people surrounded these two; its so true that like attracts like - they are two of the most solid, excellent people I know and it showed by how well loved and supported they were as they embarked on their new adventure together. When they kissed and were announced as man and wife in the church, it took several long minutes for the whooping, clapping and cheering to subside and I felt privileged to be cheering for now and into the future....

Social take 2

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Sun, 10 May 2009 16:16:00 +0000

Last week saw another "Social" event, quarterly artistic/musical collaborations that seek to promote awareness of and raise money towards particular social causes. This time round the topic was corporate responsibility, focusing on large Western profit-making companies being held more accountable for fair trade and decent standards for the workers in their production countries. I contributed an installation that involved forged receipts and golden objects and highlighted the human stories behind common items we buy at the supermarket - tea, fruit, flowers, cheap clothes...The night was full of a variety of art and great music. Money raised went to the fantastic campaign work done by Speak. For more on them, go to www.speak.org.uk. I'm constantly inspired by the energy, enthusiasm and sheer talent of the people who pour themselves into these events...good people to know!(Photos c/o Hannah Raeside)

Blast from the Past

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:26:00 +0000

On Friday Andy and I drove to a pub in Alderley Edge and met up with the Trevelyans: Andy, Sophie, Sam and Susanna, who are the family that I lived with and worked for in my very first year of living in New York, all those years ago. Needless to say, Sam and Su have grown so much since they were the 3 and 5 year-olds that I began working with; they both definitely retain their character in the way I remember it though.

Andy and I knew each other from the climbing wall in Oxford when I was at uni and they offered me a job as a nanny to Sam and Su for a year, while he and Sophie worked on research in their respective areas of science at Columbia. What a year it was! They provided me with my 'in' to New York and gave me not only a roof over my head and a job, but the extreme privilege of looking after two of the most fun, clever and engaging kids I have ever met. Seriously, these kids are incredible and I had so much fun learning about children, New York, and about myself in that first year living with them.

I don't think I ever told them this, but being part of their family was the thing that secured for me the decision that I did in fact want to have a family of my own, one day. There's nothing quite like good role models and adorable, adventurous kids to convince you that raising a family is extremely hard work, but completely worth every sacrifice.

Reunion Tale

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:20:00 +0000

Last week, my friend Sarah and I orchestrated a grand surprise visit to our old home of New York. Specifically, we wanted to surprise our great friend and my old flatmate Jes and catch up with her and with the city. We met up at the airport having flown in from our respective homes in Manchester and Missouri, squealed like valley girls when we found each other, and waited for Jes on her stoop when she got back from work! The look on her face was worth all the plotting and planning and I had an AMAZING week catching up with familiar faces and places.

New York retains a certain hold over me. I assumed I would feel more like a visitor, this being my first return after leaving 9 months ago, but as soon as I arrived it really just felt like being home. Everything was so familiar, and it just made sense to me that I was part of the city again. I guess this is partly because the people I left behind really are like family to me, and partly because 4 years is long enough for a place to really get under your skin and never leave. I know it's New York, and this is all so cliched, but going back made me realise that this city just makes sense to me - I get how it ticks and find is easy to tick along in time.

And so the 6 day trip passed in a wonderful swirl of smiles and hugs, of sipping great coffee and catching up on eating bagels, frozen yogurt, sushi, cupcakes...you get the idea. I went with my gorgeous god-daughter to the zoo, I ate brunch (along with Chelsea Clinton!) in the sunshine in Brooklyn, spent an afternoon with dear friends in New Jersey at their amazing house and generally reveled in the city and her people. I felt more buoyant of soul than I have done in a while, but at the same time feel like I made my peace with the new life we're forging in Manchester. New York will always be there. I miss my friends terribly, but they will always be woven into my life, if from slightly further away. And who knows, maybe we'll boomerang back there one day for a more long-term reunion...

Wet n' Wild at Work

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:21:00 +0000

It's been a busy and somewhat flat-feeling month or two for Andy and me, but I figured it was time for an update! Some things that have been going on:
- my button tree is still alive (!)
- Andy's latest clients at his arena decided to do a New York-themed event, complete with taxi cabs and massive backdrop of the skyline. We both miss New York, a LOT.
- My placement for my Social Work Masters is going great - I feel really engaged with the clients and the team, and it's really challenging my ideas about care/control of mental health...how society decides to label and respond to things. Hmm. I'm learning a lot.
- We went to see the Miserable Rich the other night at a great little venue called The Deaf Institute. They're really great. Check them out.
- My part time work at The Mustard Tree is going really well - our programme (The Freedom Project - cheesy I know, I didn't name it) helps those with significant barriers to employment (ex-offenders, homeless, long term unemployed, mentally ill) gain work practice, life sills training and mentoring to help them make steps back to work. Its a really steep learning curve for me and for Jez (who really runs it now that I'm down to one day a week!), but we're excited about what's been happening in the lives of our participants.
Part of what we like to do once a month is do team-building days where we give the guys on the project experiences that will be new and fun and help improve confidence and team-building. Today, we took them for a day out in the hills for hiking and abseiling (see pics above) Everyone had such a blast - one guy who was with us came to the UK as a refugee over 5 years ago and today was his FIRST time EVER in the countryside. He was grinning all day long an took pics with his camera phone of everything; it was so much fun to watch him love nature!

Button Tree

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:28:00 +0000

Meet my new favourite possession: my button tree! A Valentine's gift from Andy, who felt bad for being out of town on V-day. Isn't it amazing?! It's made of red buttons of all sizes and as you might know, buttons have a special place in my heart :) Who needs flowers and chocolates when you have buttons, I ask you?

oh, deer

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 18:37:00 +0000

Andy and I had a great relaxing weekend. I pretended I didn't have an imminent essay deadline, and so we packed our sandwiches and hung out at Tatton Park for the afternoon, gaping at the beautiful deer and even getting some sun on our faces! I think we're both getting a little affected by the grey skies these days...
Afterwards, we mooched through antique shops in Knutsford and drank tea in a great little tea house that had ancient penny-farthing bicycles hanging from the ceiling. Then dinner at Liz's, which was as always a decadent gastronomic wonder. After a Sunday spent reading the papers and vegging out, we feel ready to take on whatever the next week throws at us!

birthday babies and the cupcake corner

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:37:00 +0000

On saturday, my friend Liz and I threw ourselves a belated birthday bash at a bar in Manchester. We spent the afternoon leading up to it baking our little hearts out, thus providing a 'cupcake corner' for people to decorate their own. (Ours were special due to us being the birthday girls, we had sparklers!). A fun night that ended all too quickly and saw me enter a near sugar-coma by the end :) Highlights included: Chris and a very pregnant Jen turning up all the way from Liverpool, 2 of the 4 yellow house girls making an appearance, and an amazing gift from Hunter and Wilson of a hot water bottle cover knitted in the shape of a little cottage! Amazing!

birthday break in the big city

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:50:00 +0000

For my birthday, Andy and I took off to London for a long weekend. It was fantastic and exhausting. I forgot how, like in New York, much walking is required! (Maybe now that my legs have turned 27 they simply wear out more easily...?)

We visited the gorgeous British Museum at night, walked around Soho and ate in Chinatown, visited the Tate Modern, the National Portrait Gallery and Photographer's Gallery. We walked along the Thames, watched street performers in Covent Garden, ate Brazilian food and saw Andy's dad sing in a huge (and kind of zany) production of the opera Carmina Burana, in a 20,000 person-filled O2 arena. Afterward, I treated myself to a very tasty cosmopolitan cocktail. (Now, we're eating beans for a month but it was worth every penny!)

I feel good about 27. Life has been a pretty great adventure so far, and I hope the adventure keeps flowing thick and fast in the years to come.

Brighton Beach

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:13:00 +0000

A winter walk on the beach.

NYE

noreply@blogger.com (millay) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 16:01:00 +0000

I spent New Year's Eve with friends from Manchester in a tiny village in the south of England. We took a woodland walk at dusk with a dog and torches, we lit a fire and sat around it all night eating, drinking, singing, laughing and dreaming of what the new year might bring. At midnight we linked arms and sang Auld Lang Syne and walked up a hill with our glasses of champagne to better see the fireworks. I feel happy and hopeful about the year ahead...