Happy arbitrary date change!

This month is off to a good start for me. I have new sticks and brushes and intend to be more percussive this year. I shall definitely be doing a bit of percussion for Keith on the songs that don’t suit the violin. I do not have a drum kit, there will be a selection of household objects involved.

So, happy date change to all those who celebrate, and I hope this coming year treats you kindly. I think we all know it probably won’t, but seeking joy and creating reasons for hope are going to be key. There has been a steady supply of content on Druid Life while I’ve been taking time off, and if you’d like to know what my resolutions look like, those are over here - https://druidlife.wordpress.com/2024/12/31/setting-intentions-for-the-coming-year/

There are also posts on facing the future, winter walking, and peace, as well as some seasonal content that is now a bit irrelevant.

If you are following the Mark Hayes saga over on the Hopeless, Maine blog, my last instalment is here - https://hopeless-maine.co.uk/2024/12/29/the-uncanny-socks-of-rebirth/ Do please note that it is not THE last instalment in this tale as I’ve handed it over to another storyteller and the next bit will emerge on Sunday.

If you were looking for entirely useless predictions for the coming year, you can also check out the Hopeless, Maine horrorscopes.

The Moon Books sale continues into January with ebooks half price. You can find mine here - https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/authors/nimue-brown

In this last week I’ve written the January chapter for Murder Village, which will be up on Patreon next week. I’ll be getting back to work on Everyday Druidry next week and also working on a piece for a Pagan anthology. Thankfully I don’t have any gigs in the next few weeks (I’m still feeling the need for time off), but I am going on a music retreat over the weekend, so that will involve a lot of playing and singing. I’m hoping to record a few videos while we are there, so I should have some new music for you in the coming weeks.

This festive break has given me a useful opportunity to think about how I want to work moving forwards, and what sort of work I want to be doing. I’m having a gentle re-shuffle, which I think will result in me being more productive and effective - news of that as we go. I’ll keep putting these updates out every Friday with whatever of note I have to share. This year is certainly going to be busy and I have a lot planned that I’m excited about, so, more of that as we go along.

Here’s a nice toadstool cluster for some winter colour - photo by Keith Errington, taken not far from home.