The period after Christmas and before New Year can sometimes be quite difficult. It is a kind of no man’s land, when we feel that sense of anti-climax after the build-up to Christmas and inevitably, after all the over-indulgence, a sense of malaise and heaviness. Some may still have guests and so are feeling quite frazzled with having had to cater for their needs and with the weather being quite miserable there seems to be little opportunity to get out for some air.

The Chalk family have had a relatively quiet Christmas – just six of us including my two boys Olly and Joe along with my lovely mum and dad. This is how I like it, and we all had a wonderful time just enjoying each other’s company and feasting on goose from our local butcher. After lunch we all watched the Queen’s speech and then I tried to help mum with the kindle that my brother had given her. Hopefully this will mean that mum will be able to enjoy her reading again – why do the library service think that the partially sighted are only into Mills & Boon, its their eyesight not their appreciation of literature they have lost!

Since Christmas Day Mr Chalk and I have been enjoying each other’s company. We both have a couple of weeks off work, so we are alternating days out with house sorting days. Yesterday we took a trip up to the Norfolk coast and had a bracing walk, and today has been a massive sorting and de-cluttering session.  Our boys do their own thing, so we are lucky to be left to our own devices.

This time of year can also involve a certain amount of mental de-cluttering and I think this is a healthy thing to do. By reviewing what has happened in the past year, what has worked well and what has been less successful, you can start to make plans for what you are hoping to achieve in 2014. If you are making any resolutions for the New Year my advice is to keep things as simple as possible, maybe just concentrating on one particular thing and sticking to that. Also, it doesn’t have to be something that you are giving up, it can be much more positive if you think of it in terms of a gain. For example, with losing weight I would encourage you to really focus on the extra energy and fitness you will gain as well as looking really good.

I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2014,

Wendy x