10 things...

These are not resolutions, but they are things that I would like to do this year.

1. Read more books - I've started the year with 'Burial Rites' by Hannah Kent.  Set in Iceland in 1829 it is the story of a woman condemned to death for murdering her lover.  It's very dark and there are lots of unusual place and character names.  I'm enjoying it very much.
2. Get fitter - which I suppose also includes losing a bit of weight.  I don't think I've overindulged too much over the Christmas period, the overindulgence has just been a fairly continuous thing over the last year.  So far I've managed one walk with friends!
3. Continue the pastry challenge.  This hasn't progressed any further from an earlier post.
4. De-clutter.  I'm not really a hoarder of many things but I do have piles and piles of magazines that I've collected over the years.  I have about four years worth of 'Country Living' magazines, two years of 'Mollie Makes', two years of 'The Simple Things', quite a few 'Oprah' magazines.  They will all be going.  However I will be keeping my collection of 'Martha Stewart Living' magazines (about six years worth as I often refer back to them).  There is also quite a collection of plastic tubs that have accumulated over the years because they will always come in handy.  Well, I'm sure four or five might come in handy at some point...but twenty-five!
5. Catch up and listen regularly to The Archers omnibus podcasts.  I love The Archers but usually 'forget' to listen to the downloaded podcasts.  I've forgotten so often that in Ambridge it is still early July and I have twenty-four omnibus episodes to catch up on! 
6. Decorate.  Two of our kitchen walls were replastered last year (June), they have now thoroughly dried out and I expect they will be ready for painting now.  There are also other rooms to do too.
7. Take more (and better) photographs.  First of all I need to unpack the lovely Nikon digital SLR that I got for my birthday in November and figure out how to use it.
8. Invite friends round for food more often.  To not worry about the formalities of fine dining (as if I ever did) and have fun and informal suppers.  I'm already planning an evening for Burn's Night. at the end of this month.
9. Publish blog posts more regularly.  I don't think I've quite discovered my 'voice' yet and only by posting more will this happen.  I've plenty of drafts that I've started on, I just need to finish them off and hit the publish button.  
10. To stop procrastinating.  Looking over the previous nine points I can see a pattern of procrastination.  So my theme this year will be to get on and just do it...well I'll start after I've had this cup of tea!

Have you any things you hope to do or achieve this year?