Between wishing a Happy New Year to our lovely neighbours, enjoying the fireworks and staying up to finish our glasses of fizz, we got to bed – very early this morning. And woke late. But we did get outside, on a sunny and warm day that has outclassed every day since October 2021 began.
Max came out with us. He likes to stick with us, either because he finds us interesting or perhaps from some lion instinct to protect his herd, so when we’re out, he’s out. He even went for a run, tail straight up and yowling the cat equivalent of “Wheeeeeee!”
He’s seventeen today, according to his paperwork. That’s roughly equivalent to 84 in human terms, and if your 84 year old grandfather went out for a run on New Year’s Day you’d be entitled to call the local paper and get him the front page slot. He’s still healthy and seems content, still goes off in a dream and likes nothing better than sleeping on a human.
He’s also a good influence on our nervous young tortie. She was asleep on the cushion next to me and jumped off in a fright when I leaned forward – then came back, looked at Max still fast asleep and doing the complete opposite of panicking, and she decided that if he wasn’t worried, she wasn’t worried. She’s now back in her place, asleep and less inclined to budge when I move.
I submitted a short-short story to a podcast magazine last night, more as an exercise than anything. You can go out for a run without intending to stun the world at the next summer Olympics, and I count it as an achievement to send off a piece, without expecting the recipient to accept it.
2022 has started out well, then. Work in the garden, Max running around like an over-excited kitten in the sunshine and an evening spent watching rugby with cats asleep around us. I don’t bother with resolutions these days, as they never survived the first week of the year, but I have taken up three challenges – to write horror, to read 24 books fitting random categories chosen by a group to make us ‘Try something new’ and to spend February writing a stage play every 24 hours with The Literal Challenge.
Set small goals, enjoy time outside and adopt an elderly cat. They are inspiring. Happy birthday, Max.
Julia Chalkley 
Our reading goals are so similar! I too am aiming for 24 books (2 per month is pretty doable, right?) and to read across all genres instead of my comfort zone of sci-fi/fantasy. Thanks for sharing and wishing you all the best for 2022!
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Well, I cheated a little with my first book. The organiser named one category as “A book with Red in the title”, so I’m reading “All Systems Red” by Martha Wells, the first in the Murderbot series. Sci-fi and fantasy are the best. Happy New Year, Stuart – 24 books, here we come!
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