The many confusions of a new year

At the start of every new year I feel a certain sense of confusion. How will this year be for me? How will I be for this year? I feel very receptive to signs and portents at this time. Here's what I've garnered so far:

Breakfast is a Dangerous MealWhat will I eat? Not breakfast as it turns out! The very latest foodsy trend knocks on the head the old notion that brekkie is the most important meal of the day, and does so with one of the cleverest cover designs so far this year!

Terence Kealey's Breakfast is a Dangerous Meal is a very well researched diatribe against early morning eating for diabetics, the overweight and those with blood pressure problems.

How does he cope? "On waking I resort to a strong cup of black coffee; then I go for a run, a swim or a cycle ride. It helps that I have a job that I love." Oh and Kay.

Goodbye Things

What will I do? More tidying I'm afraid. Goodbye Things by Fumio Sasaki (who is quick to point out that he is no Marie Kondo!) is just a regular messy guy who changed his life by getting rid of absolutely everything he did not need.

The effects were remarkable: "Sasaki gained true freedom, new focus, and a real sense of gratitude for everything around him." Sounds good - and there is no folding of clothing required. 

If you can't handle that, try Bohemian Residence instead which bills itself as being witty with: "lavish possibilities for contemporary city living". There's something about that word "lavish" that fairly screams "Bring Me My Eggs Benedict Now!"

I actually Wore ThisWhat shall I wear? I loved Trinnie and Susannah because they helped us work out what to wear by ruthlessly telling us what not to wear (everything we had in our wardrobes, as it turned out). So I love I Actually Wore This (Clothes We Can't Believe We Bought). Arty types and fashionistas reveal those items they bought and then never wore (or hardly ever.) It is comforting to realise that we have all done this - bought an item for a New Year's do, worn it once, then only dragged it out again as a kind of fancy dress item for Halloween.

This book is visually pleasing and very wittily written. I now know that I must NEVER AGAIN be tempted by ethnic clothing while on vacation to exotic shores.

So there you have it: the all new, possibly snappy (no brekkie) 2018 Roberta. Neat and tidy, but whatever is that she is wearing?

Happy New Year!

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