Happy new year !

[hutch--]

If you are still alive after Christmas celebrations and have not gone bust yet, do it all again for New Year ! 

[Schneiderfrei]

Gasping for breath after christmas - still alive. Same to you Hutch

[Henry Hall]

Happy new year to all.

All I can say is that fireworks should be banned. I've listened to five days of not-stop bangs 24 hours a day. I don't want to insult any Dutch members here, but this 'tradition' is completely retarded.

[theresa in tucson]

I agree with you, Henry.  The state authorized the sale of fireworks a few years back and even though it is illegal to set them off within city limits, people still do.  Fortunately we have had wet, rainy weather so the incidences of fireworks in the evening hours relatively scarce.  To our good fortune, the current dog is unfazed by fireworks.  The previous one insisted on jumping on the bed to be comforted at the first clap of thunder or bang of detonation.

[jruley]

Not a good start here unfortunately.  One of my brothers-in-law lost his battle with cancer at 7 AM New Year's morning.  This was not unexpected, but hard for my wife since he was her youngest sibling.

On the bright side, 2017 has nowhere to go but up....

[Thom Bennett]

Happy New Year to All especially Hutch.  My thoughts are with Jim and his wife today while I sit here sewing pearls on my bar-tacks.

[Henry Hall]

Sorry to hear that Jim. I never know whether it's good or not to go on a day of peace. Hopefully everyone made it to say goodbye. I didn't get that opportunity in my case.

Greetings to you too Tom.

[hutch--]

I guess there has never been an easy way, I had one day warning that my dad was on his way out and I had to get the first plane out of Sydney to get to the country town where he lived, stayed with him all day and the next night and he passed away the next day. Its among the joys of getting older that you lose your parents which is normal and sad to say you see your friends drop off one by one. I am lucky that I live in an old area in the inner city of Sydney where I know a large number of people and both of my brothers are still going OK.

None the less I am an eternal optimist and agree with Jim that 2017 can only go up from here as change is in the air. In the UK Cameron is gone, the US is about to get a new President, Canada has already got rid of Stephen Harper, the Kiwi prime minister has just retired and sad to say we (in OZ) are still stuck with a government that is so unpopular that the electorate would vote for Ghengis Khan to get rid of them. Marine Le Pen is looking good in France and Angela Merkel is skating on thin ice in Germany.

[Thom Bennett]

Greetings to you HH.  To be honest Hutch Ghengis Khan would be more preferable to the right wing nutters running our little off-shore tax haven! Merkel will survive and Le Penn, thank the universal consciousness, won't get in in France.  It is a shame about Canada moving right, and I really feel for you lot with such a corrupt bunch in charge. I think 2017 maybe be a bit bumpy!

[Schneiderfrei]

Hey Tom how did the rest of your lessons go??

[Thom Bennett]

Hi Graham, they went really well, I am a much more confident cutter now, knowing what I am supposed to be doing and why.  I am going back in March to do Rory's coat making course so I can make coats the SR way. Really busy at the moment getting all my personal work out of the way, another 5 pairs of trousers!  Planning time to work in making some standard 'block' garments for clients, the first of which I will be making with Rory as my class project. So all go at this end, which is nice.

[Schneiderfrei]

Good for you Tom, I always find it fantastic to hear of people doing well.  Unless they are Donald Trump and Putin of course.

[Schneiderfrei]

BTW Hutch, does all this mean that Trump and and Putin are supposed to be our new friends against the Chinese now

[hutch--]

I think the world at large will be a safer place if Russia and the US get along better than they have over the last few years. A war of words between the US and China is a better choice than a nuclear war between two superpowers. None the less we will see how long it takes for Trump to sell out to the establishment just like Obama did.