Hello 2018. New year. New blog.

A new year always seems to creep up on me and 2018 is no exception. Just when I was getting used to the idea of 2017, bang, we’re in 2018 and I don’t quite know what to say about it except that it happened very quickly. But I will not think about that.

Instead I want to welcome you to my new blog. I hope you like my new digs. It took me close to a year to make the decision to stop writing at Stories and Scribbles. The reasons for the change are varied but, mainly, I felt that I needed a fresh start. I also wanted to make some major layout changes but I had no idea how to go about it without creating an unreadable mess. So, a new slate seemed like the safest bet. With that said, I am not taking down my previous two sites. You can access Stories and Scribbles and Snapshots of an Island from the About Me tab at the top of this page. I think that, in some ways, this blog will be an amalgamation of both but, in others, it is going to be completely different.

Which brings me back to 2018. New year, new hopes, new plans. New resolutions? Hm, perhaps. It is natural that at the start of each new year we hope for change in the world. We hope for peace and we hope that love will conquer all. After all the tragedies of 2017, I am finding it exhausting to focus on the world and to look at the big picture. Hope, peace, love, need to start closer to home – in our respective countries, in our town, maybe even in the street on which we live. Sowing the seeds of hope, peace and love in one person at a time is much less daunting than trying to change the world, don’t you think?

And what of my plans for 2018? As those that know me well will tell you, planning is not my strong point but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few events on my radar that I am looking forward to and ‘planning’ for. Here they are:

1. In 2018, Valletta will be the European Capital of Culture. Due to the small size of our capital city, this honour will be shared by the whole island. I hope to make it to some of the concerts, exhibitions and events that are being planned (thankfully, not by me). The full programme may be accessed here.
2. A trip to Rome around Easter. Visiting Rome always sounds like a good idea, especially since it’s been close to 15 years since I last set foot in the Eternal City.  That’s a sinfully long time, in my opinion, especially when I consider Rome to be one of my favourite cities in the world.
3. I hope that in summer we will escape the suffocating heat by visiting a country whose wild, rugged beauty I have always loved. Scotland, more specifically, Edinburgh and the Highlands, beckons – it has been for quite a while, and this time I want to answer its lilting call.

What to expect from Sincerely, Loree

1. Weekly updates: I will do my utmost to keep to this plan, even if there are some weeks when I will only share some photo and a few words.
2. Since Valletta will be the European Capital of Culture for 2018 I will try to write about our capital city once a month during this year. It’s pretty small but there’s actually quite a bit to share.
3. An occasional photo of myself.
4. I am working on something completely new, but I am not revealing what it is for now. Let’s say that if I manage to pull it together, it will be a surprise for later on during the year.

Personal goals for 2018

1. Improve my photography.
2. Spend less time on Facebook. I am getting tired of that particular social network. All some people do is brag about this and that. It gets old after a while.
3. Read more (that’s a recurring goal every year) because no matter how many books I read, it’s never quite enough.
4. Over-think less.
5. Explore more.
6. Organise myself better.
7. Get out of my comfort zone every once in a while.

That’s all for today. Do you have any personal goals, exciting projects or upcoming trips planned for 2018?

Location: Dingli Cliffs, December 2017

All images © Sincerely, Loree