Deux Mille Treize

I've never been one for wild New Year's Eve celebrations, especially when I've been at work during the daytime, but last night was quite fun. The Bro and the SIL held a small gathering at their place, around the next bend of the river.

New Year's Eve fireworks on the Thames from Stave Hill

Spirits were running pretty high, but we made it up to Stave Hill in time for the countdown to midnight. As on Primrose Hill on New Year's Eve, Stave Hill offers a good view of the central London fireworks  on the Thames, and also has an even better view of Canary Wharf, which always feels slightly surreal when surrounded by a firework-drenched sky.

London's burning, or glowing, at least

The crowd was younger and less well-heeled than Primrose Hill, but we didn't feel out of place drinking our Prosecco from plastic cups as the clock struck midnight. A group of people were letting off Chinese lanterns, egged on by a drunken Russian urging, "let it go, let it go." I assume he was talking about the lantern rather than anything more philosophical.

Chinese lanterns on Stave Hill

We headed back home via the most blinged-up house in SE16 for a little more dancing and, in some cases, more drinking. I was just grateful that unlike the last late night at the Bro's place, I now live much closer and the journey home was much less epic.

Too much Christmas

2012 has been a rollercoaster ride and although I didn't travel to as many new places as I would have liked, I did buy a flat, which is definitely an achievement worth celebrating. Now that that is completed, though, this year my goal is to take a two-week vacation to a new country. Preferably somewhere hot. Possibly Costa Rica. Hopefully soon. My other not-really-a-resolution is to re-read more books and re-watch more movies. I like compiling my lists of books I've read and movies I've watched each year, but it does tend to make me self-competitive, racing through as many new books as possible, without returning to those that might merit a second read.