It generally takes me about 2 months to work out that we are in a New Year and to get my head around writing the date correctly, but I still enjoy January*.

Mainly for the following reasons….

• Birthday Month – Mr Brett had never come across the concept of Birthday Month before he met me.  But I say if it is good enough for Queenie Windsor it is good enough for me.  It is also specially important to celebrate Birthday Month if your birthday is in January, because everyone is usually a bit jaded, broke, or on holiday during this time so you need to take your opportunities when you can
• The frantic rush of end of year activities and Christmas is over and there is a nice chilled out vibe around the place – even at work.  And who knows some of your Christmas Toys and Goodies may still be useful
• And I love the idea that by choosing carefully your activities for the 1st of January can set the whole theme for your year.  And if that is the case I am going to have a fantabulous year.  My 1st of January was spent reading, laughing, socialising, drinking good bubbles in moderation, cuddling, movie watching, pottering and ironing.  (I don’t know how ironing got there either.  But I think that just means I will have fabulous clothes that I will want to look after)

Things I kept well away from on the First of January and that I do not want to see

• War
• Famine
• The abuse of the weak by the powerful, and that includes rugby boofheads bashing people up, gangs of men raping woman on a bus, the NRA, BBC presenters in dodgy tracksuits and internet bullying.  But I am still going to say Paula Bennett drives me nuts as often as I like.
• Salt and vinegar chips and drinking to excess – this will be the real challenge for me.  It is a little known fact but I am genetically designed in such a way that once a packet of salt and vinegar chips or a bottle of wine is opened I have to finish it in that sitting, or my body thinks it will die.  I am not sure how this rare condition came about as you would not have thought  there was ready access to chippies or Sav Blanc in our original African homelands.  But there you go.  Just like my Graves Disease it is part of my genetic lottery I need to learn to manage.
• Nagging Lauren about keeping her room tidy.  I am ever hopeful that this year she will discover the joys of putting things away when she uses them rather than just filing any items on the floor.  But just quietly I might have a better chance of ridding the world of famine

So important things that Natty Bugle wants you to be aware of for the New Year

• You have to write 2013 at the end of the date now not 2012
• If your idea of a good time is hurting, raping, bullying and starving people you are no friend of mine
• A birthday isn’t just for a day it is for a whole month.  And if you have friends and whanau with birthday’s in January take good care of them – they are a bit needy
• No matter how bad things get just be thankful your Mother didn’t dress you up in this suit and take your photo

* And bullet points I love bullet points – but you might have worked that out already