Today is your birthday we travelled so far we two
So let’s blow out the candles on your cake and we’ll raise a glass or two
And when the sun comes out tomorrow
It’ll be the start of a brand new day
And all that you have wished for I know will come your way

{Surprise, Surprise – Bruce Springsteen}

Happy 40, you xxx

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
Yoga. One of my colleagues arranged for a yoga teacher to come and give lessons at work (at subsidised prices!), so since October I’ve been learning how to do Downward-Facing Dog, Cobra, Warrior and Tree poses for an hour every Wednesday afternoon. It’s SO HARD but so rewarding – I really really love it. I’ve even started dreaming about it – once I dreamt that I had mastered Crow pose and was really disappointed when I realised (several hours after waking) that no, I can’t do Crow pose. But one day, one day, I *will* be able to do it!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next this year?
I didn’t really make any New Year resolutions, but I did identify a list of goals back in March and happily I seem to be on track with most of them. I don’t think I’ll add any for 2012, just keep on going with the original ones.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope, no babies in 2011.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
Only France, and that was just for a day trip.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
An iPad. One of these beauties (me, shallow?).

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
It’s not a specific date, but the moment our kitchen was finished was pretty special.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting fitter. In 2011 I took up running and yoga, and made my workouts on our exercise bike more frequent. As a result I’m about 2 stone lighter than I was this time last year, much more toned, stronger… and exercise is now something that I *want* to do, rather than something I have to/should do.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Um, blogging? Also, saving money

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
MAH KITCHEN.

12. Where did most of your money go?
MAH KITCHEN.
(also, driving lessons – ouch. And our car’s Christmas present of a new clutch and 2 new tires – double ouch)

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
MAH KITCHEN.

14. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Same as one of Stella’s – Lana Del Rey, Video Games.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
Happier!

b) thinner or fatter?
Thinner!

c) richer or poorer?
Poorer (see point 12).

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

I wish I had taken more photos with my proper camera. And I wish we’d got round to decorating the bathroom…

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Getting stressed out about my driving lessons.

18. How did you spend Christmas?
We spent it with my in-laws in Colchester, and went to my family on Boxing Day. It was all lovely (apart from the bit where Frida’s clutch went kaput en route to Essex).

19. Did you fall in love in 2011?
I’m copying Stella again here – I’m always in love. Ahhh… But I also fell in love with yoga (FFS, I’ll be hugging a tree next).

20. What was your favorite TV program?
I can’t choose just one, that’s ridiculous! My favourites, plural, were:

Great British Bake Off
The Big C (season 2 starts next week! Alan Alda is in it! ALAN ALDA!)
Parenthood
Strictly (obv, but I loved it even more this year for Russell Grant)

There were lots more, obviously. Sherlock, Dr Who, The Good Wife, Frozen Planet…….

21. What was the best book you read?

Jessie Hearts NYC, by Keris Stainton! Honourable mentions to the following – all great:
The Last Letter From Your Lover – Jojo Moyes. I just finished it and my goodness, it’s so wonderful.
How To Be A Woman – Caitlin Moran. Made me laugh heartily, but also think about stuff – always a good thing.
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins. Cor, I devoured this one – can’t wait for the film.
A Game of Thrones – George R. R. Martin. So gripping, but not so great from a feminist perspective sadly.

22. What was your favorite film of this year?
I *think* we only went to the cinema twice, which is a bit rubbish – to see Harry Potter 7 part 2 (a fitting end, I thought, and I cried lots), and Tinker Tailor which I thought was very good but not as amazing as the critics said. We watched a fair few films on LoveFilm but my mind’s gone blank and I can’t remember most of them. Oh! Tangled. And Easy A. Loved both of those.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 36, and I spent it with Mike and my parents. I went for a run in the morning, had a pint of Guinness in a sunny pub garden in the afternoon and ate a delicious curry in the evening. Pretty much a perfect day

24. What kept you sane?
Mike. Exercise. Family and friends. Twitter.

25. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Ryan Gosling and Mark Ruffalo. I do love a hot liberal American (see the ultimate HLA, George Clooney).

26. Who did you miss?
My friend and colleague Mandy-Shea who moved back to America. And Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Ross, Joey and Chandler. E4, I will NEVER forgive.

27. Who was the best new person you met?
Completely new? My colleague Elaine. She bakes amazing cakes, and makes me laugh like a drain (that *is* a phrase, isn’t it?). But 2011 was also the year I met Diane IRL, and got to spend more time with Keris, Jenni and Alex. More of this please for 2012!

• How lovely is Zhao Liping’s cloud lamp? Wish I could actually buy one…. (via swissmiss)
• I’ve long wanted to go to Sweden, and now I really really want to stay in one of the Treehotel rooms there. Imagine it – “Where are you going on holiday?” *nonchalantly* “Oh, I’m going to stay in a UFO up a tree”. Look!

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• A Mulberry Taylor satchel – I think if they’ve named something after me it’s only right they give me a free one. No? *sigh*

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*sigh* Another shop too dangerous for me to go in…..

*drumroll* TA DA!

Pretty gorgeous, innit?

Oh look, an extractor fan light that actually works!

Shelves! That will need dusting….oh.

Cookery book corner! And yes, after all that moaning about the battleship grey tiles of despair in the old kitchen, I have painted the end wall, um, grey. It looks great though, and will look even better once we’ve hung a load of pictures.

Worktop of loveliness and tiles of supreme beauty (that I’ve just realised look a bit wonky in the picture but they’re really not)!

So, apparently, my Mum is fed up with looking at the Empire State Building every time she checks my blog (hi Mum!). How about these, taken on our jaunt to Firle in Sussex two weeks ago, for a change of scene?

{by Jay Andruckow}

I’m very fortunate to have been able to read Keris Stainton’s completely brilliant new book Jessie ♥ NYC before it comes out in the summer (more on that when it does), and I can confirm that it’s made my YEARNING to go back to New York even stronger.

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Please take a look at Authors for Japan – such a great idea to raise money to help those devastated by last week’s earthquake.