The first hodgepodge of the year and of course the theme is what 2018 brings for us all and what we want to leave behind in 2017. The hodgepodge is hosted and questions set by Joyce at the blog From This Side of the Pond – do visit to see what my fellow bloggers have come up with for their answers.

New Years Day – Happy 2018 from both of us.

1. It’s that time of year again…time for Lake Superior University to present a list of words (or phrases) they’d like to see banished (for over-use, mis-use, or genera uselessness) in 2018. You can read more about the decision making process and word meaning here, but this year’s top vote getters are-

unpack, dish (as in dish out the latest rumor), pre-owned, onboarding/offboarding, nothingburger, let that sink in, let me ask you this, impactful, Cofefe, drill down, fake news, hot water heater (hot water doesn’t need to be heated), and gig economy

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word not on the list you’d like to add?

I’d never heard of a nothing burger, and now that I’ve looked it up, that’s the one I want to get rid of. The Urban Dictionary describes it as: something lame, dead-end, a dud, insignificant; especially something with high expectations that turns out to be average, pathetic, or overhyped.

One that I would love to get rid of is ‘feel it in my water’ – such an awful saying and I think it’s a very British one as I’d never heard it before I moved here. My beloved would love to get rid of ‘at this moment in time’, ‘cooking with gas’, and all management speak like ‘blue sky thinking’.

2. What’s something you need to get rid of in the new year?

 I really need to go through my clothes and take the ones I don’t wear to charity. There’s not too many, but there are things in my wardrobe that I’ve either fallen out of love with, or they don’t fit properly anymore, so I must motivate myself to do the dreaded cull.

3. Where do you feel stuck?

Sometimes I feel really stuck in my creativity – I think it’s because I’m my own worst critic and tend to not be very happy with what I do.

4. January is National Soup Month. When did you last have a bowl of soup? Was it made from scratch or from a can? Your favorite canned soup? Your favorite soup to make from scratch on a cold winter’s day?

Had lentil soup from a can at the weekend. My all time favourite canned soup is Heinz Cream of Tomato – it’s a real comfort thing to have it with buttered toast. My favourite soup to make from scratch is sweet potato and coconut.

5. Tell us one thing you’re looking forward to in 2018.

Spending more time with my beloved exploring this beautiful land and discovering new things.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

On new years day we went for a long walk along the beach at Findhorn Bay and there was a surprising number of people and dogs out enjoying the freezing cold weather. When we’d walked past the crowds and was much further along the beach we saw a man get down on one knee and propose to his girlfriend – so romantic and sweet proposing on the first day of a new year. 

Have you made any resolutions for this year, and are there any things that you definitely want to leave in the old year? Whatever comes your way we hope that your year has moments of joy, peace, and love.

Pamela & Ken
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First sunset of the new year.