2016 went in a whizz. It was an eventful year, with a new job, home, and ring, among others.

2017 promises to be another exciting year of new adventures, hopefully dotted with lots of travel and learning experiences.

As always, I start the year with a few goals in mind:

1. Last year when we moved into our new home we started composting organic waste. This year, I aim to continue making conscious decisions to create less waste. A good place to start seemed to be my toothbrush, something one uses several times a day, every day. Switching from plastic to bamboo seems logical when you think about how much you are contributing to the landfill every few months as you replace your worn out toothbrush. Trying to find a bamboo toothbrush that wasn't too expensive and did not have to go out of my way to a specialty eco shop took some research, but making such decisions takes time. So far, I find the bristles softer than what I am used to. Sometimes I wonder if the bamboo itself is strong enough to last the month, but so far it is proving itself not much different than the plastic one. 
2. At work I am part of Curry Club. Every fortnight we take turns in bringing homemade curry to share with a bunch of people, usually around a dozen at a time. I love it because it means discovering new recipes, meeting new people in your organisation, and it gets me to cook. Also, every Wednesday S and I take turns in bringing lunch for each other, which again is awesome to catch up with your friend who you don't get to see so much any more and you get a free lunch every fortnight. Sometimes due to work schedules we end up cancelling, but I hope we will continue our lunch clubs this year. Ultimately, my aim is to have homemade lunches 4 days out of five in a working week. Buying lunch is not only a big drain on the pocket, but the options are so dire that each time I wish I had made more of an effort. 
3. The past two years I have been reading one book a month. One in English, one in French. Mostly while commuting on the train to and from work, on the Kindle app on my phone. This year the goal is to read double the amount, two books a month. There are not too many French books on my list at the moment, though. Any recommendations would be welcome.
4. This has been on my list for a while, but I would really like to go on one of the Great Walks of New Zealand. The Routeburn track. Or Kepler. I want to go tramping, camping, enjoy the outdoors a lot more in this beautiful country I live in!