It’s 2026 and I hope you all had a wonderful holiday period, and a lovely New Year, whatever that might have looked like for yourself and your friends and family!

For myself, I had a relatively quiet Christmas, only having two days off from my other life in which I have to go out to work for a living. So, with those two days, me and my small family just spent the time at home, enjoying a little bit of downtime and TLC.

I did manage to get some Northern things into my festivities though, with a trip to the Lancaster Grand to see the Pantomime (which this year was Snow White), and then celebrating New Year’s Eve at the Old School Brewery, a local Lancashire small brewery on the edge of the Lake District.

As for things like “resolutions,” I didn’t definitively set any this year. Not because I’m a sceptic of that sort of thing particularly, but just because I couldn’t pinpoint anything discrete. The only thing I did say is that I’d like to explore more in our wonderful countryside, and write more, finding the time to really grow The Northish Lass – I hope you’ll join me on that journey!

Anyway, whatever the beginning of 2026 looks like for you, I hope you have a wonderful year ahead, filled with good food, good friends, and excellent happenings!