The first week of the year has passed. One down… some others to go. What am I, a calendar? If I were a calendar I’d bring all the Mayans to the yard.

Anyway, my main concern the first days of a new year is always whether the goats got through new year’s eve safely. And happily they did. Always a relief. Now hopefully the kids can blow off all their excess fireworks and we can have a quiet year.

There were kids without fireworks at the playground on Friday. A kindergarten class or something like that. They came into the fold and I got to help them feed and pet the goats. That’s always nice to do. They get so happy and proud when they dare to touch or feed the goats. And when they realise I have raisins in my pocket they keep coming over saying “can I have some raisins to give to the goats?”. And everyone is happy. The kids named Preben “Santa”. Because of his great, white beard. Adorable.

Good times. But let’s go to the pictures.

A nice pose for Kamel.

Mia picking off the leftovers from the christmas tree feast.

Mia invading my personal space.

Mio taking her position at the fence. Feeding time, humans!

Mio seems to think she’s at the dentist.

Kamel chewing the chew.

And videos.

First a goatlog from Wednesday. January 2nd. It was great to see all the goats safely through the holidays. The christmas tree almost stripped. A woman with a dog came up to the fence and the goats were immediately on guard. Bob went to investigate while the others hung back. Eventually Mio and Mia went for a closer look as well. They’re not fans of dogs. There was a plastic bag that got stuck in the fence as well, that made them a little nervous too. You never know what those unpredictable plastic bags will get up to!

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And a goatlog from Friday. A shorter one but it starts out amusingly with me taking out a bag of treats and being swarmed by goats. Help, help I’m drowning! And some cute headrolls by Bob and Kamel. And huffnpuffs from Preben.

That’s all for today. It’s late and I must go. Hope you all got through new year’s safely and happily.

The year is winding down. It’s been a … year. It certainly has. A year indeed. Not that much has happened in my world. It’s been a quiet year, for the most part. I can only think of two really big things that happened.. Both happened during the summer. And both were goat related. One thing was great and one thing was horrible. Magnethe passed away. After knowing her for seven years, it was a big loss to me. She was a dear friend. She was the last remaining connection to the “original” playground, my first experiences with goats and the journey I went on. She was the leader of the flock, the grand old lady. It’s still sad and strange that she is not around. It’s almost 6 months ago that she died, so my brain no longer expects her to be there. But I am still often both happy and sad when I think about her, when I stumble upon pictures or videos of her. When I dream about her. I miss her. I hope I will see her again.

And then of course Mia came along. A month later and just when I needed her. Something good and sweet to keep me connected to the playground, to keep it a happy place. She might be the goat kid I have been most connected with, if you don’t count Magnethe who was the first kid I ever saw. We were so surprised that Mio only got one baby because she’d been so big. In retrospect I think it was a good thing. At least for me. Although it’s wonderful to see little goat kids playing together, having just one baby made her strong and independent and probably made my bond with her stronger. I have never had a goat trained quite as well, I only have to lean over a little and she’ll see it and jump up on my back and expect a treat. And when I say I have her trained… well you might argue that she’s the one who has me trained. Because she only has to jump on my back and I can’t deny her a treat. She’s a little wonder. I have met new friends through sharing her videos and pictures on Facebook as well.

The two main things I will remember from 2012 is Magnethe’s passing and Mia’s coming.

And of course all the good times with the other goats. With family. With facebook friends, new and old. Falling and rising. Some people that have become very important to me. I appreciate those a lot. I am glad that I am not alone and that there are people who continually show me that they care about me. It is still hard for me to accept and believe, but it gets easier with every day and every positive interaction. So thank you all. It means a lot to me.

Last December my dad was in the hospital and I was very worried about him. He’s doing better. He’s got a condition, I guess, that could cause him to pass out at any moment. But probably won’t. At least he’s back on his feet and seems to be doing well. My parents of course are moving. Immediately in the new year. We had new year’s dinner today, it was very nice. Most probably the last time I’ll see the old house. We moved in there sometime in the 80s. I must have been around 2-4 years old. We couldn’t quite agree on the exact year we moved in. But it’s some 30 years ago. My earliest memory is of the day we moved in. So it’s quite strange that that is coming to an end, that someone else will be occupying our space. 2013 will bring new spaces. But the people will remain the same, if all goes well. I hope 2013 will bring good things for the people and goats I know. Hopefully the sadness and loss will be at a minimum. For us and for the world. Now that the world isn’t ending… let’s take good care of it.

I never do resolutions, but of course there are things I want to work on in 2013. Keep working on. The healthier living. The being a better person. It’s a work in progress, but I think I have made some. Progress, that is. When Magnethe passed away I wanted to make it a catalyst for change, and there has especially been one big change, but I don’t really feel comfortable talking about that one. But it’s something I’m a proud of. And I hope I can keep going. Be more positive. Be generous with friends and charities. Not let my insecurities overcome me. Stay off the cola and cheese. Keep exercising. I have big plans for the summer, when the weather becomes warmer again I want to really kick ass. My eyesight has been pretty stable this year too. Hopefully that will continue. I can’t hope for improvement really, but I can hope for stability. To keep what I have and appreciate it.

And so on and so forth. I have laid these plans well so I am sure it will go off without a hitch. Perhaps I shouldn’t be carrying these unstable sticks of dynamite around in my backpack though…

Hope you will all have a safe night. There’s about 40 minutes left of the year here. Constant explosions (just had one o’ the big ones, the ones that practically shake the building). I don’t particularly like this spectacle. And I really hope the animals are all safe. Take care of yourselves and others. And may you all have a merry and succesful 2013.

See you in the future, I’ll be the one flying a jetpack into the sky.