Happy 2013 New Year!

Hey Jo... Happy New Year to you as well... and everyone else!
Wish I were in Frankfurt right now!

Happy New Year to everyone! As is traditional in our area, the evening was spent with Swiss neighbors and family playing Jass, the national card game. This was followed by some good wines and smoked Irish salmon. I've never been able to track down the salmon tradition, but the shops are full of it in the days leading up to the new year...

May the new year bring you all good health, good spirits, and prosperity. If I'm still awake at midnight I'll fire a few 12 guage blanks through my shotgun.

I'd also like to wish everyone here a happy and healthy New Year, and of course many happy travels in 2013! I'll just be spending a quiet New Year's Eve at home with a few relatives, and watching the Times Square / Space Needle / Niagara Falls festivities. Rather than a glass of Champagne at midnight, I decided to have Prosecco for a change this year (although I think my Son bought a bottle of Spanish bubbly, so I may have that as well). Cheers all!

Happy New Year! I'm already home from my night out as the English pub I frequent rings in the New Year at 7pm - English New Year.

Yup, St. Sylvester's Day. At the stroke of midnight, the entire population of Germany launches their own personal arsenal of explosives skyward. I probably would have loved it several years ago, but the hour-long barrage terrifies my dog. Happy New Year everyone!

PS- I'm watching the annual Vienna New Year's Concert on TV right now. If you've seen previous iterations, you will recall that the concert usually features one or two dance interludes (ballet, waltz, etc) filmed at some famous Austrian landmark, like Schönbrunn Palace. Well, they're doing something a little different this year that should definitely appeal to the Rick Steves crowd. The interlude features a young couple on their honeymoony frolicking around the scenic highlights of Austria. Beautifully filmed, a bit funny, and even kind of sexy. Be sure to watch the replay on PBS later today. Hmm... suddenly I have a desire to drive south to Austria... PPS: OK, I realize now that I was actually watching highlights from last year's concert, and the Austrian honeymoon travelogue was actually a time-filler until this year's concert began (which it has now). So, who knows if the travelogue will make it on the US rebroadcast?

Happy New Year, all... We had a fairly long and loud firework assault in the neighborhood for about 10 minutes last night and then I slept like a log. This morning we woke to bright sunlight which has remained all day. So, on the first dry day for weeks and weeks I'm replacing the roof on the playhouse. Happy days.... I've recorded the Vienna concert and look forward to watching it over the next few months. I usually watch it once or twice right away and then use it for background TV for a year or so. I have them going back about 7 years. I can clearly understand the suffering of the woofers. I wonder what can be done. Surely something. Has anybody invented doggie headphones or doggie earplugs? Or perhaps a small room with acoustic panels? There has to be a way. It really isn't fair on the dumb chums... What flavour woofer is yours, Tom?

Nigel, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever: http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/novascotiaducktolling.htm She's been cowering in the corner of my bedroom most of the day. I HATE St. Sylvester's Day...

You can buy a product called a Thundershirt for dogs with fear of loud noises, fireworks, etc. It is like a snug-fitting shirt that calms them. People say they work really well. http://www.1800petmeds.com/Thundershirt-prod11310.html?AFFID=GG&ID=512891496

Happy New Year all! Now we're all just going to be disappointed that we'll never have the chance to see the honeymooners in Austria video filler that Tom mentioned . . .