A year on...

About this time last year, I was in the city centre, buying my requisite chef's jackets for the cookery course that I was about to start. I was hopeful of many things - mainly that I would learn a lot more about cooking than I then knew, and secondly that I would meet some nice new friends! I certainly did learn a lot about food and cooking (while also confirming that I actually knew a lot more than I gave myself credit for!) and I also ended up with a whole circle of friends, many of whom I still see regularly. That has been a fabulous bonus for me - wandering in and out of new friends' hopes, ambitions and experiences - giving a hand here and there, and receiving help back - mostly without even having to ask for it! Most of those new friends were also at cross-roads in their lives so it has been an exciting time seeing their horizons change over the past year. It has also broadened my circle of friends beyond those that I have known for many years, and because I know my old friends so well, they rarely surprise me anymore, so it adds a new quirkiness to my life. So, go on, try something new and different this Autumn - it is definitely worth it!