Will 1997 be the same again for Geminis?'No'

I always look forward to New Year and I was determined to start 1997 on the right foot.

I decided it was childish and immature - not something I always take into consideration - to put my list of New Year resolutions in with the girls' wages, but I did make it clear that, of the 37 resolutions, at least half pertained to work.

After the run of appalling luck that we had last year, I was anxious to put a line under 1996, and thankfully every astrologer seems to agree that 1997 is the Gemini year that we've been waiting for.

So, duly encouraged by soothsayers, I took my first "advanced" piano lesson last Tuesday, and I have practised for an hour every day since.

So far, I have kept to my exercise and swimming schedule, determined not to be outdone by my over-80 friend who takes me. I have also dealt with each morning's post as it arrives and have immediately filed things to be kept rather than amassing a stack "to be dealt with".

In addition, I've planned our advertising and marketing campaign for the first three months of this year and executed it.

And we were rewarded for dealing with an incoming fax immediately by picking up an accommodation booking of more than £4,000.

Schedule

The repairs and renewals needed have a planned schedule for the next three months, and we have purchased the new CD player for the restaurant, the microwave which was sorely needed for heating desserts, and the 10 televisions that we have had on rental because neither of us had got around to negotiating with the supplier for three years!

Our schedules for the next three weeks are full of meetings: the NVQ co-ordinator, our architect, the roof repairer, and staff training reviews. And, dependent on some of the outcomes, we can make our plans for February.

Most importantly, I have used a two-letter word not much featured in my vocabulary over past years: "no". I have found this the most challenging of my resolutions in that this simple combination of one consonant and one vowel has never sprung easily to my lips because of my desire to please all around me.

However, I have used it twice in closely monitored situations and it has worked.

The first "no" was a response to the question: "Please may I have my job back?" It was followed by some wavering but, with encouragement from Simon, the word was uttered.

"May I book my holidays at the same time as so-and-so?" came next. Again the word came from my lips. I'm sure that, with practice, this will trip off my tongue readily by mid-year.

How my personal schedule of self improvement will fit in as the hotel becomes busier I don't know, but we start 1997 confident and organised and full of anticipation for the challenge of the year ahead.

Will it last? Watch this space…

Next diary from Barbara Baldon will be on 20 February