Resolutions – yes, no, maybe?

I know my northern hemisphere friends are still busy bringing in the New Year, but here in Australia we’ve been there, done that. And no, I’m not bragging. It’s just that I’ve already let my New Year’s resolutions slide, and it’s only January 1. 😦

What did I resolve to do? Just two things, both ‘completers’ that have been hanging around the house for over six months.

The first is a flat pack, mini-greenhouse [apologies for the terrible photo]:

I did make a start…

I bought the greenhouse off the internet in the hope that it would be easy to assemble. You’d think I’d know better by now. The damn thing has a million parts and the instructions are, as you’d expect, rat shit. But I can deal with all that. What I haven’t been able to deal with is the sheer physical effort involved in making the parts fit together. And before anyone asks, yes, I am trying to put the correct parts together. Those two things that look like small windows are panels for the greenhouse. Unfortunately, there are so many more to assemble. 😦

The problem seems to be one of gender. I’m reasonably strong for a 5′ 3.5″ tall, 63 year old woman. Unfortunately, everything seems to be designed for a 6′ tall, 30-something man.

I have absolutely nothing against 6′ tall, 30-something men. I think they’re gorgeous…but they have these very strong hands. Wait. That doesn’t sound right.

Ahem.

Things that come in flatpacks seem to be designed for people with lots of muscle and very strong hands.

But what about me?

I don’t want to beat the feminist drum, but really, would it be that hard to design flatpacks for the other half of humanity? You know, the women who have small hands and don’t look like plumbers?

At the risk of sounding sexist, all the gentlemen out there can go do something macho now while I talk about project number 2.

So…my second incomplete project was to turn a lovely sarong into a simple top. I do know how to sew, but this project has proven to be more challenging than I thought.

Mistake number 1 was that I thought I could whip something up without a pattern. Mistake number 2 was that I neglected to test the fabric before reaching for the scissors. Sadly, that lovely fabric frays like you would not believe, so every seam has to be hemmed first. Plus the fabric has a pattern that should match up…

Anyway, these two projects have been lingering like a bad smell for a very long time, so last night, as the minute hand neared 12, I resolved to complete them…first thing in the morning [January 1st, 2017].

So far today, I’ve mowed a great swathe of the back garden [because it was nice and cool]. I’ve also done some washing, tidied the kitchen, made a start on the floors, had multiple coffees and spent some time on social media. Now, I’m writing a blog post. In short, I’ve done anything and everything except what I swore I’d do last night.

-sigh- I am so tempted to throw both the top and the flatpack into the nearest bin. Why are New Year’s Resolutions so bloody hard to do?

Or in my case, ‘not happy, Meeks!’

Am I alone?