Best Intentions

Lady Carnarvon,
I totally agree with you! There’s very little like a new, clean, attractive notebook for keeping handy lists. The phone is fine in certain circumstances, but remembering the title under which the notes were kept is often an aggravating challenge. Also, I will not give up my pocket calendar! Thank you very much!!
Martha

My best intention is to be kind ,try to be a little more tolerant ,and avoid the temptation of the biscuit tin !!

Loving this post-as I can relate to all of it so well.
I too shy away from making any commitments I know I will not adhere to (after this many years I do know better!) Rather, I find making good decisions that relate to the seasons-knowing comfort foods are needed for the cold blustery days, and warmer weather brings the opportunity for more salads, fruit and healthy choices.
I also love a good new notebook and pen, preferring the tangible rather than virtual, although I also have a “techie”!side-but plans (to me) must be in pen and ink-not so easily deleted.
Thank you for taking the time out in your busy schedule to share your thoughts-so many of us really enjoy reading them.

Lovely the picture of best lntentions and did you and lord Carnarvon have a nice weekend and lam fan of Downton Abbey and visit highcelere castle with sister Catherine was over the moon and thank you for the email very kind of you

I love your posts. Yes, change is hard and finding motivation to follow through is equally hard. I have good intentions but so often, fail to follow through. All we can do is try (and pray)...one day at a time.

Thank you and I wish you a wonderful 2024!

God Bless You from Florida!

Dear Lady Carnarvon,
I'm afraid I don't make Resolutions anymore because I just know I won't keep them! Since I broke my neck in 2018 my life is such a struggle I'm just grateful to get through each day without falling & doing myself more damage (which I did on Christmas night) I think THAT must be my Resolution for this New Year: Don't fall over!!
I wish you & everyone at Highckere a VERY Happy & Successful 2024,
Love Caroline

I agree! Change one small thing at a time and you are MUCH more likely to stick to it. Happy New Year!

I am glad I am not the only one who prefers to do lists with paper and pen. It is encouraging to see progress as items are crossed off the list. I am an avid reader, but prefer turning the pages of a book. Thank you for sharing this enjoyable read.

Thank you, my Lady, for your succinct and very amusing Best Intentions. It is good to know we are not alone especially re pen and notebook or white boards - hurrah!

I agree with you about having things written down. Phones are great but had the former generations had phones, just think of all the wonderful history that may have been lost if not written on paper and saved. The saved history of Highclere and other great country houses of the UK are true treasures.

Thank you for these pearls of wisdom. It is just what I needed to read this morning in Midland, Georgia, USA.

Sounds very familiar - reassuring to know that I am not the only one to stumble occasionally (or do I mean frequently?) on the rocky path of good intentions!

I am a notebook girl Lady C! I love the saying ‘The faintest ink will always outlive the longest memory’
Therefore, I write it down. And make lists. I love a list

Lauretta x

We must be kindred spirits. I am a notebook person, physical list keeper, desk diary and white board kind of person. I somehow feel that I am better organized this way.
I try never to make to many "changes" for the new year. One day or rather one thing at a time.
Have a wonderful day and I enjoy your blogs tremendously.
-Heather

I always enjoy your exquisite writing- this piece resonated with me so much.
Thank you!

So true! A written list of to-do items is far more in your face. The struggle to do all one needs to do is tough enough without the need to remember to look up a list on one's phone!

Also, the to-do list can be visibly checked off, giving a feeling of accomplishment as one gets through the (usually too long in the first place) list.

And then there are the things that pop up unexpectedly that were never put on the original list. And so life goes, the necessary and the unexpected filling our days until we move on to Glory.

Love this! Thanks! A few months ago, I purchased a new stove (cooking). I wasn’t able to get some features to work, so the man came out to take a look. He said that I needed to program it to my Wi-Fi. What!!?? You see, it’s a smart stove. $3k for a stove that makes me feel dumb!! Currently, I am mourning the passing of my microwave oven. We knew each other very well. Another electronic “must-have” to become accustomed to. Mike You know, they just don’t make things like they used to. It was only 20 years old. Things just don’t last.

Dear Lady Carnarvon - I too am a list maker! But you left off one of the best parts about making actual lists on paper - the pure satisfaction one feels when an item has been completed and you cross it off of the list! And, the sense of accomplishment when most/all items on a list are done and you can look at that list of now struck through items. Whether it’s a grocery list, a “To-Do” list or a list of major projects it does help to keep moving through the list item by item as you cross them off.

Thank you for your weekly column. I so enjoy reading-
Best regards,
S. Gleber

In Austria we use to say the way to hell is paved with good intentions....
I really admire Lord C. for his consistency in running...and I could never go swimming in icy water! But I managed to exercise more and reorganized my pantry so far... it's the little steps for me..
Good luck with all of your plans!

True challenges beginning a New Year.
For those of us who live in seasonal areas we do find January & February can be challenging to keep up daily, weekly and monthly traditional routines and projects given winter weather.
I do always try to walk 10,000 steps a day and miss reaching that outside on wintery icy pathways in January as stated you do for your biking.
Impressive Lord Carnarvon still gets out early to run in January!
Guessing all your dogs love doing that then too.
Do also agree with note writing preferences as paper items are easier to read, sort through, file and store if notebooks and in binders, and not all notes taken on new tech items.
Good luck adjusting again to needed updates given winter weather season & remain well.
Thank you again for your Monday Morning Blog.

I have set yearly goals since 1974 and have done well focusing on them!

Thank you. Old school paper lists, yes absolutely.

My husband used to tease me if we ever owned a stationary shop it would never make a profit because I would bring all of the inventory home. Everyone I know, knows they can ask me for a pen and I will have one handy. I love paper and pens and especially pens of different colours! Thank you. Good to know there are kindred spirits out there!

Just call me an old fashioned girl. Pen and paper is my go to and there is always a notebook lying around my living room. Or a notepad on the kitchen counter where I jot down my grocery shopping list. Making a list and crossing things off when done is very satisfying. I’ve given up on making resolutions in January. My mantra now is just to live each day to its fullest and be happy.
Have a wonderful week!

I am team notebook, except I prefer pencils! Instead of resolutions, I started choosing a “word of the year” as my goal. This year’s choice: intentional.
Your column brightens my day, and I “intend” to keep reading it!
Best wishes,
Suzie Rippy, Tyler TX

How good to know that paper and pencil is not as obsolete as we may have thought. I am beginning to think that list making has become my hobby. Check marks, like you mentioned do give a feeling of accomplishment. You have so many outside influences and responsibilities that you must feel excited when a list is completed. Highclere a.k.a "Downton Abbey" has become as familiar as Buckingham Palace to so many of us here in Canada and we enjoy reading about the behind the scenes everyday happenings that make it so successful. I salute you and your team for making that happen so we can enjoy the stories.
For 2024-dream big, reach high, be kind, laugh lots, be strong, love much, be wise and have fun.

Regards

Morning Glories!
To Lady Carnarvon & all reading today - a greeting by a long-ago treasured friend & mentor which lifted my heart, especially on a Monday. Your writings now lift my Monday heart!! I'm semi-retired with lofty lists which at times get moved over to another day. But reading your words many times inspires me to step away from the list & see life as it arrives & find a path of peace in this world of ours. I also like lovely little notepads & pens for lists & journals for stories of life that may one day be treasured by someone. Your stories are treasured now & I believe shall always remain a treasure as the lovely history of Highclere lives on.
Thank you!!

I loved this post as it is exactly what my New Year usually mirrors. All good intentions are listed so well by you! I am a good organizer and spent most of the holidays "getting ready for the new year" by organizing closets, volunteer notebooks, cleaning the pantry, and so on.

I look forward to your writing...always on point for our times and of great interest. I admire you so much for juggling a large historic home well known to so many, writing, speaking engagements, walking the dogs, keeping family close, and continuing your own self-growth and awareness as each year passes. You are one amazing person!

Good morning Lady Carnavon from the unbearably cold east coast of the USA. Like many of your letters, this one struck a cord! I am a paper person as well. In October of each year, I start the search for my day book, my idea notebooks, and my pens. My day book is a calendar, a listkeeper, and a reminder depository. I keep separate notebooks for recipes and cooking ideas, one for studio projects, and one for general lists of books I want to read, television programs that may be of interest, and another for general reminders. I have done this for decades and I can go back 10 years to tell you the menu for a holiday or family celebration.

While writing in these books, I find moments of reflection and inspiration. Messages and lists on my phone are minimal and boring. I often forget they are there!

I admire anyone who can develop and stick to a rigorous exercise plan! Lord C. is a trooper! Like you, I work into my day, and that first cup of coffee is essential, followed by a walk with my precious dog. We all embrace our true selves eventually and that is a good thing. Being the best person we can be with the dedication to our goals and beliefs of how to attain that is my intention for the new year! Thank you again for your insights and kindness in sharing your life.

Thank you, I couldn’t agree more ~ pen and paper are “old school” but works beautifully.
I always enjoy your encouragement.

Good morning from Fort Worth, Texas. As I read your lovely and personally identifiable message, I thought of some past and present experiences of several people I have known. Something one lady shared with me a long time ago made me rethink many things. My friend’s beloved aunt was very ill and death was imminent. Her aunt had been quite judgmental about diet and lifestyles, and felt free to impose her beliefs on everyone else. As my friend sat by her bed, her aunt turned to look at her and said, “I wish I had danced a little bit more, drank a little bit more, and had eaten more chocolate.”

I found that my iPhone is quite useful for compiling my grocery shopping list, but for a To Do list? Not at all. That must be on paper.

Love this post. I purchase the same desktop calendar every year and in January, write out what I want to accomplish. Only 4 of 7 of last years’ was done, but so glad to have crossed them off the list! Onward to the last 3!

We only live once.
Enjoy that glass of wine, bite of chocolate, and enjoy time doing something just for yourself!

I, too am a paper addict. I love to make lists and cross things off when accomplished. It gives me great satisfaction. I should invest in a paper company. I also like colored markers that tell me the importance of an item that needs to be done. That also brings up the subject of a Kindle or a hard copy of a book. Or news on line or an actual newspaper. You know already which I would pick. Great minds think alike. Thank you for this post, Lady Carnarvon.
Fondly,
Diana

LOVELY YUMMY TREATS .

Lady Carnarvon,

I agree entirely! Your "January list" is the exact same as mine...especially about the book pile!...and the water...and...and...and. Perhaps we have all already slipped a bit by now. At least our intentions are good...as I hope the rest of 2024 is for you and your team.

Greetings from across the pond (NYC),
Debra Pickrel

I am a list maker, for chores, for groceries, for everything. I get the 5x7 inch yellow tablets at Costco and always have a stash of them in my workroom. There is something so satisfying in crossing things off a list. I don't always get it done but when I do it is such a feeling of achievement. Little victories, little victories!

I am sitting for 'just a moment' at my computer..it is NOT on my 'ToDo" list for today , but your blog caught my attention.. I have to blame someone! I make a "ToDo" list when I get to bed and number the most important things. Of course I rarely get through the list..but it does help my butterfly brain to keep some kind of order (not really!). Life has been very challenging for the last few months and I need to keep going and being, so my lists help.
I agree with you about phones and it is all too easy to waste time on them..or the computer. Having said that ..Thank you for your blog, especially the picture of your dogs, I still miss mine. Sorry about the cold, it is miserable here in Texas as well. Blessings from a reluctant ex pat in VERY cold Texas.

Thank you for your writing.
Probably the ability of change one's future also depends on Good Luck ...

Dear Lady Carnarvon,

Thank you for your delightful thoughts. I personally decided that this year I will get rid of so many sheets of paper, old bank statements, things in paper that I have kept "just in case". I apply myself to do one hour every weekend, as I work the rest of the week from home. So far I have managed two big rubbish bags full of the ditto...hehehe.

It has been an interesting exercise as on the process I have found delightful letters and little nothings that my late husband used to write to me when he was alive. He died in 1997.

I have a long way to go. I have kept some in my flat but the majority are inside a storage place on the -1 floor of this building. Must complete my commitment by the end of this year. Hopefully, I will.

I have a calendar on my fridge, one in my bathroom so I can see first thing in the morning what the day brings. I am learning to add to my phone calendar. I too love to make “to do lists “and feel a sense of accomplishment when everything is crossed off.

Lady Carnarvon........Turning the page to a new year does bring a time for high ambitions but few of us really follow through. Winter makes it hard to be enthusiastic about those resolutions. What I have observed of you, Lady Carnarvon, is if anyone can complete a task, it it you. My best wishes to you for this new year and all the satisfaction it can bring.

Dear Lady Carnarvon:

Thank you for this Monday's blog. I agree with you, as I maintain both a digital and written calendar and Rolodex/contact list. Also, I do not make New Year Resolutions. Instead, I focus on what I have achieved toward better eating, health, and taking care of daily activities.

Your parting comment: " Paying attention ..." definitely applied to our Detroit Lions. Yesterday, the team became NFC champions. Super Bowl bound. Long time in the making, but truly deserved.

Until next week, Go Lions!



.

Good morning to you from California… well, by now, most likely “Good evening” for you.
I also prefer making small changes & making lists for the next project. Unfortunately, my lists have a tendency to be misplaced while “small changes” are in progress, only to be rediscovered at a later date.
I’ve found lists for baby items where said “baby” is now in high school, so I make another list for their future graduation. If all else fails, I make another for their wedding.
There are, at least, 3 family weddings scheduled for this year. Now, if I can just find my crochet hooks.

I still cannot get used to a list on my phone. I need a hard copy to scribble on and add to. Further, I still keep a Rolodex at work with contact numbers rather than keeping them solely on my phone or computer. I'm a laughingstock - but when all else fails, (electronic gadgets) I still have my handwritten lists and cards! Sometimes, the old ways are still the best ways.

Dear Lady Carnarvon,
As they say "the road to good intentions is paved in gold." Two years ago I made a resolution and to my amazement I did stop smoking. So two years later it is to lose the weight I gained. I have started walking and eating healthier. Resolutions do come and go. Best of luck with every one of yours. As for pen and paper, both will always be close by for my lists. I think it is genetic. My father was a great list maker. May your 2024 be filled with good health, happiness and love. Take care.

Susan

This is so very true. Enjoyed reading this very much..

I just want to know about the cake and how soon you can mail it to me!

What a lovely post- thank you! Though I don’t know you, I felt as if, as I read it, you were a comfortable, long-time friend I was catching up with! How I can relate to all you shared. Before reading your post I’d written myself a note to purchase a new planning notebook today!
My family and I are huge Downton Abbey fans, so our trip to England in the spring to visit friends (we used to live there but are now in Hawaii) will include a tour of Highclere Castle. I’m so excited! Thank you for sharing it with the world through film and tours!
May you be blessed by God as you bless others. ❤️

You are quite right on a notebook-agenda. I have tried all forms of digital and have come to realize, that my brain is wired to remember by the simple act of writing it down. In some ways that process brings clarity for me. I manage 7 manufacturing plants in the US/Canada and that is 7 lists I have to keep straight. Without that process of pen to paper, and a very organized outlook calendar; I am afraid I would be doomed to fail before I start.
My husband and I were able to visit Highclere for the Dec 20 Christmas talk and very much enjoyed hearing you speak and seeing your beautiful home. I could have stopped at your library and been completely satisfied. Such a lovely room. Thank you for sharing your home and thoughts in your blog with us.

Dear Lady Carnarvon,Thank you so very much for your delightful morning thoughts ! I absolutely totally agree with everything you wrote about.Bravo,for getting the word out .....Thank you again !

Oh Fiona-- Me too !!!
I absolutely LOVE paper and pens.....Journals are so visual and I never will give them up !
Your blogs are always so relatable....thank you for being YOU !

Yes! Notebooks
One in the kitchen, one in the bedroom
Lists!
The only way for this 70year old!
Thanks for an amazing blog.
Have a safe and healthy New Year
K
Ontario Canada

So very true on Best Intentions Lady Carnarvon with beautiful picture of you and your dogs along the road, such tempting sponge, champagne cocktails, and delicious roasted tomatoes so yummy! I no longer due new year’s resolutions any more, this was much easier when I was younger but now that I am of 58 young, my intentions are still there but at a much slower pace, still, I accomplished each one as written on my diary, as a lady I find we can be so hard on ourselves I have learned to step back and know that my goals will be done. but I cannot imagine for you Lady C all the lists on paper or your colorful wallboard of tasks to be done! I admire all that you do in-between and still every Monday you have written a beautiful blog for us as readers “This is inspiring!” I send you Lady C and Earl Carnarvon wishing all at Highclere many blessings and prayers for your New Year of 2024!

Thank you for your lovely articles. I truly enjoy them.
Nilda

I too love to begin the year with new notebooks to write thoughts and lists. There is much satisfaction in seeing checked off lists, reviewing ideas, and at the end of the year, they tell that year’s story. Love your blogs!

My goodness, I’m not sure what I would do without my notebooks. I have keep a small one by my kitchen nook so I can write down things I want to remember, lookup or do while drink my morning coffee. My larger one is my trip planning one of which I just made note of our May27th tickets to visit your lovely estate.

"Change requires effort and that is not always exciting or easy." I totally agree 1,000%!!! I'm not great with change and even though I have the best of intentions to go out and walk, try yoga, eat better, slow down on the "treats" (chocolate is my downfall...:( ), I feel like I fail every time. I like how you said "to choose just one thing to focus on at a time." I need to do that. I've been told once you start doing something....consistently...it becomes a habit. Just take one step at a time. Thank you for the message of self-care. We all need a reminder here and there. ;)

At my age, memory is illusive. Requiring a daily planner is a must along with my phone note app. At least it sends a notification reminder. Therefore, I have no excuse for NOT following my "To Do List."

KRISTINE LILJA-KING
Maine, USA