It will be the New Year in Great Britain in a couple of hours and in a few more across the USA. It is tomorrow morning already in Australia and New Zealand.
The Australians sound like they had fun. The weather is bad in New Zealand at the moment and the events in Wellington were cancelled. This children’s event at Auckland Zoo sounds rather good however.
The zoo opened its gates for a New Year Jungle Party, a chance for children and their parents to enjoy the last day of 2006 without struggling to make midnight. Parents were asked to put their watches forward three hours to see in the New Year at 9pm.
Zoo events manager Jackie Sanders said the idea was adopted from Australian zoos. "If the kids had to stay up until midnight they'd be too tired and wouldn't be able to enjoy themselves."
Here in the UK it’s a dark and stormy night, the raining is falling and the wind is howling. Actually it’s not that bad in the south East but the public events in Belfast, Glasgow, Liverpool and other big cities have been cancelled due to expected high winds. But Ken the newt-rearer says that the firework 
display over the London Eye will go ahead. So that’s all right then. Later - Actually it was rather good.
Kylie Minogue’s concert at Wembley Arena is indoors and scheduled to end at midnight. A few years ago (make that many years) I went to a New Years Eve concert at Wembley by Whitesnake. That started and finished extra early to allow the audience time to get to Trafalgar Square and other parties. I didn’t fancy my chances in such a crowd so I went straight home. Saw the New Year in between Becontree and Dagenham Heathway, me and the tube driver.
I used to like to open my back door to let the old year out and listen to the boats on the river (Thames) all blowing their hooters (yes, I am aware that means something different in the US, but I will not say blowing their horns because of what that means in the UK) on the stroke of 12. These days all I can hear is the sound of fireworks but as there are now so few boats on the river perhaps that is just as well.
I want to wish my colleagues at the New English Review, the team and others associated with us – you know who you are – and all our readers a happy and prosperous 2007.
Posted on 12/31/2006 3:53 PM by Esmerelda Weatherwax
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