Tuesday, 3 January 2012

Welcome to 2012!

Happy New Year! 2012 is now underway, and it promises to be a very interesting year! Join me as we take a stroll through what's ahead of us...the Folksy way :)

We start off with this lovely diary for the year ahead - I think there will always be a place for paper diaries, rather than electronic ones. There's nothing quite like writing on the first page of a diary (or any new notebook) - I just don't think that will ever be replicated by a computer!

2012 Diary: Lovely Stella Diary by mypipsqueak

On 23 January, the Chinese Year of the Dragon begins and lasts until 9 February 2013.

Handmade Wooden Toys - Dragon by MijMoj Contemporary Furniture Design

According to the Stem Branch Calendar, the element associated with 2012 Year of the Dragon is water.

Pebble Hot Water Bottle by Petal Textiles
The motto for the Year of the Dragon (according to Wikipedia) is "I Reign". How appropriate, therefore, that on 6 February, the Queen will be celebrating her Diamond Jubilee after 60 years on the throne.

Story Tellers Throne by Free Range Designs
Another milestone for 2012 is that it's the centenary of Alan Turing's birth on 23 June. Alan Turing was highly influential in the development of computer science, and made important contributions towards code-breaking in the Second World War at Bletchley Park.

Black LEGO Computer brick Cufflinks by Uncle Bundle Crafts

I think it's safe to say that without Mr Turing, this meerkat would be resorting to pen and paper...

Meerkat standing with his own tiny computer under his arm by NiftyKnits

From 27 July until 12 August, the Summer Olympics will be held in London.

London City linocut print ref 157 by Zebedee
Featuring 26 sports and a total of 39 disciplines with an expected 205 countries participating, this is the third time that London has hosted the Games (the other two years were 1908 and 1948). What better time to get on your bike?!

4 x foil blocked greetings cards A6/sport by Lucky Bird

At about the same time as an estimated 4 billion people will be tuning into the Olympics, the Mars Science Laboratory rover mission is due to land on Mars. The space exploration vehicle (called Curiosity) was launched on 26 November 2011, and is due to land between 6 and 20 August 2012. Wonder whether it'll come across this little guy...

Mario the Martian by Top Sock Drawer

And finally, a wander through 2012 would not be complete without mentioning the Mayan Prophecy. Some people say that the world will end on 21 December 2012, whereas others claim that this date is relevant only because it marks the end of an astronomical precessional cycle which lasts approximately 26,000 years. Either way, it'll be a very special date, but on balance, I think it's a fair bet that we'll all still be here on 22 December.

Globen: Sterling silver Mayan music ball star necklace by stockholmsilver
Hope you all have a very happy and successful 2012!

4 comments:

Heather Leavers said...

Happy New Year everyone! As I started to read through this post I was quite puzzled, trying to work out how on earth one of my meerkats would " fit" - but of course, he wouldn't have a laptop without Mr Turing! I love the seaside hot water bottle case, it's beautiful.

Quernus Crafts said...

Heather, I can make your gorgeous Meerkats fit anywhere, anyhow ;)

red road said...

What a lovely mix Kirsten - loving the diary (something I've always intended to make for myself but never get round to it). Happy New Year - health, wealth and happiness! Jay x

Quernus Crafts said...

Thank you Jay - yes, that diary is just wonderful! Happy New Year to you too :) x