For Rifol, January has arrived, and she is in reflective mood...

I have been keeping my diary for three months now.    There does not seem to be very much in it!  Of course, I have resisted the temptation to compose entries relating to socialising, working for a living and cleaning the bathroom.  You will never know, dear diary, about my happy little trip out to buy a new jumper and what a nice time we had.  I do not suppose you will be distressed.
 
I am disappointed that I have not had enough adventures in all that time.  I will never learn anything at this rate.  It is time to make some plans and set some goals.  I might have to reduce the number of jumper buying trips and bathroom cleaning sessions in order to make more time for the paranormal investigation.  Stocktaking, then, and agenda setting:

I am not getting anywhere with National Rational.  I do not suppose they have any duty of care towards insignificant tiddlers like me. If I can build up some experience before their training cycle starts again, perhaps that will be time for me to start playing with the Big Kids.

It seems that anybody is welcome to join in with the Cosy Local club.  Especially because you have to pay them, perhaps.  I can throw myself into anything they offer and see where that leads me, even if some of their philosophy and most of their grammar makes me nervous. 

There is no reason why I should not start driving something of my own at the same time.  I have learned that there are outdoor sites I can explore.  I like outdoors.  The problem is that, at eleven hundred feet above sea level,  January is not a good month for sitting still in fields.  There is no way I can wait until warmer weather before investigating something.  We did not get any warmer weather last year.  I need an indoor site, where I can Interview Witnesses, and maybe even Measure Things.  However, in order to do that, I will have to tell other people what I am up to.  Right now, only four people know, and that is the way I like it.  Of course, I could approach people, saying, ‘I heard a rumour that your house has a bogeyman in it, can I come and ask you a lot of probing questions then faff about in your sitting room all weekend?  By the way, I am untrained, I have no experience, and if I found anything I would have no idea what to do.’ 

The last thing I must decide  is what to do with this, my dear diary.  When I began, I wanted to keep a record of my thoughts and feelings, just because I like to do that.  I have moved on from there, and dear diary will not leave me alone.  It nags at me when I should be watching the road.  I make up sentences in the bath.  I keep reviewing it.  I want to share it.  That is why I am littering the internet,and demanding readers.  However, if I am going to publish my diary and force others to read it, I need honourable parameters. 

 I am setting out my rules and promises now, on stocktaking day, so that future entries can be measured against a code of honour, and any unworthiness that appears can be duly scrapped:

1. This diary is my personal journey.  It records my experiences, perceptions and conclusions.  It is all true and real, although it may have been tidied up a bit. 
2. I will not name any people or any places and I will treat everyone with the respect they deserve.
3. Just as I will not make up anything just to make myself, or anybody else look good; so I will not hide anything to protect myself or anybody else from looking less than good. 
4. I will not back out of anything that looks like it might lead somewhere, even if I am

a)     frightened

b)     bored

c)     late for tea

 So, that is stocktaking over.  Ladies and Gentlemen, we are about to enter phase Two.