Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
3rd January 2026
Predictive Text
Welcome to 2026. I have quite an interest in astrology, particularly when it’s positive and/or what I want to read.
Whilst the Chinese New Year doesn’t begin until February 17th, here in the UK we seem to have adopted the good bits to apply to our own New Year. Apparently 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse, and that’s good news. With 12 animals and 5 elements, the Year of the Fire Horse comes around every 60 years and tends to bring good energy and good fortune.
In comparison, last year was the Year of the (Wood) Snake, which involved a lot of ‘shedding of the old stuff’. The Year of the Snake is considered a time when hard work comes to the brink of fruition and new beginnings start to emerge. Just as snakes shed their skin and grow, the Snake year is imbued with the symbolism of ‘rebirth and renewal’. It is seen as a turning point, encouraging people to prepare to embrace change and embark on new challenges with positivity.
Hot on its heels, the Year of the Fire Horse is predicted to be a time of intense energy, passion, innovation, and rapid change, marked by breakthroughs in technology (especially AI and medicine) and bold personal growth. However, with that energy does come the potential for chaos, conflict, impulsiveness, and social friction if not channelled constructively, as people embrace adventure, make swift decisions, and chase dreams with fiery determination. Interestingly, it is said that Chinese people often consciously make the decision not to have a baby born in a Fire Horse year, as it would have too strong a personality and be too impulsive.
Overall, the Fire Horse year is expected to be one of excitement and forward motion. It encourages bold moves, decisive actions, and a willingness to take risks. On both personal and societal levels, people may feel more compelled to reach for dreams that once seemed out of reach. Whilst it might not sound very astro or logical, I have interpreted it all as being a positive year with lots good stuff to look forward to.
And to back it up, last year was also the final year of a nine year cycle – year no.9 – in numerology. As such, it was a year of endings, release, and outgrowing anything that didn’t serve you. Year 9 brought completion to the old cycle and we are advised to let go of old energies in order to embrace the new.
Numerologists declare that a Year 1 signifies the start of a new 9-year cycle, representing fresh beginnings, new ideas, individuality, leadership, and planting seeds for the future (something us gardeners are familiar with). It’s a year for bold action, self-discovery, and initiating projects, like a delicious blank slate full of potential after the closure of the previous cycle.
So the coming year is all about building personal awareness and courage, stepping into your power, and focusing on your own path rather than getting caught up in outcomes and being a Drama Llama.
It all sounds good to me, so I’ll go along with it. It can’t do any harm to go into a new year armed with such positivity.
Winter Wobbles
And to continue that ‘good-feeling’, I have noticed that catkins are already wiggling in the wind, snowdrops are blooming before the (predicted) snowfall, primroses are out and even some daffodils are already in bud.
I’m sure it’s all happening earlier than usual but that’ll be down to the weather of course.
I think it is now official that 2025 was the hottest year on record, and that is obviously taking into account the winter months too.
Early or not, they all hold so much promise for newness and spring. It’s getting closer every day.
That makes me happy. I’m usually more respectful and tolerant of the dormant months but I’ve already had enough winter now.
Bring on the Fire Horse.
Watch the Birdie
I’m nice and early telling you about the Big Garden Birdwatch this year. The world’s largest garden wildlife survey is held at the end of the month every year, with hundreds of thousands of people taking part and providing valuable information so the amount of garden birds spotted can be recorded and monitored.
Last year, across the UK, over 590,000 people took part in the Big Garden Birdwatch and counted a whopping 9.1 million birds in total. House Sparrows took the top spot, but still, numbers of these cheeky little birds were down by 60% compared to the first Birdwatch in 1979. Sadly, the records show that we’ve lost 38 million birds from UK skies in the last 60 years and that’s why it’s more important than ever to get involved in the Birdwatch.
All you do is pop into www.rspb.org.uk where you can get your free bird guide and even stock up on supplies, with 20% off and free delivery on food and feeders at the RSPB shop.
Then simply spend an hour watching the birds in your own patch, between 23 and 25 January, and record all the birds that actually land.
You can submit your results online or by post – and please let them know even if you saw nothing at all. That’s just as important.
There are lots of other top tips on the website showing you how to take good care of our feathered friends and make your garden a safe space for them.
In 2018, Professor, biologist and renowned ‘Godfather of Biodiversity’, Thomas Lovejoy spearheaded the launch of the National Geographic Year of the Bird with the still-very-relevant quote, “If you take care of birds, you take care of most of the environment problems in the world.”
Re-Solutions
And I couldn’t write my first column of a brand new year without mentioning resolutions. The dictionary defines resolution as, ‘A firm decision to do or not to do something, ’ but interestingly, I see ‘re-solution’. So I like to think of resolutions as re-solutions, or simply continuing to explore solutions, and let’s face it a sense of humour will help overcome all but the most dire situations.
So I ‘resolute’ to laugh more and worry less. Apparently the average 4-year-old laughs 300 times a day. The average 50-year-old laughs 4 times …. a week. Yikes. And another quote I love is, ‘Laughter is like a windscreen wiper – it won’t stop the rain, but it will help you see a way forward.’
So with New Year’s Resolutions ‘going in one year and out the other’, I hope you can laugh more in 2026 and here’s a friend’s New Year’s Resolution List to start you off:
1 – Stop making lists.
b – Be more consistent.
7 – Learn to count.
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