Well here we are at the start of another New Year. In the words of Her Majesty The Queen, 2019 was a bit of a bumpy year.
The Brexit issue divided the Country, families, and friends, but most of all it caused deadlock in Parliament. After a year of missed deadlines and possible 2nd referendums, hopefully the election result will calm the situation at least for a while.
The climate debate has become the biggest topic of conversation. The ongoing fires in the Amazon, the melting of icebergs in the Antarctic, the fires in Australia, the cyclones in the Philippines and recent flooding in the Uk have focused all our minds to the issue.
Wrapped up in our little world of family, friends, fun and laughter, it’s difficult to think about the bigger picture. We do our best to recycle as much as we can, but I’m sure as a family we could do more. We recently changed our car, to a smaller hybrid one. At the moment the infrastructure is not really in place in the Uk to convert to all electric. We have recently upcycled some furniture rather than take it to the tip.
The family use reusable drinks bottles in their lunch boxes. We’ve tried with little success to grow our own veg. It’s very labour intensive & when the supermarkets are selling veg for 19p a bag it’s not very economical either.
Then there was the debate over the Christmas Trees. We use an artificial one. Although not environmentally friendly when it’s disposed of, it has already been with us 8 years and has a few more left in it. Our Daughter & Son in law, however prefer a real tree. Although better to dispose of, I dispute it is better for the environment to cut down so many trees purely for our pleasure for a couple of weeks in the year.
I am not a huge fan of Swedish Climate Activist, Greta Thunberg, however she has brought the issue to the forefront of conversation. The youth she has mobilised, however need to realise that using their mobile phones and technology also affects the environment, together with the huge amounts of electricity used at their concerts and festivals. The Politicians do, now need to have some very sincere conversations in 2020.
Some celebrities have passed this year along with family members of friends and colleagues. In May I lost my lovely little Auntie Kath and also have two close friends who sadly both lost their fathers in December. Very sad times, but all had had long and happy lives and I hope our friends, once the sadness subsides, can look back and treasure the happy memories they have of their Dads.
On positive notes, we watched, albeit on the television, the English cricket team win the World Cup in dramatic style. Dina Asher-Smith win Gold at the Athletics World Championship, followed swiftly by Katarina Johnson – Thompson winning Gold in the heptathlon.
The Royal Family celebrated the birth of a new baby boy. Whatever your opinion of the Monarchy, a new baby brings a smile to everyone’s faces. Although my immediate family has fortunately not expanded this year, my extended family have also greeted two new baby boys in 2019, with the arrival of my Sister’s 8th Grandchild and my Brother’s 3rd.
We saw our Goddaughter get married, fulfilling her childhood dream of a reception in her parents garden. A perfect day.
This was quickly followed with a busy weekend helping host our annual charity lunch, in the same garden. Another perfect day.
Both worthy of blog posts earlier in the year.
We have had our issues with our struggle to get Li Li the best possible education. We are however positive for the outcome of our efforts as we await news of his allocated place at Secondary School. Twin 1 is in the early stages of his treatment for his Linear Morphea, and as yet we are not seeing any improvement, but there has also been no further spreading, so we are also positive for his outcome.
Inspite of these worries and the usual ups and downs of life in general, we have had another great year, packed with fun, laughter and new experiences. We are looking forward to another year of the same. The diaries are already starting to fill. We feel so blessed to be surrounded by lovely family and friends who help us to enjoy life to the full.
I have thought about New Years resolutions, but looking back at a post from January 2018, my aspirations for 2020 are exactly the same as those for 2018.
Does this mean I have failed in life? I don’t think so, I have achieved most of them, to some extent, but they are all ongoing aspirations of wellbeing, budgeting, enjoying life and family, so it’s good to revisit at least once a year, to refocus the mind and make any adjustments necessary.
So my friends, whether 2019 has been everything you hoped for, or a bit of a let down, keep smiling, we have safely reached its conclusion and can now look forward to a more exciting 2020.
I wish you all a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year
