At the turn of the year I always reflect, using my diary, on all the happenings of the year just gone. It’s an interesting exercise as many a moment has been forgotten – twelve months soon pass.
Significant moments are a mixture of happy days and hard
days, as happens. Besides cold-water swimming at Dosthill Quarry during June to
September, I was a regular at aqua aerobics at Lea Marston leisure centre and
from September to December joined my local Bannatyne's for indoor swimming and
increased my ability to 22 lengths.
Dosthill Quarry
No ‘proper’ holiday again for the third year running but
lots of trips, places visited and coffee and cake with friends in garden
centres. I visited Liverpool, Whitby, Llandudno, Anglesey, Southport, Leeds,
York, Weston-Super-Mare, Melton Mowbray, Ticknall in Staffordshire, Bristol,
Edgbaston in Birmingham, Swanwick and Chatsworth House in Derbyshire and a week
in North Yorkshire. I travelled by car, train, coach – Middleton’s Coach trips
are fab. I had a few trips to the local cinema and went to the theatre twice.
How blessed am I?
A very special moment was baking cakes with my great-niece, Imogen, aged 2.
My prize possession – a red Kitchen Aid mixer – went to a new home as I found it was now too heavy to handle and doing less and less baking. It was a lovely feature in my kitchen but no good gathering dust when I have a lighter electric hand mixer.
Health issues included water infection, covid, bad falls needing physio for my feet and attention to footwear, covid and flu jabs and a Basal Cell Carcinoma removed just before Christmas. My husband had a hip replacement and my daughter had major surgery too, so all three of us were not ourselves over Christmas. Three years running, Christmas has been a mishmash and I am adamant next Christmas will be different/better.
I continue to keep the craft group going, am still involved with writing, attending Tamworth Writers and zooms with the Society of Women Writers, Society of Authors, Writing for Wellbeing with Joanna Barnard, and Jericho Writers. My novel gets worked on – edited, re-read etc and I have a children’s book artist to work with too, so things are progressing slowly towards my goal of being a published author.
We have been in our bungalow 18 months now and have
additional furnishings in most rooms. Having a spa bath was a wonderful
investment. A new carpet for the lounge is on order. The garden is looking drab
now during winter, but spring bulbs are showing their heads and I look forward
to the coming colour to brighten the days.
Of course, 2022 will be remembered in the history books
having lost our dear Queen. We have the Coronation of King Charles III to look
forward to, a holiday to the Greek Island of Lemnos and a few surprises, no
doubt as 2023 gets underway.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE.
Thank you for your support in reading my blogs and encouragement for my
writing.
