Blessings

And so we come to the end of 2013, and whilst it is tempting to write the year off, to talk about it being "interesting" or "challenging" or any other coded message for not being very good, I'm not going to do that. Rather, 2013 has been a year which has included some great things, and plenty of reasons to be very positive about what 2014 and beyond will bring as well.

Here are a few reasons to be cheerful about the year just gone:

• Our son is growing up fast (and not just height-wise, although he is considerably taller than his mother now, and who knows, may well go past me during 2014). He continues to learn things at an alarming rate, and is now far more proficient in a number of subjects when compared to his parents. At sports, I can just about keep up with him at table tennis, although I do worry a little about how I will cope when the table comes out next Spring, and he continues to improve whilst I stay much the same. The same can be said for badminton and pool, where no doubt he will leave me trailing in his wake. He's also passed more exams in both piano and drums, and despite not having any lessons at all, has happily picked up the guitar and started to play. He's started on his D of E awards and has built a new fan base in the local coffee shop where he has been volunteering for the last few months. (Crikey Jake - I hadn't realised just how amazing 2013 had been until I started to put all of this down!)
• We've all celebrated milestone birthdays this year. Jake joined the teenager club, and Nicky and I both welcomed in a new decade. Lots of birthday highlights to remember from this year, but maybe best of all was being surrounded by friends and family at Nicky's party last month.
• Two new members have joined our family, arriving a few months ago, and already acting as if they own the place. They've won over everyone they've met, and already we couldn't imagine life without our two new feline friends.
• We are well and truly settled into our new home, having lived here for just over a year now. Yes, we've had to deal with some problems that the building has presented to us, but we love our home and I can see us sticking around here for quite a few years to come.
• A number of family members have had health problems during the year, and we've all had more trips to hospitals, home and abroad, than we would have liked! But, we've all come through them, and I'm sure that in some ways it has made family ties even stronger.
• Personally, I know I've been a bit of a pain with my health over the last year, and in particular in the last couple of months, but I'm really excited now - not only do I have a diagnosis, it is also the case that there is a pretty simple procedure that I can have in the New Year that will sort me out.
• And finally, what has amazed me most during 2013? It is the one person without whom 2013 really could have been a tough year. She is truly a wonder and I know for sure that I love her more on 31 December than I did on 1 January, and do you know what, I have no doubt that that the same will be true next year as well.

So, farewell to the journey through 2013, and bring on 2014, it's going to be great!

Merry Christmas

Just back from the midnight service, and the rest of the household is already asleep, awaiting Santa's arrival, although judging by the tree downstairs, I think he may have been already.

Christmas Eve was a lovely day (other than minor repair requirements thanks to storm damage) and I'm sure that Christmas Day is going to be even better.

Merry Christmas everyone.

TOE / PFO

In to hospital this morning for my TOE. We got there at about 9.30, and we're done and away before midday. I'm claiming that I remember the whole thing, but who knows whether that's actually the case or not! However, the good news is that it was in no way unpleasant, and the even better news is that they have confirmed that I have a PFO.

Seems a bit odd calling that good news, but as I understand things, the key point is that it is something that can be fixed pretty easily, and fingers crossed, it will sort out both the migraines and the AF as well.

As for the rest of the day, after a quick stop off at Waitrose on the way home - I'm working on a principle that it is impossible to have too many chocolate fingers and chocolate biscuits - most of the rest of the day was spent in the kitchen making lovely things for Christmas. Well. Nicky did all of the making, and I watched and did the occasional bit of washing up.

We now have two cooked and glazed hams (one cooked in Coke and one in cider and apple juice!), a home made trifle, and a ginger cake. And there are even plans to be making a Baileys cheesecake tomorrow!

Smaug

Christmas preparations continue here, although I don't think we bought any more food today (apart from for the cats!) - still, I'm sure we'll stock up some more tomorrow.

Today's main event was a trip to the cinema at Bluewater - thanks to Bec for the vouchers for Nicky's birthday, which were perfect for three tickets. and more popcorn, sweets, chocolate and fizzy drinks than we could manage to eat, even in a film this long!

We went to see the second part of The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug, and most entertaining it was too. It was a week and a day shy of a year since we had seen the first instalment, as reported here from our holiday in Orlando.

The final film in the trilogy will be coming out just before Christmas next year. I wonder where we will go to watch that one ...

17

Now is the time to get on with some blogging. I've broken up from work, the holidays are upon us, and I've just been sent out of the lounge so that Nicky and Jake can get on with wrapping up a Christmas present of mine!

As an early New Year's resolution, I really must try to blog more in 2014 - I really enjoy re-reading some of my old entries (they are primarily done for my own benefit after all - it's just an added bonus if a few family members keep up with news through it as well!)

Note - gap in posting as I was told that it was ok to go back into the lounge! So I went and carried on with Christmas wrapping, watching a Christmas film, Match of the Day, and then bed, and completely forgot to come back to this post to finish it off.

So, it is now Sunday morning, and we are just about to head over to Oaks Dene to pick up a table so that we have enough seating room for all of our Christmas guests.

As for the title of this post - anyone important will know what it means, even if it is a day late now!

43

Another early start today to be on the road to Brighton, but this time I only stayed there until lunchtime, as I had another meeting to get to in Canary Wharf this afternoon. One of the fringe benefits has been that I have been home for the evening, and so won't be out for three evenings in a row this week.

Whilst it's either a little early, or extremely late to be thinking about New Year's resolutions, almost three years ago I had a resolution to read 50 books a year, and achieved that for the last couple of years. However, this year my current tally is 43, so I really do need to get a move on if I am going to make it for 2013. Maybe in a sign of panic, I actually have 4 on the go at the same time at the moment (which is unlike me) so I am at least still in with a chance!

Coal shed

And so we move into the penultimate working week of the year, and as seems to be becoming a tradition at this point in the calendar, we have a visit from some US colleagues this week, meaning that I am spending most of the first part of the week based in Brighton.

I was up and out early this morning and to the office by about 8.30, despite a long journey in the car, only to discover that their flight in was a little delayed, and that they then took quite a while to get to us from Heathrow, arriving in Brighton at about lunchtime. Still, at least I could catch up on a couple of other things in the morning.

This evening we took the US guys out to a steak restaurant in Brighton (not entirely sure about the choice given that they are based in Dallas and so are probably pretty much surrounded by steak joints) called Coal Shed. Food not bad - I enjoyed my bone marrow starter, but wasn't all that keen on my fillet steak - probably says more about me than about the steak - should've had a burger!

Anyway, back home late for a quick sleep before turning around and doing it all again early tomorrow.

Home news is good today - the scaffolders were here pretty early and so the roof has been fixed, and even more excitingly (!) we heard that Nicky's new car has arrived, so she has arranged insurance, and we pick it up on Saturday.

Decorations

A weekend of getting some decorations up, and don't they look lovely!