One more sleep....

I thought I might do a 'round robin' this year just to boost my blog numbers. My efforts to exceed last year have failed, and my target of 50 or so has been woefully missed. Hey ho, will try to do better next year.

So lets start almost a year ago, when I made a New Years resolution, and I am pleased to say I have kept it for 12 months, and shall be extending it into 2014. The resolution was quite simply to buy no new clothes except for socks and underwear. I have masses of NWT polo shirts in my cupboard, trousers and jackets that barely see the light of day, enough jumpers to knit a sheep and coats, scarves, windcheaters and waterproof clothing, that I need for nothing in the wardrobe department.

During the year we have been blessed with two new additions, GC3 and GC4, aka Archie Beet and Nell Harris, and both are progressing well. Nell is three weeks old now and Archie is fast approaching the crawling stage. GC1 will soon be bossing them around, and I now communicate with GC2 in London, by Skype. Technology eh!

It was good to have GC2 and her parents visit us a couple of times this year and she is now beginning to know who we are and where we fit in. She has also visited her Great Grandmother Joan  who lives up the road in Hoylake, and GGJ will be joining us for the turkey tomorrow, one of 17 adults and budding adults around the table.

Holidays have been sparse this year. The two week trip to Mexico was a disaster as SWMBO broke the elbow joint and six months down the line is still in considerable pain  with no end to it in sight. I had a few days with the rugby chums, London branch, in Norfolk during October which was a blast.
Maxine did her family holiday in Tunisia in August, and we had a long weekend with her sister in Hong Kong where we saw the British Lions play the Barbarians.

We also visited Turkey for a week in February, just as the season was opening up.

Number one son did the London to Monte Carlo bike ride in the Summer, which included mountain stages of the Tour d'France. Number two son has been made head of history at his school, but has still to embrace life outside Hill House, despite me turning the heating off on his floor,  Might try putting his rent up next year.

I have been busy with extra curricula activities as much as I am able. Woodwork classes, Photoshop tutorials and Pilates have all been and gone during 2013, and I have stopped my piano lessons as I really was not on the same wave-length as the teacher I was allocated, so I will have to find a new one for 2014. I am also hoping to join a magic class in January.

With all this time on my hands you would expect the garden to be a picture, whereas in fact it has been a period of stability as most of my efforts went into completing my shed. This is now done, and together with my new book shelves and wine rack it shows me I have some DIY skills which I have been able to use productively and not just to fix fences.

My golf has improved  although my handicap remains 16, so it would be good to knock a few shots off that next year, and get my name on a trophy if I can.

SWMBO is nearly nine months into her sabbatical now, and she may well start to look for some part time work in 2014, we shall see. She continues to support Bridge to Aid and hopes to go back to Tanzania in October.

We also have a two week holiday in Turkey with 'the mad crew' to look forward to in May, I have a stag weekend in Lisbon in July, and we hope to get to the Dominican Republic in September. Add to that the fact that we are seeing in the New Year at Slaley Hall in Northumberland and 2014 already has a good feel to it.

So a Merry Chriustmas and a happy new Year to all my readers, and may 2014 give you everything you wish of it......Ho! ho! ho!

Into 2013

The festive season is now behind us, and I am frankly pleased about that. I usually enjoy Christmas, but this year was strange. Having retired in early November it  became evident to people that I 'had time on my hands' and could do a lot of the preparation. This at a time when I had more pressing early retirement things to do.

Anyway I juggled and survived. It was kids away year for Christmas Day so we had my mother (87) and SWMBO parents ( both in seventies) together with number two son, who, at 26, brought the average age down and saved us from it turning into Cocoon, the Christmas Special. Got some good presi's though

New Year SWMBO and I ran away to Scotland and stayed on the banks of Loch Lomond for a few days. It was too wet under foot to play golf or to do too much walking, but we found enough else to do. New Years Eve was typically Scottish. The haggis was addressed and toasted, a marching pipe band saw in 2013, and the hotel very kindly put gifts in the room, together with a lump of coal. We were on a mixed table which worked well, and we did manage to participate in some of the Calieh dances, like the Gay Gordon's and Strip the Willow.

So now that we are into 2013, I can start to plan the year ahead. I have terminated my signing on ritual with the DWP, as there was no monetary benefit and I have learnt how the process works. I have access to all their web sites through the Government Gateway so can look for and apply for jobs as I wish.

I did put my CV into one Company before Christmas, but got knocked back. It was to work for Chubby Chandler, the sports agent. I think the role was that of Darren Clarke's drinking partner, and in that area I was obviously found lacking.

I have a knee op to get out of the way next week, after which I am hoping to be able to target a few 5k and 10k fun runs later in the Summer as well as the Santa dash in December.

I have a huge box of photo's going back thirty years or more which I am planning to scan onto my laptop and have enrolled on a Photoshop class to learn how to tidy them up a bit. First class was today and it turned out to be registration only. The tutor did not engage very well on first impressions, but we will see how we go. Its the subject matter which will be more important.

As well as the shed project and the office which needs redesigning and decorating, I am once more progressing air source heat pumps, both for the pool and for the house hot water system. Technology seems to have moved on since I last looked so it will be interesting to see if there are savings to be made. Its not so much for us, but as a reselling feature whenever we need to.

I have a significant birthday in early March so have already lined up my B & Q heritage card which gets 10% off everything on a Wednesday. I need to apply for my Mereseytravel free pass and my senior citizens rail card. With the latter I will be able to attend several pre-Christmas knee's-up in London during December as well as any Autumn internationals we choose to go to. Any subsequent medical treatments can be sorted out with the free prescriptions I get, which I can read with the glasses from Specsavers for which I get 25% off.

Ah, yes, I have one New Years resolution, to buy no clothes, shoes or golf attire, except for essential socks and underwear. A recent wardrobe audit indicated I had more that enough NWT to get through the next 12 months at least.

Anyway we shall see, but all in all its going to be a hectic year.