Friday 1st January 2016

Happy New Year, one and all.

If you are reading these words, then I mean them most heartfelt; wherever you are in the world, Happy New Year, and I hope no matter how good last year was, that this new one will be even better.

Thursday

New Years Eve

And so we come to the very end of the year, with having done so such, seen so many wonderful and interesting things, the plan really was to take a deep breath and write it all down in a blog; which is how I spent the most of the morning; that and eating bacon butties, listening to the radio. I have recounted on the previous post a lot of the stuff we have done this year, or I did, as much happened as a result of me being in such places as Lubeck, Dresden or Amsterdam because I was there doing work, taking a little time to do some stuff for me.

Anyway, as well as tapping the keyboard, we pause to watch episodes of The Bridge, no idea who is behind the murders, but it is gripping stuff.

The afternoon fades into evening, clouds sweep in from the west and rain begins to fall. We are to visit the old folks in Whitfield for a game of cards, something that means we are being sociable with the rest of Jools' family and getting us out of our comfort zone. We played a game called Meld, and is a variation of Gin Rummy, but is good, and we talk, laugh, drink and eat as we play. And the evening passes as the rain falls outside. Mike and his family arrive at 11, the disco down the local social club wasn't very social, apparently, so they came to see in the new year with us.

There was the countdown, we popped poppers, drank whisky, toasted each other and sang Auld Lang Syne, before it was time for Jools to drive us back home, then onto bed.

Welcome to 2016