Happy New Year

How gorgeous is this illustration by @mori_raito.  After travelling for eighteen hours on Monday we were whacked yesterday so we are having a New Years/Decade Eve redo tonight.  We’ve exchanged gifts with the in-laws and are about to get the Raclette started. 

Happy New Year to you all. 

2019 - A year in review

January

The year began with an oompah band.  To the brass band version of Prodigy’s Firestarter we danced away 2018.  We blew away the cobwebs with a wall to Hardcastle Crags Followed by a trip to Blackburn to watch Rovers versus someone else.  We also spent the month waiting for Finlaw to paint the GBH (Gingerbreadhaus) so we could begin to move in.  We began packing and organising bringing things to the house in the evenings and weekends.

February

February was moving month, both GO and I had a half term week that matched (a rarity) so we hired a huge Luton van/lorry with a lift, got some help from friends and began the job of moving in.  I was most worried about driving the lorry down the hill and then turning around, I needn’t have though as I reversed down the hill as the road was empty and then drove it back to the depot. We settled down for an evening in front of the TV with a pizza.

March

March was definitely the month we turned the house into a haus/home.  We scrubbed and sorted, washed and organised. We also had to do the same with the Derby House as we handed it back to the landlady, after weeks of faffing it was off our hands.  We did have to stage the rooms as we’d moved everything out when she said the photographer was coming round to take photos.  

April

Not so much the month of showers, April was our first holiday in the Haus and I went all out decorating and making a celebratory meal for the two of us.  Then we had our first visitors, Mamilein and Papichen came to visit for a few days.  We showed them the local sites and they enjoyed all of the local amenities, particularly the fish and chip drive thru.

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

My year in books

What a lovely surprise, as I was updating my Goodreads book challenge I discovered that they had made a review of the year in books just me. 

https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2019

Tis the season to be Murray 2019

Maybe it’s just me but I feel like Christmas has been both a long time coming and has arrived all too quickly.  We have some things planned but I feel this year may be a quieter one than usual.

Give me five

Festive season is here, time for some reflection.  Tell me: 5 things you’ve gained, 5 things you’ve lost, 5 things you’d like for next year.

Gains:

1. A lovely little house

2. A new big blue car

3. Took GO to my childhood Canadian home 

4. Discovered hammock life

5. Spent a lot more time with GO

Loses:

1. Free time (long work commute)

2. Didn’t walk as much or as far as 2018

3. Sleep (see number 1)

4. A stone in weight

5. Family and friends (some have passed away some have been neglected)

Next year:

1. A new job closer to home

2. Home improvements (kitchen, doors, garden)

3. Visit a new country

4. Learn a new skill (sailing perhaps)

5. 1000 miles, boots on

Heiligabend

Some years we do everything the same some years we change things up a bit, our tradition is that we have no traditions.  After a stroll into town we came home and tried the Raclette machine and snuggled down in front of the goggle box with a glass/bottle or two of wine.  When lilbigbro and so law are over it can be an intense military style operation go here, do that, eat this but when they aren’t we like to chill a lot more.

Happy Birthday Ginger One

Happy Birthday to my one and only.  I will endeavour to give you a lovely day, I'm trying not to overindulge you but this milestone deserves to be acknowledged.  After all you only turn 40 once.  Thank you for letting me share your life with you.  I love the life we have created and I am so grateful that I get to spend my days with you.  You are a wonderful man; you are kind, funny and passionate and deserve to be spoiled rotten.  I love you more than words can say.  

Strolling round the neighbourhood

After a few weeks of being under the weather I needed to get out and wanted to find a new walking place.  We’d walked around the local reservoir in the spring but I was intrigued by all of the walkers heading up into the hills.  We had checked out the forest, it seemed to be a memorial forest of some kind and I wasn’t sure I wanted to picnic there.  This time however we went for a walk and it was glorious.  Dressed in my brand new extra, extra, extra long scarf with a flask of tea we went exploring.  The trees and bushes were all on the turn and the shades of red, yellow, orange and brown made for some delightful photos.  I was proud of the photos I took so I shared them online in a Burnley residents group and they garnered a lot of positivity, particularly from Burnlians living abroad.