I eventually emerged from my pit shortly after
nine o’clock this morning. I made toast, and started reading the New Year’s Honours List. When I was a lad I
wanted to do something with my life; something worthwhile that would be
rewarded with a medal from Buckingham Palace. Had I done so I would probably be
giving that medal back this morning. Whilst some of the recipients have done
sterling work for various charities, this year some medals and knighthoods seem
to have been given out for simply doing the job for which the recipients are
already paid (and probably overpaid if truth be told), or for sucking up
to the Prime Minister.
I suppose those who
give out the medals are restricted by the nominations they get… if the decent
people who deserve the medals don’t get nominated, they won’t get recognition.
I blame myself; I really do. I first ranted about the country’s farcical
honours system seventeen years ago on January 4th
2007,
but I *still* haven’t nominated anyone myself. If anyone fancies
nominating me for a lifetime of blood testing, or for services to Kentish
Geocaching or for opening the gate at Dog Club, now’s your chance…
I
spent a few minutes putting the finishing touches to next year’s birthday
video. For some reason “TUUUBE!!!!” (as “Darcie Waa Waa TM”
calls You-Tube) wanted to post the video as a “short” rather than as
a video. Eventually I sorted it to appear as as I wanted it to appear. I won’t
post a link to it… it will be a nice surprise on your birthday.
Seeing a rather bright morning we got the leads
onto the dogs and drove over to Godinton for a little geo-adventure. There was
a geo-souvenir to be had if you logged a find on a geocache today. We parked up
a hundred yards from our target, walked the dogs down the road, and just as I
found our quarry so the heavens opened. I quickly did the secret rituals, then
hurried back to the car.
We drove round to Bybrook Barn Garden Centre for a little look-see.
I wanted to check out the saxifrage (for the next pond project) and “er indoors TM” wanted to
see what craft bits were in the sale. As we shopped some old biddy was huffing
and glaring at me. There was a puddle of dog pee by one of the stands. Bearing
in mind I’d deliberately kept the dogs on short leads so that they wouldn’t
piddle up things I think they were innocent. But had the old woman watched them
peeing when I’d not been looking? Possibly. If so I wish she’d told me rather
than just glaring and then hurrying off when I caught her eye.
As we walked out so I got us croissants from
the bakery stall that sets up outside the garden centre.
Just as we got to the
car so my phone pinged. A message from the boss. She was letting me know that a
colleague’s husband dropped dead yesterday. The chap was in his late thirties
and with no prior warnings or signs he had a massive heart attack.
Makes you think,
doesn’t it?
We got home just as the torrential rain
stopped, and had those croissants with a cuppa. They were nice… but at three
quid a croissant I would hope that they were. That little bakery stall doesn’t
give the things away.
I then had a little sort-out of the DVDs. A few weeks ago I
mentioned that several seemed to be missing. “er indoors TM” found a box
of DVDs, and having got all the DVD onto the shelves in alphabetical order I
had to fit another fifty in, and there’s still some missing.
I then built a Lego set that “er indoors TM”
had got me for Christmas, and popped down the road to Beijing House to get dinner. The set meal for two was
rather good; if far too much for us. I will certainly go back there again, if
only to say “Happy Weekend” to the nice lady behind the till who was
wishing everyone Happy Weekend”.
In the past on New Year’s
Eve we’ve all gone down to Jose and Maria’s for the evening, but since COVID we’ve
taken to having virtual meet-ups, and several of us tuned in to a Zoom meet for
the evening. Spanish New Year with the grapes at eleven o’clock (UK time),
a quiz… it was good to catch up.
We really should do that
more often…
I suppose that what
with the year coming to an end I should stop and reflect a little. Looking back
over the year it strikes me that this last year has been a tad dull compared to
some… or am I looking further back with rose-coloured glasses? Keeping a diary
like this means I have some record of what I’ve been up to.
Sadly the Lego club
which started in late 2022 died a death early this year. Looking back the club
was dealt a death blow when the parents of the brat element were told the idea
was to build Lego, not to run round constantly screaming, and the move from Tuesday
evenings in a Guide hut to Saturdays in a gaming shop finished it off.
And there’s no denying
that geocaching, the mainstay of the last ten years, is seemingly in something
of a (probably terminal) decline. I found my first thousand geocaches in
just under five months; my most recent thousand have taken over two and a half
years. Sadly fewer and fewer people are hiding the things these days. But we’ve
had a few geo-walks this year (including several on a rather good holiday in
East Anglia over the summer). I’ve been to seven geo-meets this year
including a particularly good one on the far east of the county over the summer
and one I staged myself, and I’ve contributed a lot to the hobby this year
hiding over a hundred of the things in Kings Wood.
As the grandchildren
get older, we’ve been doing quite a bit of family stuff. A good day at
Maidstone’s “Prison Island”, a good day at Hastings’ crazy golf. Two
bingo parties; one in a family garden and one via Microsoft Teams. And a very
good birthday session for my brother.
Rather sadly we sold
Dad’s house, but with the proceeds we got our back room’s dodgy plastering
sorted and got some long overdue roof maintenance done.
I’ve been busy in the
garden. Having borrowed a leaf blower (and had great fun with it) I’ve
bought one of my own. I’ve replaced the box pond filters with a pressure filter
and turned the splash pool into a bog filter, and lifted and re-set the
stepping stones which go up the lawn.
Also in the garden we
re-started the tradition of a summer garden party; a tradition which stopped
with the COVID pandemic.
And talking of COVID, I
had a week off sick with it.
I’ve renewed my
membership of the Friends of Kings Wood and walked up there with the dogs a lot
this year. And Dog Club is still going every Saturday morning.
Looking forward I’m
planning to semi-retire at the end of February… I’ve a vague idea to start
monthly mid-week dog club walks. I’ve big plans for the pond, and for the
garden…
I’m hoping for a good new year. Will it be a
good one? Time will tell; it always does.
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