One minute we are looking back at events from 2012 and looking forward to Christmas and the new year. The next we've been there and done that and the Christmas / New Year celebrations are a distant memory. So best recap....
Just before Christmas I went down with a virus which meant that unusually for me I took a 'sickie' day, thought it had gone so returned to work. Well I woke up Christmas morning and I'd no voice - bless them, the family said it was the best Christmas present ever. Here we are just past the middle of January and it is still hanging around. That aside, we had a nice quiet (for us) family Christmas / New Year. Mark came home for a few days and did the rounds of his grandparents. The two nanas spent time with us on Christmas day, my mum for dinner, Sue's mum for afternoon tea. We had friends round for a party with silly games one evening and then went to Carole & Guiseppe's for their party in the evening of New Year's day. Other than that it was a quiet and relaxed time spoilt only by the constant wind and rain which curtailed outdoor events.
From my point of view it was one of the best years I've had as far as pressies are concerned as Suzie has bought us a pair of tickets for us to travel to see my sister Christine and her family in the USA. How she managed to keep that quiet I will never know - a complete surprise to me but apparently just about everybody else in the family knew. The boys got me a wheel barrow, shovel and garden fork so that's one excuse for not doing any gardening gone to pot.
In the meantime my little Volvo S40 has had an eventful time with things. First an old boy in the street reversed into it so it got a nice new shiny bumper, then in quick succession it needed 2 new tyres and front wheel bearing (before Christmas) followed by the 2 rear wheel bearing being replaced this week. While tranquillity appears to have been mostly restored I don't think it will be long before the other front wheel needs new bearings. As the car has only done 97,000 miles I don't think that is a shining example of engineering excellence. I shouldn't complain too much, we are fortunate to have 2 cars and my motorbike at a time when the economy isn't so great.
Still, as long as it keeps going... the chap that bought my old VW Passat for his son called by the other day. It has been taken off the road and into a specialist to have a replacement turbo fitted at a cost of £1,500 because the bearing have gone in that unit, so I'm happier paying for a few wheel bearings to be done as they are much cheaper. Son still hasn't paid dad for car but has fitted £2,500 worth of flash 18" wheels and tyres. There must be more money floating around in that family than in this one. Seems he was itching for me to chip in towards the cost of repair but his boy has had it 15 months and is a known car thrasher so my money stays in my pocket.
