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Last post of 2018!

And so we say goodbye to yet another year! As ever the year has flashed by and I'm sitting here wondering where it's all gone. This has certainly been a year of big events - Kerrie's wedding, Mum and Dad's new house, decisions on senior schools for the girls and not forgetting the fact that in a few short months I will be starting a new job.


I sat down this week as I always do at this time of year to pull together the photos for our annual album and was amazed by how much we have packed in. Rome in February, Skiing in March, Kerrie's wedding in May, France in July and Kent in August to name but a few of the trips, let alone days out, trips to the theatre and days seeing friends and family. I also got hold of the memory stick for the wedding and made up an album for Kerrie and Ryan which was lovely - brought back loads of happy memories even if it's only the female side of the family who can be bothered to look at it!


I do wonder for next year whether I will have any photos of the kids to use. I've always titled our albums 'Abi & Izzy' plus the year. Given Abi refuses to knowingly be in a photo these days I think the 2019 album may be titled 'Izzy plus a few shots of Abi in the distance walking away with a coat / jumper / hand over her face'. Let's hope I have a year or two of Izzy still loving the lens before she goes the same way. I could do an entire album of their selfie pictures though - that's always a Plan B - I'd have literally 100s pf photos to choose from, albeit they all look pretty much the same.


This last week has been one long round of socialising - mostly sensible with one noticeable blip. On Boxing Day we had Glenn's family over for lunch as ever but this one will go down in family history as 'The one where Daddy had a headache so Mummy took it upon herself to drink enough for both of them with Alby and Bash...' It all started innocently enough with Kerrie and Ryan joining us for lunch. We had G&Ts made by me (sensible measures), ate our meal and I wondered at that point whether we might even leave it there. Kerrie then said she'd have another G&T before Ryan drove them home, at which point Alby and Bash said they would join us. We had that one, then I made the mistake of letting Bash help make the drinks. I'm not sure he understands how a G&T is supposed to be made but I'm pretty sure he had the measures the wrong way around. Spin forward to 6pm and I can't actually remember past that point. I'm told I crawled across the kitchen floor at one point, Alby fell over on the way out and rolled about laughing so much he couldn't stand up and Bash slept in the car. I apparently was quite relaxed about Izzy painting Bash's nails bright red... something that would only ever happen in my kitchen if I was truly out of it. I only know this because it was all over the downstairs toilet cistern in the morning - more evidence of just how drunk I was. Luckily they left before 8pm whereupon I crawled upstairs and put myself to bed fully clothed, followed by my children who couldn't stop laughing at me. All this despite telling both Amanda and Mum less than a week beforehand that I couldn't ever imagine getting properly drunk again - so much for my good intention. At least it was all the house and I didn't have to go anywhere else - lesson well and truly learned!!


After this it was a very sober drink at our neighbours the day afterwards, our drinks evening on the 28th (I managed half a glass of wine, topped up with soda water), lunch with Amanda, Alex and the boys yesterday and then lunch with Mum and Dad today. Tonight we have early drinks at a friends before a quiet New Year's Eve and then lunch and a windy walk tomorrow at Sandbanks with Simon, Sharron, John and Lucy. For a family that doesn't really do festive socialising it all feels quite hectic! I look forward to next week and the fact that everyone is embarking on dry January. I don't know whether I will abstain completely but I can assure you I won't be letting someone else pour my drinks for a while!


It's been another wonderful year with lots to come in 2019 (including a baby Rayner!!!) - I can't wait!


Happy new year everyone!


Pretend we are working out what we can see
- don't look at the camera!

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