'Blow this year right out of my head

This is a corruption of the song from South Pacific 'I want to wash that man right out of my head. So what has this year been like for everyone? Good, bad,curate's egg, indifferent. I won't bore you with all the details completely but I can safetly say that 2010 can hardly be categorised as one of the best by any means what with change of government to a hung parliament then coalition which has hardly lived up to everyone's expectations.

The beginning of the year, hailed a bit of sorting out of my files and office space spurred on by the fact that the top drawer of my MFI filing cabinet had indicated that it had reached the end of the line so armed with a large pink bag, I set to, clearing out both filing cabinets in between trying to write as well.

Like all New Year's, there were challenges and highlights. The first of them finding myself on Workwise through JC+ There had been hopes that I would be able to set up but August put a shelving on that idea but more about that later. May or was it June, I purchased a second hand filing cabinet from a local overseas charity that sells medical equipment abroad. It is a four door job, each named. The other one in the lobble was sorted and renamed with the help of my PC. My mother's comments were very complimentary so it has been worthwhile. The other two drawers store my wire trays, scrapbooks and other writing paraphenalia. Yes there were little high points for I purchased some twinlocks from the local office supplies out the outskirts of town, returning from Bury by a different route where I saw the most glorious view against a mid spring lemon coloured skyline, bringing out the best in the English countryside after a hard winter, not this one at present has been that great.

July, we had a day out with a friend of mine from Open University days then the following day, Ulli, my other uni friend arrived. That had been expected. We arranged some accommodation locally then on Saturday, I joined her and the kids on a visit to Stowe

August, I enrolled on to an evening course in creative writing at the local learning centre, that was the high point but blighted on the Sunday the fifteenth when I suddenly became unwell. The day before, our Burmese cat went awol so knowing what cats can be like, curious and all that, I walked down to the entrance of our field, naive to a very unpleasant small danger. I had wellies but no socks on alas for unbeknown to me, I was bitten by a very nasty insect called a Blandford fly, resulting in cellulitis and now lymphedema. Its immediate effects were more startling ranging from a feverish high temperature to involuntary shivers, a foot the size of a rugby ball. The long and short of it, I had to leave Workwise to recover properly. I am now appealing to get my Employment Assistance benefit back yet I am not trying also to seek work I can do from home

The dreadful weather, two lots of snow, my aunt being less than well has culminated in a year that can hardly be classed as ideal. Now thankfully the festive season is slowly drawing to a close, New Year's Day on Saturday.

So what are your feelings about 2011? Anticipation, apprehension perhaps. Maybe both of these 'A' words mixed into one. Hardly surprising perhaps as these are common thoughts that run through the minds of everyone. Challenges I am sure there will be but let us raise our glasses in hope for another year that will be less of an annus horrabulis Happy New Year everybody