I thought it would be nice to end this strangest of years on a positive note and look back over some of the joyous moments – there were one or two and then I had to think harder as I needed 5! But given time, and a G&T or two and I found 5 joyous moments/events which I wanted to share with you.
Yes, it’s been a tough year and yes we have all suffered in someway or another; emotionally, and even financially, but I wanted to share my happy times with you as we say goodbye to 2020.
So, here are my top 5 happy times from 2020:
May
Homegrown vegetables
Peace and quiet in the lanes
Wales
Time to write
1. May: remember way back then when the sun shone every day and we got to wear shorts and vest tops and flipflops, even as we were working from home. We sat in the garden and read a good book – well I did (see the Instagram posts @mytop5ofeverything for recommendations or should I say, my read list).
Mr. B and I opened the back doors wide and light and fresh air flooded into the house.
We drank the odd bottle of champagne to celebrate another day of life.
Contrast this with August when all I recall was rain, rain and more rain. But I am determined to keep this positive and upbuilding, so let’s move on eh?
2. Homegrown vegetables: We might only have a back yard, but the wonderful Mr. B. built troughs and we make the most of the space available to us.
It all started out so well in glorious May – remember sunshine – then it kind of went downhill with lashings of wind and rain, so some of our crops were not as plentiful as expected – but trying, again, to keep it positive, we had some fragrant and beautiful sweet peas.
And going into 2021, my fathers top lawn has been utterly devasted by a fox – tips to get rid of the thing gratefully received – Mr. B wants to shoot it, but I will not let him go that far!
Anyhow, we shall, once it has become bored and moved to someone else’s garden, dig up what’s left and turn it into a little allotment and excitement and planning abounds in our house as I organise and order next year’s seeds etc. Something to look forward to.
3. Peace and quiet in the lanes: we live in a village on the Staffordshire/Cheshire border. Our lane is a bit of a rat run between two towns so can be busy in the morning and evenings and during the school run, but during the early part of lockdown in March – SILENCE!!!
Being able to walk the lanes in peace and quiet was breathtaking. The sound of the birds and the animals in the fields. The spring flowers, everything seemed to be alive and brought such joy.
Shame it was short-lived, and we’ve reverted to our former behavior and forgotten the simple pleasures of stopping and listening to a black bird in full flow.
4. Wales: In September we upped sticks and went to South Wales for 10 days – ok so we still got to look at four walls albeit four different walls – but we walked on the beach instead of our ever-busy lanes. We sat in the sunshine and we decompressed and relaxed. It was wonderful.
5. Time to write: The enforced halt on normal life enabled me to take stock and breath, as I’m sure it did for most of us – after all it was a shuddering great halt, hitting a barrier at 100mph kind of halt. Yes, I was affected by lockdown but there was a time period when I kind of came to terms with it.
I watched as people were inspire to exercise – why? Or learned a new language – ok I get that. Bake cakes – yep, did that ‘til I couldn’t get into my skinny jeans. But the motivation to write took time and a sense of inner peace, but finally, when it arrived I embraced it fully and with the help of my very talented editor Sian, we got my novel to a proof-read stage. Now, going forward, I have to find an agent and a publisher, so 2021 might actually turn out to be a very exciting year.
There’s always room in every day for a little gratitude and positivity.
I hope you found some in 2020 despite all the trials and tribulations and challenges and that 2021 might be a good year for you too. Stay safe. Stay strong.