I cannot remember now when I started this blog. Come to think of it, I can’t remember very much at all these days but I think it was about five years ago. I don’t pay much attention to the blog’s “stats” but I looked at them today and was amazed to see that there have been over 75,000 views, almost 250 posts and well over 600 comments (excluding mine). The most popular topics have been my Raleigh Oakland and Raleigh (Ikea) folding bicycles – which is odd, since I have neither cycled nor blogged about cycling for at least a couple of years. Indeed, in the hope of preserving the hips as long as I can (they are quite able to complain these days before I have walked a couple of miles) I am unlikely to cycle again. I will try to remember to sell those bikes (both of them almost “as new”) in the spring.
On a personal level 2012 has been a good year. I started the year in the middle of treatment for prostate cancer, with inconvenient side effects already well established and with lots of injections and radiotherapy yet to come. The year ended with the cancer well and truly subdued if not totally defeated. The injections are down to one every three months and my case is reviewed every six months. This will continue for 2-3 years, perhaps longer, and so will the side effects. I am not complaining. If tempted to do so I have only to think of the many lovely family members and friends who didn’t make it to my age, or even to within 10 or 20 years of it.
Several other good things happened to us this year of which by far the best was when our brilliant daughter and son-in-law gave us a beautiful granddaughter, to join our two grandsons. We are so lucky!
I am grateful for all the interest that has been shown in this blog and especially to those who have left comments and whose blogs appear in my blogroll. I wish you a Happy Christmas and may all your own wishes for 2013 come true.
This is all excellent news. Espoecially the granddaughter although I am quite certain that the cancer results are most heartening too. Having just had my first clear scan I can share that sense of relief. I wish you the merriest of christmases and a new year that brings you much love and laughter.
And our very Best Wishes to you too Steve. You have had a much tougher time than me and Granny Anne and I are delighted to hear the good news about your scan.
Isn’t it amazing how quickly the time does go? It’s hard to believe so much has happened in this one year- and so wonderful that most of what has happened has, in the end, been good.
Of course it had to be a special delight to enjoy that new grand-daughter this year! And all of us are awfully happy you were around to do it! It will be fun to follow your adventures in this coming year. Who knows what will show up in your header photo?
Merry Christmas!
Thank you Shoreacres for your lovely comment.
You are right. In retrospect the year seems to have flown by, even though, at the time it didn’t often feel like that at all.
Now the days are getting longer again and it cannot go on raining indefinitely (can it?!) and 2013 is only days away. Whatever the new year brings you may be sure that we will be seeking out the fun (and the humour) in every situation.
And before I forget (yet again), the current heading picture was taken from MS Balmoral (starboard side, promenade deck) and the shadowy outline straight ahead is the island of La Gomera, in the Canary Islands. I wonder what will be in the next picture (will it be another ocean scene to please Shoreacres?).