2012 Wasn’t That Bad Really

2012I was speaking with someone recently, who didn’t have the best start to the year.  She then said to me you haven’t had the best year either and if I stop and think about it, it wasn’t the best year but I’m not the kind of person to dwell on it.   We’ve had a few challenges this year but for the most part it’s been fairly positive.

The year started out as normal, enjoyed getting back into routine in January after all the Christmas festivities.  We were invited to a secret event in London hosted by Richard Branson.  I managed to persuade Helen from Actually Mummy to come with me.  As usual, Branson didn’t disappoint, we were privy to a rather impressive 3D projection on the Senate Building in London.

Then it all went horribly wrong in February.  My hubby was hit by a gritting lorry whilst cycling home from work and sustained substantial head injuries and ended up in a resuscitation unit in London.  We are incredibly lucky as he has pretty much made a full recovery.  This is not a phone call anyone loved one wants on a Friday night.

You’ll probably agree but it was about time we had a bit of luck.  In March, I won a trip to Copenhagen.

In April, we had the opportunity to take Madame to her First Ballet, My Sleeping Beauty, put on by the National Ballet!  It was truly magical. Unfortunately amidst all the magic, my hubby was made redundant and our daughter didn’t get her first choice of school so we would be losing our childminder she had since she was 4 months old.

I have never been so cold.  In May, we went Glamping in Shropshire.  It was great to get away and spend some family time together.

In June, the lovely Sheba invited us around her house for a Feast Through India.  The only way I can describe it is Come Dine with me but with Class.  The food was amazing and we met some lovely people.

This is the stuff dreams are made of….. Our daughter is 5 and was the perfect age for a trip to Eurodisney in July.

In August, we made our yearly trek to Canada to see my family.  We always have an amazing time; one of the highlights was Ziplining in Chase Canyon.

Madame, started school in September, luckily we caught it all on Camera as any good blogger would do.  Even, though she didn’t get her first choice of school we are incredibly happy where she is and she has settled in well with her new childminder.

In October, to celebrate our Anniversary we went to Copenhagen.  It was our first trip without our daughter, it was a bit of a logistical nightmare and we felt weird leaving her behind but we all had a great time.

As a Canadian, I grew up spending most of my time outdoors, predominantly in the woods.  So when I saw a Forest School advertised for school holidays in November we jumped at the chance.

Where did the time go, before we knew it was December?  I finally managed to have a proper catch up with a mate, whilst enjoying a spa day.

I was originally inspired by Laura from Yummy Mummy Flabby Tummy to write a year in review post after seeing hers.  However, I found it to be an incredibly useful activity to remind myself how fortunate we are and to be grateful for what we have.

As a family, we are looking forward to seeing what 2013 holds for us.  One big positive is that hubby starts work next week!  Yay!

 

 

Scarecrow Festival, Flamstead 2012

It’s official, the English are eccentric.  Today we went to the Scarecrow Festival in Flamstead, Herts.  Apparently, it’s been going for over 10 years and was started to generate funds for the upkeep of the Village Church and the Herts Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre.

At least 70 locals took part, hoping for the most votes at the end of the day.  We’d printed out a map beforehand but found ourselves just roaming the streets on the look out for these rather unique home-made anomalies dotted around the town.  Our favourites were the 3 Little Pigs, The Hungry Caterpillar and the Guy on the Throne.  However, we forgot to vote in the end.

All in all it was a great day out, albeit a bit hot!

Is this a British thing?