Today marks the end of 2015 - and I am torn as to whether to be very very relieved or just very grateful for the year.
The queen spoke about her annus horribilis and this was kind of ours, but although we have been tested so much we do feel a great sense of gratitude and thankfulness at the end of it.
2015 saw so many health issues. I had an esophageal issue and was sent for tests and it was a very sobering thought that they arranged the tests within a few days and the form stated quite clearly that the tests were being rushed through as there was a possibility it was cancer. That's a wake up call when you read that. But the tests came back negative for cancer and the condition I do have is treatable - much to be grateful for.
2015 also saw me rushed into A and E with a suspected pulmonary embolism. We never want to live through that 48 hours again. But again, whilst the infection left me weak for a while - and to be honest I still suffer with breathlessness at times - it was not an embolism. Again much to be grateful for and we were in awe of the care of the staff who work in our NHS. We are blessed to have such a service and so many caring and dedicated professionals.
My pre-glaucoma/disc issues remain stable and I am now on 9 monthly tests instead of 6 monthly. Again a blessing.
Then there was Nigel. Nigel has been to hell and back int he last two months but the important issue there is the 'and back'. The original surgery was elective. He knew he would have to have it at some point and the advice was that the younger he was the easier it would be to recover. How right they were. The complications that laid him up so severely in December would have been very hard to recover from if he had been 10 or 15 years older. As it was it took every last ounce of his reserve to bounce back but he did and my Nigel is back and he is well and he is better for it.
Once again we were indebted to the work of so many in the NHS and blessed with so many wonderful friends who offered so much support - both psychological and practical.
So there have been issues that have tested us to the limits but my Mom always used to say that God doesn't send you more than you can stand and the positive thing that has come out of it is that our faith is so much stronger. We are so lucky compared to so many and the things that have taxed us have been for the best as they have renewed our faith, strengthened our love and made us stop and reflect.
2015 has also seen so many good things. Nigel's mother, who is now sadly not as well as she was and appears to be deteriorating down the dementia road very swiftly, turned 90 at the start of the year and we had a lovely celebration.
Nigel MC'd a Kelvin Tatum and Nigel Pearson evening. and continued to be the front man at speedway. I was so proud to be there to see him present the meeting when they became Elite League champions again and when he interviewed Darcy and I am so proud he is going to be working with Darcy in the future.
We did many Treasure Trails which took us all around Dorset and we enjoyed a whole host of days out to places such as Weymouth, Sherbourne, the Purbecks, The New Forest, Kingston Lacy, Winchester, Petworth, Beaulieu, Mottisfont, London and Bristol.
We re-modelled many of our flower borders, keeping our garden manageable and we ate out at our favourite places so many times. .
Nigel turned 60 and we had a wonderful celebration weekend and we had a great trip to London.
Dolly's Designs was born and we began our craft fair experience.
We spent two weeks in our spiritual home of Florida and loved every minute and we continued to enjoy the love an attention of the world's two naughtiest Bengals.
We have indeed been blessed. We have a roof over our heads, food on our table and money in the bank. We have purpose and commitment, health and happiness, love and laughter. Oh yes 2015 has indeed been a good year.
I made a 2015 year book over the past 10 days and this is a selection of pages. There are a lot of them and all sorts of flaps and pockets. It is a 122 x 6" book so quite a mammoth task.
and finally a selection of pages which sow, through scrapping, some of our favourite moments of the year -and yes Florida features a fair bit
Thank you for visiting, for your many messages throughout the year, for your company and support. I wish all of you who visit here a wonderful 2016, a year filled with health and happiness, love and laughter.
