And a happy New Year to you all. We did essentially the same thing we’ve done every New Year’s Eve since the millennium, I think. We were up in bed snoring long before it turned midnight in the UK. But, celebrating the new year in Antananarivo sounds much more enjoyable than revelling in Trafalgar Square or, indeed, the Upper Green, Moreton Pinkney.
As it turns out, we weren’t the only ones. At 9 o’clock our time a significant quantity of fireworks were set off somewhere in the village – close enough to hear but nowhere that I could see., unfortunately. I didn’t bother to get up and see if I could spot the ones which illuminated the sky at midnight!
It’s been a miserable week with rain, rain, rain and then some more rain. At the same time, it’s been unsettlingly mild – the temperature’s been in double figures (Celsius) for what seems like weeks. I suppose we’ll still have a winter and might get some snow at some point. Don’t get me wrong, I am too old to be disappointed by the lack of snow and freezing cold temperatures but this is definitely not “normal.”
We had our “big” Christmas celebrations on Boxing Day (for my American friends, the day after Christmas). Nick, Lucy and Annabelle and Adam, Ava and Jessie came for the day and we had an excellent, excellent time.
Penny spent the whole of Christmas Day cooking and I spent the whole of Christmas Day washing up. As you know, Penny never knowingly under-caters and this was no exception. With the current Covid advice to avoid large indoor crowds, I did wonder how and where we were going to entertain the 60 or 70 additional souls for whom she had catered. I ate as much as I could but I think we’ll be eating left-overs until mid-March.
Of course, it was delicious. A turkey crown which was cooked to perfection (how do those creatures breed?), a delicious ham as well as salmon en croûte for those pesky pescatarians (Nick and herself). There were also, of course, several thousand varieties of vegetables including the ubiquitous Brussels sprouts and, in a cunning plan to get me to eat some of my least favourite root vegetables, a dish of pureed parsnips. Ugh!
There were also forty-seven different desserts (not forgetting the cheese board). I was so stuffed that I didn’t need to eat for six days (although naturally, I did).
In spite of the enormous quantity of food we were compelled to consume, there was still time for the exchanging of gifts, a number of games and entertainment provided by the grandchildren. Splendid!
As last year recedes into the memory, I had a look at my cycling statistics for the year, just for fun. Astonishingly, the exercise bike tells me I have cycled 2,953 miles! Equally atonishingly, according to Google Maps, the distance from New York City to Los Angeles cycling is 2,932 miles – what are the chances of that? The extra mileage will get me from downtown to Ben and Brex-Anna’s home nicely.
When I told Penny how many miles I had cycled during the year she looked at me somewhat quizzically and asked, “Is that all?”
Again, too many “You Could Not Make It Up” moments this week. How about the Tory peer who was awarded £330,000 to repair the potholes on his private estate from the “Levelling Up” fund intended to help the more deprived areas of the country? Or the complete and absolute unavailability of rapid lateral flow Covid tests when the idiots in charge of the government announced that there would be no restrictions in England prior to the New Year. This, in spite of the number of Covid cases surging to their highest level ever and the government’s recommendation that everyone should take a LFT test before meeting up with anyone over the Christmas and New Year period.
One of those “end of year” reflection pieces caught my eye in the Guardian – the Worst Customer Service of the Year awards . . .
My favourite – the Department for Work and Pensions which penalised a Universal Credit recipient for not applying whilst in an induced coma. Nope, you could not make it up!
Meanwhile, keep happy, keep smiling, keep isolating as much as you can, wear a f**king facemask when you go out and keep your distance. And keep safe.
STOP PRESS
A late update – from Chris Riddell in this morning’s Guardian:
Here’s hoping that 2022 proves to be a much better exprience all round for everyone.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg