It's the end of the year as we know it

Posted on 2008/01/05 12:25:54 (January 2008).

[Monday 31st December]
Well, that's it then, another year done and dusted.

Chie went to work in the daytime, and in the evening we went to Rob and Kate's house in the suburbs of Reading to drink away the last few hours of the year.

Akin to Lox's recent post I am inclined to wallow in a few self indulgent paragraphs about what has been achieved in this year.

Well, in a sense not much has changed really - the big upheavals came at the end of 2006 - getting a new job (although at that time not yet starting), leaving the old one, moving house and moving country, plus of course getting married. So there were no real big changes this year, all the big decisions had been made before it started, and so I suppose this year was just about riding it out (if that is the right phrase). I started my new job back in January, and we found a place to live in February... and from then on it was pretty much just work, work, work up to the end of the year.

Within the job itself I suppose I am in quite a different position to when I started - when I first started I was really uncomfortable, and pretty unsure as to whether or not I was really capable of doing the job. I've gone from there to being in quite a key position on one of my company's highest profile projects. Things are looking pretty good for the future, if I can just keep on top of it all - certainly the last few months of the year were getting very stressful - not to mention the 17 hour days and so on - and I don't feel like I've ever worked so hard in my life.

Work aside though I have occasionally been able to squeeze in time for recreation, and looking back there have been a few highlights. Perhaps most of all was our trip to Edinburgh and Islay in September. I've been wanting to go to Islay for years, and despite the weather it was absolutely fantastic, everything I could have hoped for.

My birthday this year was also quite a good one - I think it probably ranks in the top 5. My 23rd (the one with the bonfire) probably remains my all time favourite - largely because it was only planned two days before, it was midweek and I didn't expect anyone would actually come - and yet the turn-out was actually fantastic. For the record my 26th and 27th probably also feature in the top five, although disregarding the unpleasantness at the end of the evening in the former case.

Amongst the other highlights were spending time in Calfornia with Chie as part of one of my business trips back in March, and the week in the Dordogne with Mum right back in January - it's a really beautiful part of the world. Oh and the week when Chie's family came to stay was also really nice, despite the bad weather and a bout of the old gastroenteritis on my part. I suppose our trip to Cambridge and Ely was also quite nice in hindsight, although the awful weather and hugely disappointing hotel made it a bit hard to actually realise we were enjoying ourselves at the time.

So in summary it has been a year largely characterised by hard work (and constantly bad weather!), on balance probably less amount of time having fun than previous years, but maybe now that I'm in my thirties it is time to get my head down and finally do something serious about making that fortune. I'll go back to messing around in my forties, I think.

That was a good read! I fear my own year was one characterised by plain old work... Not much else major.

Yes, looking back you've have a bit of a triumphal return to the UK! May 2008 be a good one for you both! :)

Posted by Nigel at 2008/01/05 23:40:50.

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