New Year greetings

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL

This is just a brief blog to wish all my readers a very happy New Year.

For us 2012 has been a hard year. Cold and rain has dominated the weather, though fortunately we’ve not actually been flooded out. 

Our April holiday in France turned out to be dominated by the need to keep a wood-burning stove going as it rained and hailed outside. Admittedly we did manage some trips & our day in Sarlat was wonderful. 

Sarlat

Then my breast started bleeding &  the abdominal pains I had been having from time to time starting to get more frequent & more intense until I ended up in hospital for a few days, & now have had numerous out-patient hospital visits. 

On top of that we’ve worried over State benefits (ESA, Employment and Support Allowance, our main income) - the application form, the medical and now the appeal. 

The only good thing to be said is that, despite his stroke last year, the Fox has coped remarkably well, even though now he is very very tired as am I. We both need a holiday, a break somewhere to be pampered, where we can recoup our strength a bit. However, that will have to wait until I have the result of my recent scan & know if any surgery is necessary or something else dire is found. (Hopefully it won’t, as, on the whole, I’m feeling a lot better. I’ve just had the odd twinge, the sort of thing I wouldn’t have even noted in other circumstances, & the very occasional sharp spasm of short duration.)

I’m not overly optimistic about 2013. I suppose I have to admit optimism is never very characteristic of me. As far as I can see the early part of the year is going to be dominated still by my health problems and ESA appeal. I’m just hoping things may pick up as the year goes on. At least the weather may improve which would lift the spirits a bit, making anything more tolerable.

There have been some good aspects of 2012. I did enjoy watching the Thames pageant for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. In a curious way I am appreciating not feeling obliged to go over to the Pub as much as we did to support PD. I feel we’ve got some of our own lives back again. The Fox’s potato crop was bountiful even if his other vegetables were less successful. Above all, we’ve come through the year together despite all the problems and that is the most precious thing of all.

So let’s hope 2013 brings good luck, better weather & prosperity to us all. Once more

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL