Hello 2017
So here we are. My first blog post of 2017 and uncannily it’s all about the notorious 2016.
I’ve had over a week off blogging during the Christmas period and it was a welcome break. This first post is being draft written on my iPhone as I still can’t bring myself to dig out the laptop as I know it won’t stop at just this post. 2016 was a busy year for me with regards to blogging and the break has done me the world of good. I will make the most of the last few days.
Goodbye 2016
I’ve never been a fan of ‘New Year’. I don’t know why. I don’t know whether it’s the pressure to make sure that it starts well with a good New Years Eve, or whether it’s the unknown of what’s to come in the coming months. But this year I feel like I’m welcoming it with open arms.
Looking back over the last twelve months, it feels like 2016 was a stressful year. Not for me personally or us as a family but just life for everyone in general. The news has been full of bad news. Celebrity deaths have been so ridiculously consistent it makes me nervous to check the news for fear of who will be next. Politics has been, in my opinion, catastrophic on both sides of the Atlantic and there is still a worry in the air of how both of these big results will affect us all in the coming months and years.
2016 was a huge year in terms of us losing so many well known and hugely loved celebrities. I can’t really believe that it is almost a year since we lost David Bowie. This was a big shock to all of us and I was playing Bowie songs for quite some time afterwards. This always makes me sad. That it can sometimes take their death for us to dig them out. I was a fan for a long time and I was stunned when it was announced. As were most people.
If I mention every celebrity that we have lost this year, this will be a very long post. That’s a sad fact in itself. There were so many and so many of them were a part of my childhood and teenage years. Alan Rickman was in Robin Hood Prince Of Thieves – the first film I ever bought on video. Then later, Love Actually. A film I insist on watching every Christmas. Terry Wogan has just always been there. Always. I was moved to tears with the news of his death. So many years of memories of watching Wogan as a kid and Children In Need every year. Paul Daniels – I had a Paul Daniels Magic Set when I was little and I loved Wizbit! Lemmy from Motörhead. I wasn’t the biggest Motörhead fan but he influenced so many of the artists I listen to today. His loss is enormous in the world of rock music. Prince was also an influential artist who has always been there and now is no more. But the biggest shock of them all for me came on Christmas Day when I saw the Sky News alert pop up on my phone saying that George Michael had died. This was huge. He was my birthday buddy and someone I’d grown up listening to. When I was little, my Sister liked Andrew Ridgely and I liked George Michael. I’d sing and dance to Wham’s 7″ Freedom record on repeat. It was and still is, pop music at it’s finest.
I don’t know why we seem to be losing all of these big names in one year and I really hope it doesn’t continue on into 2017.
It has made me think about how my year has been and what I have to be thankful for. I have my family and my friends. Real family and real friends – not the ones who claim to be either. The real ones are the important ones. And they are who I concentrate on and will continue to do so well into this next year.
2017 has the potential to be a brilliant year for me in terms of this blog and my work. And of course family life too. I intend to take 2017 and run with it. I’m excited to see where it takes me.
I spoke to some fellow bloggers about how their 2016 was. The good and the bad and they were happy to share their stories.
Francesca – From Pennies To Pounds “2016 has been a good year for me, as I have tackled my debt in a very strong way! I also started my blog this year which has been one of the best things that I have ever done. I am sad to see 2016 go because it has been a year of positive changes, but I am beyond excited for 2017 because the foundation has been set, and I can now build on top of the work I have done, to create an amazing life!
“ Angela – The Inspiration Edit “2016 for my family has been the best year yet. We achieved so much. I managed to successfully find a specialist to help get my health on track. I’m no longer using a wheelchair, we have moved into a lovely home and my daughter is settled into a lovely school and comfortable. I never expected to achieve so much this year and whilst there are many sad happenings around us, 2016 is a year I can look back on and think, “wow” what a fantastic year. Having said this I cannot wait for 2017 which I hope will be even better”.
Emily – Babies and Beauty “2016 has been a year of tremendous highs, as well as really upsetting lows. For the world and the sorry state it’s in now thanks to Politics, I feel it’s leaning more towards the latter. However for us as a family it’s been a real mixed bag. 2016 upgraded us from a family of three to one of four, and though our littlest had an incredibly rough start in life, he fought on through and we couldn’t happier to be leaving the year behind, all healthy, happy and in one piece”.
The start of a New Year is always a new opportunity to make a fresh start. It’s a clean slate and I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New Year and here’s to to 2017. Let’s make it a good one!
How was your year and what do you hope for for 2017?
Thank you to the lovely bloggers mentioned above – make sure you stop by and take a look at their wonderful blogs.
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