FAREWELL 2025

2025

I LOVE to look back on the year. See what we've done, achieved, enjoyed!!

It's been another good year, other than my ongoing menopausal woes. I'm still loving my job(s) and the flexibility it gives me and time off with Jeff during the holidays. And we've had some good holidays!! Travel is still very much a priority for us both and we've been lucky enough to visit Italy, Greece, France and Portugal together this year.

My love of musical theatre is still strong and I've enjoyed many a trip to the Bristol Hippodrome/the Old Vic/St George's to see...... & Juliet, Dear Evan Hansen, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Chicago, Moulin Rouge, Starter for Ten, Book of Mormon, Mamma Mia, the Christmas Spectacular......with another 6 shows already booked for 2026!

I've seen a few films this year - Bridget Jones - Mad about the boy, The Salt Path (disappointing), Downton Abbey - the FINAL, the Choral, ending with WICKED Part two!! 

Looking forward to the Housemaid and the Devil Wears Prada 2 in 2026

There was some good TV - I still love the Great Pottery Throwdown, Race Across the World and the Traitors has been brilliant, with a new series about to start tomorrow!

Concerts this year were to see Deacon Blue, Tony Ann (pianist), Sophie Ellis Bextor, ABC and finally, the absolutely brilliant BENSON BOONE at the O2. My total highlight of the year. The best concert I've ever been to.

I've walked lots this year, perhaps not as much as in previous years but still go out with my friend Lynn. I enjoyed a few days up in Edinburgh in May half-term, visiting Em and Ju, old school friends. Had a fab few days and loved the city. I still enjoy taking photographs, I take far too many but it brings me so much joy. I've read 13 books this year. Reading a book is something I've struggled with over the past few years, but I'm determined to keep it up in 2026.

Jeff has been busy at work, and seems to have enjoyed this year group a bit more!! He's spent many an hour watching car maintenance videos on YouTube and then spent many an hour lying on a "good bit of cardboard" under one car or another!!! He is Sophie's private mechanic!! He's also still loving the garden and planting this year. In the little free time he has, you can find him running, refereeing and quietly plotting his retirement exit strategy. Still a few years to go!!

Sophie is still up in Cardiff, working for the ONS. Has spent much of this year house hunting. Sadly she had to withdrawal from a property she'd offered on, after the searches highlighted a few things, so the search continues. We enjoyed a couple of trips away together, a few days in Italy in the Spring and a week in Benitses, Corfu in early September. She bravely endured a tyre blowout on the motorway one trip back home, and it has knocked her confidence a bit, but thankfully, through sheer determination, she's steadily getting back to where she was.

Sam Graduated from Cardiff Uni, having spent the past 4 years there. There was many a time, when we thought this day wouldn't happen. But he did it and I couldn't be prouder. His plans for life after Uni didn't go quite as planned and he's ended up back at home for the time being. He and Poppy are still together. She's in a house share in Bristol, so not a million miles away, thanks to the 376 bus!! He's a GA up at school, hates it but it's money and he's term time only, so gets the holidays off. He's applying for graduate jobs but realistically will end up spending the year with us at home.

I've only made it down to Cornwall once to see Mum and Dad, but must try and get down a few more times in 2026. We've met a few times at a farm shop in Devon, due to mum's mobility now, but it's not the same as being in Cornwall.

So, there you have it a round-up of our year. 

All in all another FAB-U-LOUS YEAR xx

I will share with you our hopes, dreams, plans for 2026 over the next few days xx

Proudest moment of the year,

seeing Sam Graduate with a 2:1 in History and Economics

form Cardiff University

Sophie and I in Corfu

Jeff and I in our favourite place, Greece

Jeff doing his favourite thing diving/swimming in the sea

Our 2025 travels

The Gallery

My book pile!!

The BRILLIANT Benson Boone with Brian May

One of hundreds of photo's, from one of my many walks!!

The fabulous view of the Tor from my bedroom window.

ME x

(55 this year!!)

Mum and Dad (Oct '25)

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

FAMILY X

Breakfast Bags

Our Breakfast Bags were a great hit again, our 7th year of doing this. 

In early October we decide on 4x £5 categories and 4x £10 categories. 

We then each pick one out from each category, as a lucky dip. 

We buy a present for each of us (including yourself) in the category picked out, 

wrap it in identical paper and pop it in the named bags. 

When it comes to Christmas day, someone chooses a gift from their bag and we all find the gift from our bags in the corresponding paper, and unwrap it as a round.

So for example in the £5 category, I got ' a jar of', so I bought Jeff chewing gum, me a candle in a jar, Sophie a jar of coffee and Sam a jar of  Biscoff spread. I wrap those four gifts in the same design of  paper and pop each gift into each persons bag. Jeff had sweet snacks, Sophie had savoury snacks and Sam had accessories.

In the £10 round I got vessels. So I bought Jeff a diet coke glass, me a water bottle, Sophie a vase and Sam a new mug. Jeff got shower gel but it became toiletries, Sophie got hobbies and entertainment and Sam got 'a pair of'.

In total the 2 rounds equal just a £60 spend per person. (You can choose to spend more if you wish) 

It still involves a bit of thought and effort but the categories we come up with should mean we get things we will eat, need, use. 

 So from the £5 and £10 rounds this is what I received. 

Two things from Jeff - the shower gel and sweet snacks.

 Two things from Sophie - the Benson Boone CD's and the savoury snacks. 

Two things from Sam - the spoon holder/tags and the socks (apparently I'm really hard to buy for)

and I bought myself the water bottle and the candle in a jar!

The kids still get money as their main gift but get something fun to open on the day. Plus they don't have to agonise over what to buy for mum and dad or each other, and waste money in the process. 

As we neither want or need anything!!

I do a few extra rounds, nothing huge and only if I think it 

involves things people, need, want or will use!!

And Jeff does a book round, with Sophie buying a book for him. 

This year I did a Traitors round, 

a pigeon round,

Family joke, as I hate pigeons!! 

Sam got some extra Lego, and the we played the Pigeon game together.

a bag round,

holiday/travel round

Italian round

Easter egg round!!!

Forest Feast bags

And a couple of main gifts that were specifically asked for!!

Sophie, a new kettle and some new towels

Sam, some socks and Lego!!

 I bought Jeff a pair of shorts for summer (very Harry Styles!!) 

and treated myself to these ornamental figs!!

I hide everything away and then in early December lay everything out and 

decide what is missing, what is not needed, what would work as a round and then get wrapping!!

They're called Breakfast Bags because Sam was always impatient to open presents, 

so we start on the bags at breakfast!!

I received this lovely selection of gifts. 

Everything is wanted, needed or will be eaten or used. 

It hasn't cost loads of money. 

It hasn't meant someone has agonised over what to buy.

It works for us, we're already debating next years categories!! 

Christmas 2025

Merry Merry Christmas!

We started the festive week, driving down to Lifton in Devon, to meet up with my side of the family. With mum now in a wheelchair, and dad not having to drive so far, it's a good meeting point. So we enjoyed a nice lunch and did the present swap and headed home.

To then do the same thing the following day (Monday) but a little closer to home, in Wells. Again with the need for disabled access, we all met up in Spoons!! We were missing a few...Freya and Ned were still working but it was lovely to have a catch up with everyone and hear their news.

And that was the social gathering done for another year.

Just the four of us for Christmas.

I remember the first year it was just the four of us. I think Granny was poorly, which meant mum and dad stayed to look after her. I'd always hosted Christmas, living in the boarding schools, we would make use of the extra space and to me, Christmas was loads of people. Christmas wouldn't be the same with just the four of us but it was actually really lovely and so we have carried on doing it, partly through circumstances and partly through choice.

Christmas eve eve!!

The final food shop and....

(8am in Sainsbury's)

....annual fridge tetris!!

The Christmas crockery and tablecloths located....

....and the indulgent, calorific brownies made!

Always have to watch Love Actually every year!!

Enjoying the stillness x

Christmas Eve!

And a walk to blow away the cobwebs.

We've had so much rain. It's worth making use of any dry weather. 

An easterly wind has arrived. It's now dry but bitterly cold.

Back home to an afternoon of games and...

...jigsaws.

Veg prep en famille!!

And the Christmas Eve tradition of a sausage roll wreath for tea.

Stems back to the days when I had to work on Christmas Eve, quick and easy!

And now, a non negotiable 

Bridget Jones film to end the day.

Christmas Day!

Up and ready!!

Breakfast bags!

A light panettone breakfast....

and presents!!

The main event!!

and then the Kings Speech!

Followed by the evening on the sofa, opening a few more presents, watching a bit of TV and the family film choice this year.... 'The Roses' with Olivia Coleman and Benedict Cumberbatch.

Merry Christmas!

Boxing Day

We breakfasted and then squeezed into the car (Ford KA) and headed over to Ham Wall 

for a blast of cold air and a walk.

Always a friendly robin!!

It was bitterly cold but much needed.

Then it was back home for a Christmas leftovers sarnie and a few games.

And some Lego building!!

Twixmas!

The time between Christmas and New Year, where you have no idea which day it is!!

Jeff  back to running, the kids enjoying lie ins and lazy starts, and me resisting the urge to tidy!! 

I had planned to walk but the wind is baltic!! So time spent doing a few more games, jigsaws, tv, Lego building, reading, all very chilled and relaxed.

Merry Christmas x