2013 in Review
Happy new year! Here's the fifth annual Review. Previous editions are here.
1. What did you do this year that you’d never done before?
Grabbed my finances by the bollocks at long last.
That's all I can remember. Must keep a note of this stuff during the year.
Pancake Place, Dunfermline
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next this year?
Write every day. About 63% successful there. I also chose a word of the year: Focus. It was ace! But not in the way I thought it would be. I thought it'd be all about fitness/career, but with the unexpected happenings of Q3 it became about focusing on what absolutely, really needed to be done... as opposed to the "problems" and "urgent tasks" of my mind's invention. It felt rubbish at the time, but I'm far less procrastifaffy these days.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes! I lost count.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
No, thankfully.
5. What countries did you visit?
Australia, Dubai, Germany, Italy and The Netherlands. All work trips, except going home to Oz via Dubai.
Burj Khalifa, Dubai
6. What would you like to have next year that you lacked in this one?
Fluffy baffies! (that's slippers if you're not in Scotland)
7. What dates from this year will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March - brief visit to my friend Paula in Dubai, en route to Australia. We drove out into the desert at sunset and I loved that sparse landscape. Thank you, Paula!
April - a mini road trip for a family BBQ with some happy reunions, topped off with a cake/coffee debrief/detour on the way back to Mum's.
July - a scorching day on Islay, paddling in crystal clear water with tiny fish scuttling about. Never thought I'd get in the water in Scotland!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting through the fucker without too much whinging!
9. What was your biggest failure?
Ignoring my instincts on a particular decision. It's turned out even more crapfully than the instincts predicted, d'oh. Never again!
Also failed to progress beyond the dishcloth, knitting wise!
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
A julienne peeler.
River Ness pedestrian bridge
12. Where did most of your money go?
Moving.
13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to Oz.
Arriving in Sydney. Blurred due to excitement
Aussie pubs are awesome
14. What song will always remind you of this year?
Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy. The CD has been in the car for months. Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak / Somewhere in this town. Somewhere in this town? Let me guess... AT THE JAIL!?
15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
Happier!
b) thinner or fatter?
Fatter.
c) richer or poorer?
Poorer. Moving is pricey.
16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Read fiction.
17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Emotional eating of KitKats.
18. How did you spend Christmas?
At home in my jammies, just me and Gareth and many 30 Rock episodes.
19. Did you fall in love this year?
Nooo... but would I write it here if I did?
20. What was your favourite TV program?
30 Rock - I got into it after watching all of Season 5 on the Dubai - Glasgow flight back in April. Gareth and I have been going through the archives this winter.
Parenthood - Pure comfort telly. Good stories with mostly non-annoying characters. And everyone has perfect hair. Sometimes you just need that.
Sgoil nan Cuileanan/Puppy School - last spring we got hooked on watching a bunch of dogs learning to be obedient, in Gaelic. Who knew we'd end up living in the Highlands? It makes me want to get a dog just to try and get on the second series.
Sgoil nan Cuileanan
21. What was the best book you read?
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.
22. What was your favourite film of this year?
I didn't see any new ones that really struck me but my Netflix favourites were All About Eve and the Senna documentary.
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 36. I took the day off work and pottered around Inverness. I went to Velocity (best cafe in town by far) and had a wodge of outstanding lemon mascarpone cake for breakfast. Then I went jeans shopping. What kind of masochist does that on their birthday? Which led to dressing room tears which led to pondering the cake/jeans connection and vowing not to feel that shite on my 37th birthday which led to Googling personal trainer Inverness which led me back to weight training and the rebuilding of healthier habits. So not a bad day really!
Birthday slice
24. What kept you sane?
Friends near and far.
25. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I can't remember! I need to keep a Lust List during the year.
26. Who did you miss?
Everyone in Oz. It got worse after the visit!
27. Who was the best new person you met?
My blog buddy Helen - finally in person, 13 years after we met in the diet blog olden days when we paranoidly blurred the faces of our progress photos.
Shona the Personal Trainer
See ya, 2013!
