The year that was 2009

Like just about everyone else who has a blog I thought I would reflect on the last year, if nothing else for my own sanity. A year that proved to have highs and incredible lows for me. This is a personal reflection on my life and not on technology or the world at large.

For the first time in 2008 I had spent Christmas away from home with my mother, her partner, my aunt and her family and of course my family including Duke our dog. We had rented some cottages down in Somerset and had a really nice time. It turned out to be a very important memory for me and one I will always cherish.

Work has been a challenge in 2009. Having had to cope with increased demand, fewer resources, it was tough. I found myself working 10 - 12 hour days as the norm and had very little time to myself for anything except work.

The summer proved to be a damp affair and as such I really didn't get out on the motorbike much this year. The Kill spills organisation that I have marshalled for at various events over the last 4 years did not have any events this year and they are something I usually look forward to. Maybe next year, who knows.

Of course the major events of 2009 were very personal in nature. My mother was diagnosed with Lung Cancer in August and less than a month later she died suddenly. I have covered this is detail in a previous post but this was obviously a heart breaking event. The day after my mothers funeral we lost our dog Duke, another very distressing event. It seemed that 2009 was destined to end on a bad note. Two weeks after that my son was in a bad car accident when a friend of his lost control of his car and flipped it. My son wasn't wearing a seat belt but thank god he didn't get flung from the car or crushed under it and walked away with minor injuries.

This Christmas has been depressing and difficult. My mother was missing and she loved this time of year. I am so glad that we spent last year together as a family. Duke loved Christmas as well and would go mad ripping the paper of his new toy each year but again that was missing. In fact the magic of Christmas has been slowly fading as the years go by. I don't know why, I always loved this time of year, but now it just seems like a big panic for weeks or months then a day later it's all over. The sad thing is I "really want" to enjoy the festive season but I just can't. I wish it was like one of those family movies where everyone is happy and Santa flies over the house on his sleigh shouting ho ho ho, but life isn't like that.

Just so I don't finish on the doom and gloom, there were some highlights for 2009. I had my first (and so far only) flying lesson in an old beaten up Cessna 152 out of Blackbushe. I also turned semi-professional in my photography and have enjoyed that immensely. Both things I hope to continue in the future. I've made lots of new friends online in twitter and also reconnected with old friends from my school days. Now I need to stop living in the past and try to get on with the future.