Looking Back At 2023 And Ahead To 2024

Belated Happy New Year!

It’s that time of year, when people are reflecting on the past year, and looking ahead to the new one.

 

Last year was a tough year.  I lost my Mam in August, and found out two months later I’m dealing with liver failure myself now.  Not any easy thing to hear, especially after having watched your Mother go through it.

 

And the coming year will be dealing with whatever happens regarding my health.

 

Still, I’m trying to find those hygge moments where I can; I’m trying to find the joy in those little moments.  Despite pain, exhaustion, and general poor health.  And I’ll keep trying to embrace those hygge moments.

 

 

One way I’ve been doing this is with reading.

 

I’ve not been reading as much as is normal to me.  And – despite having been far ahead with it at one point – didn’t make my reading challenge goal.  But I did read several books, and enjoyed most of them a lot, which is the most important thing.  To see what I read this year, go to https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2023/9194956

 

 This year I'm setting a very low goal of just 12 books.  Because it would feel wrong not to set a Goodreads reading challenge goal, but I don't want to try and push myself too hard. 

 

How was your 2023? And do you have any goals for 2024? Or, perhaps, a word for the  year?

The rest of Yule & Christmas 2023

I got these Christmas cards after posting the other ones, so here they are:

 

 

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Among my gifts was this plush Santa Clause…

 

 

This decorative bell…

 

 

And a Lego advent calendar.  The calendar is Harry Potter themed, and we haven't put all the little kits from it together anyhow, but here are the holiday themed festive little kits from among them:

 

 

I also got more Lego, some new pyjamas, and a Harry Potter blanket.

 

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It was a pretty good Christmas.  Hope yours was too.

The #Dogs Get Their Wish From #SantaPaws

Hi everyone.  This is Logan the Cavapoo.

 

Me and Lilie got the thing we wanted most from Santa Paws: Mummy stayed home.

 

We also got a cuddly pheasant toy each and a pack of chewie bones to share.

 

There aren’t any photos though, because we were super excited, bouncing everywhere, and didn’t feel like posing for photos, so Mummy said to just leave it and let us have what Santa Paws left for us, since we were much too excited to co-operate with photo time.

 

It was a great Christmas.  Not just because we got a new toy and treats.  But because Mummy was there to share it with us, which is better than all the toys and treats in the whole world put together.

 

And, yes, she’s still home with us now.  Where she belongs!

 

Lots of licks,

Logan

Of Birthday Flowers, Christmas Trees, And Dried Lavender

I never got around to sharing my birthday photos.  So, here are the flowers I got:

 

The yellow ones in the bunch are from Kelly, and the pink ones are from a friend named Dara.

 

And here are my birthday cards:

 

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We went minimalistic with decorations this year, but one thing we did get was a real tree.  We don’t usually, but I love the idea of real trees, so  Dara helped Kelly to arrange it for me as a special treat.  And here it is:

 

One photo shows it during daylight, the other after sunset.

 

Also, here are the Christmas cards we’ve received so far:

 

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When Dara went to pick up the tree, they were handing out dried lavender, so she grabbed me some…

 

My living room smells like a cross between a lavender field and a Christmas tree farm, and I love it!

The #Dogs Letters To #SantaPaws 2023

Dear Santa Paws,

Mummy and Daddy say you are coming soon. I’ve been a very good girl, so I’m sure you will be bringing me something nice. remember to bring something for my brothers too. Yes, even the tortoise.

The thing me and Logan want most though is for Mummy to stay home with us and Daddy. She keeps going to the people vet, and we don’t like it. Please make her stay home with us where she belongs.

Lots of licks,

Lilie

Celebrating #Samhain 2023

Despite still feeling pretty unwell, I was determined to try and do a little something to celebrate Samhain )otherwise known as Halloween, or Nos Calan Gaeaf in Welsh).  So we hung up an Autumn themed reef on the door...

Kelly helped me make sure there was a Mr. Pumpkin-Head (what I always call my carved pumpkins, ever since I wrote the poem of that name years ago) to put in the window...

And I enjoyed some tea in my new 'Witches Brew' cauldron-shaped mug (brought a couple of months ago, but not shown to you at the time, to match the teapot I got a couple of years ago)...

 

 

While we watched episodes of "Wednesday" on Netflix and waited for trick-or-treaters.

 

There were very few trick-or-treaters (even when compared to recent years, when we've had less than there always used to be when I was young) between the rain and our minimalist approach to decorations, but I'm sure Kelly doesn't mind finishing off the Halloween chocolates.

Of Transport Companies, #AutumnEquinox Celebrations, And Medical Mutterings

When we took the dogs to the groomer a couple of weeks ago, we used the transport company we’d used to take them to the vet.  They’re useful, and much cheaper than cab fare, but not particularly great at being reliable at timekeeping, and seem to keep forgetting I’m blind even when I’m standing right there.  We couldn’t book a ride back from the groomer with them though, because they didn’t have an available car (even though I’d tried to book a couple of weeks in advance) so I had to look for an alternative option for picking the dogs up.

 

Luckily, as it turns out, there’s a second transport company recently been started up in the area, which works similarly to the other one, and I was able to book the second trip with them.  So far, I’m more impressed with this second company, since they arrived on time to pick me up, and were a lot more helpful to me (which makes me feel better about any time I might need to use them without Kelly joining me on the journey).

 

 

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The Autumn Equinox was a couple of weeks ago, as I’m sure you know.

 

With my lack of energy and not feeling great, we didn’t do much, but we made some apple pie and had it with ice-cream (dairy-free ice-cream for me, of course).  So at least we did something nice for the day.

 

I’d have liked to do more.  But between how I’m feeling in general and having been out to take the dogs for grooming the previous day (even if the trips there and back weren’t long ones) I didn’t have the energy.

 

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I went to the sleep clinic (eventually – after the hospital transport got sent on such a stupid route we were all late for our appointments, so grateful the hospital takes responsibility if we’re late on their transport and fits us in when we finally arrive) and got the device they wanted me to wear for the sleep study.

 

Hopefully they got something from that device, because Kelly helped me make sure it was turned on (because, of course, it was all visual and not accessible to me) but when we got up in the morning it was off.  We don’t know how, or when, it got turned off, but it happened some time while I was sleeping.  Anyway, I’ll find out in a few weeks, when they say I’ll either get asked to do another sleeve study or told the results of this one.

In the meantime, my MRI appointment came through, so I have that on October 11^th.