Christmas 2020 Favourites

Happy New Year! Well, as happy as it can be in the circumstances. Let’s face it, 2020 is the year that nobody wants to look back at. Referring to perfect vision as 20/20 will forever carry a certain irony with it now. And if you were to try and sum up the year with a word or phrase, there isn’t much that’s family-friendly that truly does it justice – other than dumpster fire perhaps, which I’ve seen a lot of people use very accurately.

But I did manage to find plenty to keep me occupied, as you can see from my many Favourites posts during the year. The major highlights for me were definitely being interviewed on the BBC’s In Touch programme, taking part in the CXcon Accessibility Panel Discussion, and being able to see at least a couple of my friends after such a long period apart. I also started publishing my old journal posts to fill the gap left by my lack of activity, which have had a surprising amount of interest, and my very in-depth reviews of Queen’s albums for their 50th anniversary. Both of those projects will continue to keep me busy on my blog throughout 2021.

Granted, 2021 hasn’t started off any better, but that’s because we’re still experiencing the fallout from the damage caused by its unruly predecessor. 2021 has its work cut out trying to repair that, and it will undoubtedly require the assistance of 2022 and beyond to achieve it. However, 2021 is giving us a lot of reason to be hopeful, so there is definitely light at the end of this long, dark tunnel we’ve all been stuck in.

But I need to wrap up 2020 nevertheless. It was a strange and difficult Christmas without a doubt, not the sort any of us wanted, and it’s going to be a hard winter for many, especially now we’re in lockdown again. There’s a big ray of hope with the rollout of the vaccines though, so the future’s looking good, and many thanks to all the health workers who are doing their utmost to dish them out as quickly as possible.

My thoughts also go to everyone in America after the recent terror attack amid the fallout from Trump’s defeat. Biden’s inauguration on January 20th can’t come soon enough. Best wishes from across the pond, stay safe!

Those challenges aside, however, I hope you were able to find some enjoyment and comfort during the festive period, insofar as the rules allowed in your part of the world.

Mum and I are doing fine, I’m pleased to say. We’ve enjoyed lots of nice treats, and have had plenty of fun things to watch and listen to, all of which has been a welcome distraction from the news. I continued to have a few long walks around my local area during December as well, as that was the only way I could get out and about, so it was important to make the most of it. Mum’s had a bit of fresh air too of course, but doesn’t go on the long hikes like I do, and we’ve made sure she stays well away from other people apart from her sister (and even then they keep their distance at the front door, she hasn’t been in the house).

So we did pretty well this Christmas despite the limitations, and here’s my festive post and video to round things up. I’m not going to mention absolutely everything we filled our stomachs with, or every little bit of entertainment we watched or listened to. I’m just going mention my favourite things, as is the purpose of these posts. Nothing here is sponsored as usual, and any gifts are just from friends, not the people behind the products. So I hope you enjoy!

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Journal – September 2015 (Guernsey Best Man)

This month has seen a big event that I’ve been looking forward to for a while – my best mate’s wedding in Guernsey, where I was one of two best men with his cousin. It was a wonderful occasion in a beautiful location, and it’s the first time I’ve given a public speech as well. So this post is mainly about that, but I also met another friend the week before, I’ve posted my first ever vlog on Youtube, and there have been one or two things to mention from home too.

So I hope you enjoy going through everything here, including some of the photos and video footage that I was able to capture on my new iPhone 6, and a few other photos that people took of me.

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Journal – July 2014

Here’s another brief journal entry from what is proving to be a very quiet year, along with a couple of jokes I’ve been sent to pad things out a bit. June was very uneventful, so I’ve waited until now before writing another update, talking about a bit of building work, some great news from a friend of mine that will give me a lot more to do next year, and the sad passing of a hugely popular comedian. So I’m sorry this is quite short, but I hope you enjoy!

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Journal – April 2013

Welcome to my next set of journal entries. This month my mother and I made another trip up to London for Easter, although we didn’t end up doing a great deal, and our plans for moving have taken another step forward. Plus there are some more jokes that were sent to me, and there have been a couple of much less cheerful news stories dominating the headlines. So I hope you find this interesting as always.

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Journal – March 2013

Welcome to the next instalment from my journal. There wasn’t anything to report in February, as things were much quieter after all the travelling of previous months. But this month I’m able to give an update on my Nan’s house and inheritance, as well as telling you new DVDs and Blu-rays I’ve bought. Plus there have been big scandals in the news about Oscar Pistorius and horse meat, and I was sent some jokes about the latter. So I hope you enjoy looking through it all.

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Journal – December 2012 (London Weekend)

Following my Nan’s death, my mother and I have had another weekend trip to London this month. So that’s the main topic here, along with other little bits and pieces including initial thoughts about homeworking, a news story about a prank call made by a pair of Australian DJs, and a bit of humour sent to me by a friend. I hope you enjoy!

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Journal – February-June 2012

Welcome back to my journal. I didn’t write many entries during the first half of 2012, which is why I’ve gathered a bunch together here. But each update contains several bits and pieces as usual, including another social weekend in Exeter, continued preparations for our London move, updates on my Nan’s health after hitting her head last year, a few more jokes and DVDs, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and several stories in the world of sport that have been memorable for the wrong reasons. So I hope you enjoy!

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Journal – November-December 2011

Here’s another set of journal entries to wrap up the year, including a friend’s birthday, new DVDs, an accidental recovery for Nan, and our first Christmas without Dad, as well as some more jokes I’ve received via email. I hope you enjoy!

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Journal – October 2011

Welcome to another batch of journal entries. I didn’t write anything in September, as there wasn’t much going on, but this month I had a lovely long weekend in Bournemouth with some friends. So that’s the main topic here, along with updates from home, things I’ve enjoyed watching, and a few more jokes I’ve been sent. I hope you enjoy!

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Journal – August 2011

Another birthday’s come around, how quickly the time goes. I’ve only written one journal entry this month, to mark the occasion and give a general update on what I’ve been up to, but it still contains quite a few things. And I’ve also continued to receive some jokes from friends in my emails, so I’ve added them here to flesh things out and give you some amusement. I hope you enjoy!

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