Gloom Buster

Gally - just seen your comment. He he he!

PRINTMISS, Happy New Year (when it comes) to you too.

Being able to enjoy the company of good friends, having my lovely family visiting whenever they can, (not easy they are all busy), and I still have a husband who although a pain in the backside on occasions has given me 60 years of memories to share and laugh at when we both get a bit down. Happy New Year to you all, I don't contribute much to the threads, but reading them is enlightening.

Going to see the family down under.
The Olympics! (Going to the first day of the Athletics and seeing the wonderful job that was done of the Olympic Park)
Visiting the Basque region with DH - first foreign holiday together for a long time.
Staying healthy - not something one can take for granted post 60.
Getting the darn book completed.
Meeting some lovely GNners - and GN generally. Keeps me sane.

Marelli it's good to count your blessings, isn't it? Of course there are always things that aren't as one might wish but DS1 is doing well so that is a huge blessing.

Visited my DD in Brussels four times this year.
Spent a lazy fortnight with my sister and brother in law in France.
Attended two Gransnet meet ups.
Had a wonderful weekend catching up with DH's ex workmates in Helensburgh.
Had loads of wonderful times with GC and laughed until I cried at the hilarious things they say.

Finally got ourselves to our lovely new home in Devon, near my beautiful DD. Thank you all for listening to my whinges and supporting me as we went through all the selling/ not selling etc. It is the very best thing we could have done.

Wonderful medical services nearby mean that Theseus will soon have a new hip (Thank heavens!)

Two dear little grandsons joined us. Such a blessing for all.

At the moment, my cup runneth over.

Midlands meet-up, NW meetup
Tallis scholars concert
Gransnet for always being there
And above all of course my cruise with jeni in Sep !!!

A rather horrid year really but it's good to look back on the good bits. Has to be The Olympics for me; two weeks of sheer unadulterated joy. However the high was so high it left the rest of the year feeling like an anti climax. The meet up in Brum was lovely, mainly because it gave me something to look forward to when I was feeling very low [yes please to another one soon and huge thanks to gracesmum for organising it]. And seeing my son happy again after his miserable 2011, Whatever happens seeing my children and grandchildren happy and healthy is all that matters. But a huge thank you to gransnet [and gransnetters] for being there to pick us all up and dust us all down when we need it .

Thank you and well done garnny23 for trying to cher us all up..

My funny story, well it was something I saw on the telly hope thats ok, it is funny

A celebrety chef called Gino De Campo was reading an auto cue, his english is quite bad, he couldnt believe that it said knicerbockerglory, he had never heard of it before and he refused to say the whole word because he thought someone was winding him up!!

I quite like round robins - good for a laugh and you DON'T HAVE TO READ THEM IF YOU DON'T WANT TO [sticky out tongue emoticon]

This is like the dreaded round robins!!!!

Now that's what I call a good year, kittylester.

Great thread!!

This year we have acquired a very cheeky, but adorable, DG2, who will be one in 3 weeks, and 2 SiL.

DS1 has made huge strides forward - getting his book published, which resulted in him giving a talk at the Headway National Conference and being asked to speak to an audience of medics ect who treat young stroke survivors. He has also moved into his own, adapted, flat and rediscovered his love of cooking. Next thing - growing things to cook!

DH and I have the house to ourselves for the first time in 41 years and still quite like each other.

The team that DS2 runs won their league and the under 9's cup!!

DD1 has been promoted and loves her job. DD2, despite expectations, loves being a stay at home mum and DD3 is expecting another baby in March.

We've made a few improvements to our house and garden. We love our house and hope never to have to move.

riverwalk what an incredible experience that must be! I just checked out the website.

Good thread!
moving back into our new house in January after building works was good.. getting the place to feel like home and planning and planting the garden
Birth of DGC4 Stanley in May was a joy
A sunny week in Croyde with DDs and DGCs in July
Exciting trip to Istanbul in October
Lovely family Christmas
So many positive things ..thanks for making me think of them as like others was feeling a bit gloomy, though we have sunshine today!!

Nice thread! I have been so bored (rainy weather) that I was starting to fantasise about jigsaw puzzles! This thread got me counting my blessings of this year: DS got engaged to a lovely, lovely woman. DD has enrolled for further studies. DH is mellowing as the years go by and seems to genuinely love me very much. We are all healthy. My house is warm and cosy. I've booked an apartment in Southern Spain for the whole of February! Only 4 weeks to go till some

I wake up and know I am married to a good, good man. My children and grandchildren are well. The surrounding countryside is gentle and beautiful, and I have good, dear friends from many lands.

The highlight of my year has to be spending my 58th birthday on the back of a huge mule heading down to the base of the Grand Canyon - coming back up the same way the next day.

This link shows what a brave granny I am!

grand-canyon-vacation-information.com/mule-ride-in-the-grand-canyon.html

I still can't believe that I did it

Good idea for a thread....It's been a funny old year but the highlights have been:

Spending a lovely long weekend with DS, DIL and GCs. We haven't been able to visit for ages as before DH had two hip replacements he found it difficult to cope with their very steep stairs to get to the bathroom.

Two successful hatches of pure breed chickens.

DGS1 gaining excellent GCSE results.

Mum recovering from a TIA although it has left her very frail.

And finally getting my long awaited inheritance (almost three years). It was more than I expected and I still feel very emotional wondering how to thank a man I didn't know existed and the route by which I was entitled to inherit -my lovely nan and her only son, my much loved and deeply missed dad. XX

Three holidays: with sister in SW France and very wet Paris; week in hot,sunny Suffolk with DS1 and family; a week with Greatnan in the French Alps - excellent company and fantastic scenery. Don Giovanni at the Lowry; Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty also at the Lowry. Visits to family throughout the year. Meeting other G'netters - Alie in Didcot; Bags in Marple and the NW group in Manchester - the second time, with Greatnan. It's just amazing how well we have all 'clicked'.
And little by little I have reduced my dosage of steroids and can now hope to be rid of them - and polymyalgia - within a few months.

PS Thank you granny23 for starting an upbeat thread like this

Marelli We stayed in Cluny Cottage (Castle Bay) in 2012 and at Silversands (opposite the airport) in 2011. There are only 3 properties that would accomodate us all on Barra so I have already booked Cluny for 2013. Gave DDs a Barra postcard each at Christmas with the message 'Wish you were here? - You will be in July!'

Midlands Meet-up was fun (can we do another soon, please?)
Littlest DD's wedding was loooooooooooooovely
Christmas with little boys was also loooooooooovely
Enjoyed watching Olympics (on TV)
Enjoyed trip out to see Olympic Stadium just before it opened
Enjoyed middle DD's production of "King John" at Stratford and that feeling which I can never get used to - surprise at my "little girl" doing something so grown up!
So after a pretty c**p start to the year, with DH in hospital from Jan until April, I do think there were highlights!

Gally (((hugs)))