As we enter the last week of 2025, I hope you all had a good and memorable Christmas with those that are most important to you.
Before detailing my 2025 Christmas week, I will cover off any health aspects first. As with the previous week, no real concerns on this front, apart from the intermittent groin area discomfort; the appointment with the GP is at the start of this final week. I undertook another 3 walks, with times of 13:15, 13:22 and 13:11; the middle one was done on a very cold day, which made the walk more challenging.
The first couple of days of the week were spent finishing off the last of the maps needed for Volume 7 and pleased to say that I reached my self-set objective. They were intense and required a innovative approach in how to visualise some aspects of the final volume and the utter chaos as the war ended.
With those done, I finally felt like I could relax a little, after 2 months of intense focus on sketching, then creating the maps. We had all of the kids around on Xmas eve afternoon. Alanna, Dan and the Grandkids, with Karl, Rachel, Caitlin and Grace. That is our established tradition and when we hand over the Christmas pressies. It was a pleasant evening and the first time we have been able to have everyone together in 2025.
Christmas Day was the 3rd time that Sandra and I had a meal booked at one of the local eating establishments. If you have not tried this yet, and can rely on your local area giving you a quality meal, I can thoroughly recommend it. No fussing, no stress, just get up, lounge around, then go out for the meal. Return home and continue relaxing. Both of the kids and their families choose to spend Xmas Day at home as family time, so it is always Sandie and me to spend the day as we see fit. That tradition is something we started when our kids were very young and it ensured that the focus was always on them only; it is nice to see it carry on for them now, with their own families.
The rest of the week was spent taking things mostly easy, with one trip out for a bit of sale shopping (we went early, so avoided the throngs), combined with restocking the perishable foods.
As we start the end of 2025, I hope you have some time to relax and I will take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year. I hope this coming year will be a memorable one for you, for the right reasons and one that is much better that the pitiful 2025!
Your support for these Blogs over almost 3-years now, is deeply appreciated and welcomed.
Regards
Peter