Musing on the decade

This last blog of the year is also the last blog of the decade and because there have been so many  reviews in the papers this past week, I thought to muse on my own highs and lows of the last 10 years. Perhaps somewhar self-indulgent, but here below are just some of them.

Highs include scoring tickets for the opening ceremony of London 2012 Olympic Games - unforgettable. Also stand outs from many glorious sunny days with friends at Glyndebourne Opera are ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ and ‘The Magic Flute’. More highs are Alan Cummings singing ‘Sappy Songs’ at the Edinburgh International Festival 2016 and a stunning ‘Rhinoceros’ at the 2017 Festival and back in London, Sophie Okonedo and Ralph Fiennes in ‘Anthony & Cleopatra’ at the National in 2018.

I had a fabulous Christmas and New Year 2017/18 with friends in Manhattan including an up-close ‘Sweeney Todd’ in a real pie and mash shop in Greenwich Village. Closer to home was waving my mock Victorian lamp and carolling with Questors Choir in the 2009 Questors Theatre production of ‘The Christmas Carol’ plus a brilliant and haunting production of ‘1984’at Questors this year which will linger in my memory.

More highs include celebrating my 60th birthday party in my garden at home with 60 close friends - honest! Plus sharing more ‘big’ birthday celebrations for friends in Whitby, St David’s, Wells, Criccieth, at a chateau in Champagne, Champneys at Tring, Venice, Greenwich and of course, in London.

This past decade also marked the ending of a long and happy relationship for me but which nonetheless leaves me feeling easier and lighter. I didn’t move house this decade but I did move from many freelance projects to another and finally settled into part time work from 2018. I still don’t know where all that new spare time goes!?

On to the lows for me which have to include the 2017 EU referendum and all of Labour’s General Election losses over the decade, especially this past month. Another low was in summer 2018 when I fell and badly broke my wrist but which turned out to be a high as I was forced to rest at home during that dry, hot summer (apologies to Climate Activists) and receive visits and ‘meals on wheels’ from friends and neighbours. New babies born to friends and family in 2018 plus the adoption of a precious little niece, have all helped to ease the shock, pain and sadness of the sudden deaths of two very close friends this year. Baffling break-ups of long-standing marriages between three sets of close friends have marked the past couple of years though tempered by joyous family weddings in Derbyshire and in Scotland.

So onwards we go, into the Roaring Twenties, topping up our resilience to dramas and losses and soaking up support and happiness from friends and families. I wish you all a very Happy New Year!