2020 – What a year.

Here we go again.  Most of us have just moved up to tier 4, which is effectively another lockdown, and the rest are in tier 3, a semi lockdown, but how long will it last this time?

A year ago, I was preparing to move into my new house, in a new village, full of hope and promise and looking forward to the next chapter in my life.  The industrialist Andrew Carnegie was not much older than me when he sold his company and moved into what he termed, the third phase of his life where he began to give something back, and I really thought I was heading into a similar phase.  Not that I was planning on selling my business, but then my company isn’t worth $480million, I’ve still got a way to go to catch up with Andy.  I did think 2020 would be a good year though, how wrong can you be.

I had plans to complete the three peaks, to walk around the Hebrides, to make another climb up Ben Nevis and to spend August in Edinburgh for the fringe.  None of that happened.  I had signed up for the walk1000miles challenge again and hoped this time to reach the 2000-mile mark.  Nope.  The best laid plans and all that. 

But we all adapted, we learned that the internet can be useful if we use it properly.  I discovered zoom was more than just an ice lolly from my childhood but could connect me to real people who would talk to me.  We kept away from each other and socially distanced, we learned new words like furlough, and lockdown, and masks became a thing. 

When the summer turned up it all looked like we were getting back to normal as the lockdown was lifted, but inevitably we messed up and cases of COVID – 19 rose again and now we are back where we were nine months ago, more or less. 

The internet is now full of negativity, the country is divided between the believers and the non-believers and we’ve all decided it’s the governments fault.  I mean, we aren’t to blame in any way, are we?  But we will carry on, we will adapt again, we will change the way we do things, and we will survive.  There’s a vaccine which may or may not be a ploy by governments to control us (spoiler alert, it really isn’t) and so maybe there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.  Let’s hope it’s not a train coming in the other direction.

So loyal followers, what am I doing next, I’m sure you’re all dying to know.  Well having actually achieved the 1000-mile challenge, somehow, I have obviously signed up for it again in 2021 because I’m clearly obsessed.  I have also rather optimistically signed up for a Lake District walk in June, we’ll see if that goes ahead, and in the meantime, there are plenty of virtual walks on the horizon which I will do my best to regale you with assuming I’m actually allowed outside.

I’ve learnt a lot during 2020 so maybe things weren’t all bad.  I’ve lost a lot of weight and kept it off, even over Christmas, and I’ve learnt about obesity, diabetes and how bad carbohydrates really are for us, I’m sure I will be banging on about that over the coming weeks.  I’ve also written a lot more, and updated my blog regularly, which you will know if you’ve been keeping up, and I’m considering writing a book.  Maybe its time to launch a second career, who knows anymore.

I hope you have all survived 2020 and will continue to be with me through 2021, I’ll try my best to entertain you.

Until next time…

S ?