Year in Review 2024!

This Christmas, like all of those we have had since leaving the UK, has been quiet and relaxing, if a little short. I only have one day off during the festive season and to be honest that suits me. I am extremely well paid for working on Boxing Day, and with little family here to speak of, there is absolutely no need to have another day off. Instead, I can channel those extra wages into paying more money off the mortgage, further reducing the interest I pay.

On the 23rd of December, a few days before Christmas, Darrell and I took some time out and visited Lake Leschenaultia, near the country town of Mundaring. Both of us just needed to get away, from the hustle and bustle of suburban life for a few hours. With Christmas shopping reaching boiling point, and people's tempers beginning to fray, it was the perfect time for a quick break. Exploring the beauty of the lake and surrounding bush, offered a brief respite from all the madness, just a few kilometres down the road in Midland. Yes, I am a person who loves Christmas, but even I was feeling the stress — peace, quiet, and time to think, was the perfect tonic we both needed to prepare for the next few days.

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Christmas Day was spent with my Mother-in-Law, her neighbour, and close friends. Unlike last year, when I cooked a full-on British Christmas Dinner, Joy, Mum's neighbour, organised a rather traditional Aussie affair — cold meats, seafood, and salad, followed by pavlova, and for me — Christmas pudding. 

The last thing you want to be doing on a hot Australian Christmas Day is cooking. As it happens, temperatures were well down on last year, and instead of the normal 40 degrees, the mercury peaked at a more agreeable 29, making the day a lot more bearable than usual.

With me working the next day, I had a couple of glasses of wine and some homemade Snowballs. Back in 1970s Britain, my first taste of alcohol, around my Grans house at Christmas, circa 1976, was a bottle of Snowball — Advocaat, Lime, Lemonade, and glacé cherry to garnish.

​This is my go-to drink when I just want to have something light, but a little alcoholic. It went down very nicely and actually tasted far more alcoholic than I remember (maybe that was just the large measures I was serving.) Whatever it was, it instantly transported me back to Christmases past, and time spent with family in the UK. Along with Babycham, these two iconic retro drinks, are so comforting, especially at difficult times. I'm certainly not going through testing times at the moment, but reconnecting with old memories is no bad thing, especially when you live thousands of miles away from home.

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Christmas is always a time to contact friends and family. In Portsmouth, we made some lifelong friends, who we are still very much in contact with. Zerina and the team at Cancer Research, who I volunteered alongside, for three years, sent a wonderful Christmas card, which always pulls at the heartstrings. Equally, on Christmas Day I spoke with Jules, who I worked with at Tesco, chatting about the past year, friendships, and travel.

I do make a point of sending cards, phoning, and video calling, all the incredible characters I have known over the years, and I have had some fantastic cards back. Today, Christmas is more about memories, than tangible gifts. I always use the time to recall events over the year, and of course all those unorthodox Christmas Days I have experienced in the past — a far cry from the more muted affairs I enjoy today. I may well have got older and thankfully wiser, but I still have a great fondness for all those who have played a part in my life over the years. Reflection, at this time is what Christmas should be about!

With Christmas at an end, it's time for me to look back at 2024, reflecting on the past year. Remembering the last twelve months has been particularly cathartic for me today, because it does give me a new perspective on issues, that I have had to deal with, especially during the latter half of this problematic year.

Darrell and I managed to travel to Vietnam, and also Taiwan. These two distinctly different destinations, offer a very contrasting Asian experience. Vietnam was a country neither of us would travel to again — It didn't live up to expectations!  Although we had fun exploring Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Hoi An at length, the sheer volume of tourists, especially in Hoi An, was a distraction and continued annoyance, as we walked through the historic streets.

Vietnam was also particularly unhygienic, which certainly isn't an aspect of the country I will look back on, with undiluted fondness. Despite eating some street food, in the main we chose to eat at more reputable restaurants and café's. Despite this, eating out was relatively cheap, and at least offered a more pleasant dining experience. 

Getting around Ho Chi Minh City was difficult, due to the lack of public transport. The new rapid transit system has only just opened, well behind schedule, which was over six months too late for our visit. Hoi An, on the other hand, was compact and straightforward to navigate. Da Nang, being a coastal resort, was both relaxing and easy to traverse. This city is one that I would gladly revisit in a heartbeat. 

Vietnam wouldn't be top of my holiday destination list in the future, but I would return given the right circumstances. I would, however, avoid Ho Chi Minh City, but would return to Hanoi, a place I travelled to in 2018. I think major attractions should be avoided or travelled to during low season, when there are fewer tourists about. Nevertheless, Vietnamese people are welcoming and helpful, leaving both of us with fantastic memories.

Taiwan was an altogether different experience. This modern, technologically advanced Island was everything Vietnam wasn't. It is a place that few western tourists visit, and was extremely troublesome to decipher at times. Only a small percentage of people speak English, so everyday activities can be a chore — ordering food, asking for directions and reading signs can be a struggle. Despite this, the public transport system and high speed train network, is all clearly translated in English as well as Taiwanese, which did make getting around easier.

We visited Taipei, and Kaohsiung in the south of the island; both of these unique destinations offered a distinctly different insight, into this beautiful place. If I am honest, I think we both enjoyed Taipei more, but it is a substantially bigger city, that caters to westerners needs. Yes it is true to say Darrell and I are not backpackers, and due to time constraints, we just want easier, less complicated destinations to visit. After our experiences in Taiwan, we have both decided to put off our trip to Japan for a few more years, visiting other South East Asian countries first. Both of us feel, the language barrier and cultural differences would be just too difficult to adjust to, without more thorough research!

On both occasions I've travelled abroad this year, I have returned with health issues, which is causing concern for me going forward. After each holiday, I have come back with a Staph infection, in exactly the same place — my right elbow. These weren't any normal infections; they were also resistant to penicillin, and I had to undergo intensive treatment each time it flared up.

The first infection took me on an impromptu trip to A&E, where I was quickly taken down to theatre and had a lump removed from under my arm. The area of infection on my elbow was also treated. For the next week I was visited by Silver Chain, who are a home care organisation, who dressed and cared for my wounds on a daily basis.

After Taiwan, I returned with a similar infection, once again on my elbow, which was significantly more serious. This time I was treated with IV antibiotics for a week in hospital, as I fought a cellulitis infection, which had travelled from the site of infection, down my arm, towards my wrist. Once again, this was penicillin resistant staphylococcus Aureus.

I am at a loss as to why these infections are occurring after travelling abroad, but they are a concern for my future travel plans, which I have put on hold. I have had no real answers as to why they are developing, but for someone who has suffers from health anxiety, particularly this year, it has left me rather shell shocked. Of course, I have, and I am still, thinking the worst, especially with rather vague explanations from doctors.

However, I have had extensive testing done, and they so far haven't found anything seriously wrong. The only sign something isn't quite right, is low creatinine levels discovered through a blood test. Apparently this isn't a common result, and could have transpired for any number of reasons. For now, I am parking my fears and moving on with life.

Additionally, I have undergone a procedure to remove several small tumours, which was completed successfully. With a follow-up hospital appointment in the New Year, I am hoping this will be the beginning of the end of this saga. But as anyone with health anxiety can testify, that isn't necessarily going to be the case. 

​This has been a very testing year for my health issues if I am honest, and I will just be glad to see the back of it. Sadly, I am expecting 2025 to be more of the same, although my wish is just to be able to manage it better. I do have options, but none of them are ideal, and not something I want to contemplate right now!

​The rest of the year has been as productive as any other, since I moved to Australia. I am now in charge of a much larger outlet shop, and my position in Australia seems to be secure. I have worked in my current role for two years now, and I am enjoying the new challenges thrust my way. This is a job I have excelled in, especially being able to move from one brand to another, whilst still working for the same parent company. 

I am fortunate to have been offered opportunities in Australia, that I wasn't afforded in the UK. This is an expensive place to live, but with both Darrell and I working full-time, with are living very comfortably, compared to life in Britain. Both of us have worked extremely hard and the results are beginning to bear fruit. 

We can travel whenever we like and just don't have the financial worries we had when living in the UK or indeed Spain. I have managed to reduce a 30-year mortgage to an 8-year repayment, and we are also building up savings for the future — all in a country that, on paper, at least, appears astronomically expensive. The secret to success, in my opinion, is not overstretching our budgets, which we haven't done. We could have bought a far more expensive property, but chose to remain frugal, which has proven to be the best decision we ever made.

As we look forward to 2025, both of us hope for similar success. Of course, we are aware, that all of us are just one paycheck away from homelessness, but continuing to save hard, we hope to continue making progress. We expect to buy a new property to rent out when circumstances allow. Hopefully, interest rates will fall soon, and the sluggish Australian economy will pick up. Until that happens, we will continue to pay down the mortgage, and invest in our growing pensions. Security is important to us now, more than ever, so anything that allows us to strive for a better future is welcome.

Equally, health is my foremost priority. I will continue to look after my wellbeing — mental and physical health. I will do all I can, to remain as healthy as I can, for as long as I can. Furthermore, I am under no illusion, that time isn't on my side, but I can at least try to make up for the indiscretions of the past.  My health anxiety, will inevitably have its role to play, but learning to cope with this frustrating side of my nature, is also something I need to do — focusing on the positive, not the negative aspects of me!

I would like to end this post by wishing you all a Happy New Year and success in 2025. Thank you for choosing to support my blog, and I look forward to continuing this journey of self-expression, honesty and speaking out on issues I hold dear. With war raging throughout the World, Donald Trump about to assume power in the USA and the cost of living rising ever higher; I hope the next twelve months will be peaceful, prosperous and as far removed from this year, as it possibly can be!

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