A retrospective taking stock for #SundayStills

As my 2020 retrospective posts come to an end, I will conclude with this combination post – a great Q&A I found on Jo’s blog (and have used with her permission) and Terri’s first #SundayStills for 2021 which is all about sharing images from 2020 – and as Terri says, Sunday can be any day.

I’ve looked back at the Books I read in 2020, my 2020 blogging stats and now with this photo retrospective. These are my favourite photos from each month in 2020 – I found it hard to choose just one!

I should be right to move on to 2021 now after all that restrospection!

I enjoyed answering these questions and feel it’s a great way to help move forward into 2021.

What did you do that you’ve never done before?

I did quite a few new things during 2020 –

1. I did a creative writing course getting my MOJO back in the process and also a Writing Children’s Picture books course
2. I entered a photography competition and spoiler alert – I won!
3. I entered a writing competition – and I didn’t win but I was pretty chuffed with my story!
4. I bought an ebike and I LOVE it!
5. I had a grandson – after having 3 daughters and 2 granddaughters, it was a bit strange to have a boy in the family – but very welcome.

How did you spend New Year’s Eve 2019?

The Mathematician and I were in England with our eldest daughter and her family for New Year’s Eve in 2019.  It was a worrying time because of the bushfires bearing down on our town, and even our property was in danger at one stage, but we were on the other side of the world just watching it happen. The whole town was evacuated for a few weeks and is slowly recovering.

What was your word for the year? How did you go with that?

My word for 2020 was Jump and it worked really well, in fact I had a ball with it, taking monthly photos of me jumping in various locations and sharing in my monthly warp-up posts.  Such an active word that suited me fine.  I jumped my way through most of the year in style, except when I couldn’t physically jump.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, my daughter had a little boy, our first grandson back in February 2020. He’s growing up way too fast.

What TV/Netflix shows did you watch?

I loved watching Schitts Creek, Derry Girls and Anne with E during 2020. I discovered a whole new world!

Who did you miss this year?

I missed seeing my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter who live in Somerset in UK.  I’m so glad we managed to have time with them in late 2019/early 2020 as it will be some time to come before we can travel internationally again. Thankfully we have Zoom and Facetime to help us stay connected.

I also missed spending time with my sister and brother-in-law. My mother moved closer to our area which was a big move at any age, and it’s lovely knowing she is only an hour away.

What song was on high rotation this year?

I had a Spotify playlist for my JUMP word of the year and had some tunes on high rotation like House of Pain’s Jump Around and Van Halen’s Jump.

I also set up a Turning 60 playlist which was full of old and new favourites.  Helen Reddy’s ‘I am Woman’ hit the right note, especially at the time of her passing during the year.

Did anyone close to you get married?

No.

Did anyone close to you pass away?

Yes, unfortunately my mother-in-law Ruby fell ill in June and spent most of the next 6 months in hospital or in rehab before moving to an Aged Care facility.  Sadly, she passed away in early December 2020. She will be missed by us all. It wasn’t a good way to end a year which had been full of loss and worry in so many ways.

Where did you travel to in 2020?

We had big plans for the year with travel, international and domestic, but in the end, we managed to get to Queensland twice, Canberra, Nowra and the NSW South Coast beach area and of course in our local area.

We rode the newly opened Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail a lot!!

We did a lot of driving backwards and forwards due to my MIL’s illness, but the benefit was that we got to spend time with her in the last few months.

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Watching what I ate, especially during lockdown.

What do you wish you’d done less of?

Worrying about things I had no control over – but that’s easier said than done!

What would you like to have more of next year that you lacked in this one?

Travel, spending time with family, peace and wellness for everyone.

Did you tick anything off your bucket list this year?

I had a list of 12 things to do before turning 60 and the only ones I couldn’t tick off were those that involved overseas and interstate travel. I updated my list accordingly.

Despite the year there were lots of positives and things I was thankful for.

What was the best book you read?

I read over 100 books in 2020, some easy, some not so easy and enjoyed the pure escapism that reading brings me. I know that some people couldn’t concentrate enough to read during the year but thankfully I wasn’t one of them. My recent post on Books read in 2020 gives an overview of my favourites.

What did you learn this year?

Worrying about things you can’t control doesn’t help and it’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help.

I also learnt a lot about Genetics and how things inside our very being, often unknown, can impact on future generations. It’s been a hard lesson to take in for all of us in our family, but we are in this together and we will manage.

Did you suffer illness or injury?

Yes, I had a dodgy knee/leg most of the year which impacted on my ability to exercise. I found physio and regular massages helped and just rested it as much as I could.  Thankfully bike riding didn’t hurt at all, so I could maintain some regular exercise.

For someone who was used to walking or running off any stresses, the inability to do so really took its toll.  I did take up yoga and my sister instigated family exercise sessions over zoom at the height of the lockdown and these were fun social occasions as much as for the activity.

How did you spend Christmas 2020?

We had booked a holiday house at Huskisson on NSW South Coast back in September and I’m so glad we did, we loved every minute of it.  The beach was a short walk away with a great shared cycling/walking path nearby and we had some warm sunny days.

We spent Christmas with one of daughters, son-in-law and 2-year-old granddaughter and my sister-in-law.  Having just lost my MIL in early December it was a sad time but having a 2-year-old with us brightened everything up.

Where did your money go this year?

Not on travel that’s for sure!

As I couldn’t travel I bought a new electric bike (pedal assist) and absolutely love it. It’s made such a difference. We also bought my husband one, but it was stolen off the back of our car 3 months later which was not nice – thankfully I had arranged insurance for it!  He just needs to find another bike to buy now. Bikes are like the ‘toilet paper’ of 2020, everyone is wanting one and they are proving difficult to source.

I also like to buy fun things for my grandchildren and became a fan of on-line shopping!

What kept you sane this year?

Being able to ride on the Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail, which we have been very much involved with over the past few years. It’s a credit to the vision of those people involved from the beginning over 18 years ago, to finally have it up and running.

Many locals discovered the joys of bike riding and walking on the trail when we were in lockdown and since the borders have re-opened, many others are visiting and helping our local economy.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I took this photo of my granddaughter visiting her great-grandmother in hospital and entered it into a photography competition where the theme was ‘Together’.  It was chosen as the winner and I was thrilled to bits. It says a lot about how 2020 was for us all – together but from a distance.

Compared to this time last year, are you:

Happier or sadder? Happier

Thinner or fatter? Fatter

Richer or poorer? Richer – not necessarily in money terms.

How did you spend your birthday in 2020 and how old were you?

I turned the big 6-0 in December and it was memorable that’s for sure! You can read more about it here. My family gave me the best gifts!

What has 2021 got in store for you…so far?

A new grandchild is due later in January, I have plans to visit my grandson for his 1st birthday in February (COVID restrictions allowing), and the offical opening of our Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail which was delayed last year due to COVID, will hopefully happen in April. Beyond that I really don’t have too much planned.

Thanks Terri for another great prompt for #SundayStills and the opportunity to collect my thoughts with Jo’s questions.

What is one thing you can relate in this post? How would you answer some of these questions?

Thanks again to you my delightful readers, for your support and encouragement during a year like no other!

All the best to you – go boldly into 2021!

Deb x

All my Sunday Stills posts can be found here

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