2021 – Looking back at the year that was

Questions and Answers

I love a good Q &A session – do you?

Last year I used this great format for an end of year wrap-up post, which I found on Jo’s blog, (she calls it her closing ceremony – thanks again Jo). I’ve now made this my preferred way to sum up the year that was – looking in the rear-view mirror so to speak!

I’ve enjoyed answering these questions and feel it’s a great way to help move forward into 2022 – which has to be better than 2021 doesn’t it?

I know I’ve already shared my final #WOTY BOLD post, and as my 2022 WOTY reveal is scheduled for Monday, I thought I’d better sum up the year that was before this year gets going.

So here we go – a look back at 2021

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

I did quite a few new things during 2021 – I’m listing just 10 of them!

1. I went to see Bluey the stage show with my granddaughter and it was great fun. At the end she turned to me and said ‘again?’ not really understanding that it wasn’t a TV episode she could watch over and over. It was great timing as her mum had given birth to her little brother a few days earlier and when we got home from the show, there was mummy and baby Zach at home.
2. I was part of the Rail Trail committee who received a local Australia Day award for Community Group of the Year.
3. I did a talk about using Social Media, at a Rail Trail Forum held in our little town, with visitors from all over coming to learn more about our successful rail trail.
4. We undertook genetic counselling and then testing for a family issue.
5. I had my first Covid PCR test (negative result).
6. I was part of filming for the promotion of a marathon to be held on our rail trail – it’s the closest I’ll ever get to doing a marathon. 🙂
7. I started getting groceries delivered to the house.
8. I had my first ever High Tea. I took mum to a local Mother’s Day High Tea and we both loved it!
9. I did an online photography course with some friends.
10. I was invited to give a talk about Blogging at the local library – not a huge crowd but it was a good experience!

How did you spend New Year’s Eve 2020?

Well there’s the plan and then there’s what actually happened.

Plan: The great plan was to go on a twilight bike ride with our rail trail riding group, taking some food and drink for a picnic at a lovely spot along the trail and then ride home before it got too dark. We would enjoy each other’s company, get some exercise and enjoy the summer evening while chowing down on some shared food platters, with a drink or two.

Reality: It rained, poured in fact, and we ended up taking our food offerings to a friend’s place and celebrating inside out of the rain. Everyone spent the time reminiscing on the year before when the town was being engulfed by tragic bushfires. How ironic bushfires one year, rain the next!

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

My word for 2021 was Bold and I had an absolute ball with it. I’ve already posted my final wrap-up post and if you’d like to have a read you can find it here: Please don’t say it’s over! My year of being Bold – suffice to say it’s going to be hard to top this fabulous Word of the Year.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes, our daughter and her husband had a little boy, in January 2021 a sister to Emilia. He’s growing up way too fast. Thankfully they are reasonably close to (well only a 3hour drive away), so we have seen quite a lot of them during the year.

What TV/Netflix shows did you watch?

I watched a few shows like Survivor, 8 out of 10 Cats, easy to veg out but not too mentally draining. I enjoyed War of the Worlds (on SBS on Demand), Unorthodox, Star Struck, Total Control, Annika, Hard Quiz and episodes of Bluey, (they’re not just good for kids) – just to name a few.

Who did you miss this year?

Again, like last year’s response, 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.

My daughter, SIL and grandson in Brisbane, although in the same country, were off limits too due to border closures. I saw Patrick when he turned 1 in February 2021 but not again until Christmas 2021.

I also missed spending time with my sister and brother-in-law in Melbourne.

Thankfully we have Zoom and Facetime to help us stay connected.

I love this photo collage my daughter took of me with Patrick, from when I last saw him in February 2021 and then again in December 2021. It’s funny how I’m wearing the same top – purely coincidental!

What song was on high rotation this year?

I had a Spotify playlist for my BOLD word of the year and had some great tunes on high rotation all year!

I really enjoyed Pink’s Cover Me in Sunshine which came out in February. It was a happy tune and made me feel good. I actually made it my phone’s ringtone, not something I do very often!

Did anyone close to you get married?

No.

Did anyone close to you pass away?

No family losses thankfully this year but we lost our nearest neighbour, an iconic cowboy and talented rodeo pickup man and horseman.

Where did you travel to in 2021?

Again, like last year, we had big plans for the year with travel, international and domestic, but in the end, we managed to get to Queensland, Canberra, Nowra and the NSW South Coast beach area and of course around our local area. Lockdowns and restrictions made it very hard to travel and to be honest we were happy in our little bubbles.

It was lovely to get to Queensland to celebrate our grandsons’ first birthday and then we had a lovely family Christmas with most of the family together to finish the year off well.

What do you wish you’d done more of?

Maybe I could have moved more – although I started working out more regularly with a small group online which is helping to get different muscles moving and I kept up my riding during the year, so I’m doing OK. I do seem to sit for longer periods than I used to, either reading or typing.

What do you wish you’d done less of?

Worried about anything and everything – but it’s been a hard few years and worry seems to be a constant companion.

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

Same as last year – travel, spending time with family, peace and health for everyone.

Did you tick anything off your bucket list this year?

I don’t have a bucket list, but if I did, I think I can tick off being BOLD – I rocked it all year!!!

What was the best book you read?

I read a LOT of books in 2021, and I enjoy the pure escapism that reading brings me. Thankfully I haven’t lost my reading MOJO like some people during these tough times. I read for pleasure!

It’s been great being part of two bookclubs this year, I always learn so much from different perspectives. Our online bookclub spent most of the year focussing on the works of the Bronte sisters – some were good and some not to so good, but all very interesting as were our zoom chats and cooking sessions.

We also started a monthly What’s on your Bookshelf Challenge linkup on the 3rd Friday of the month, and you are more than welcome to join us. I mentioned my top three reads for 2021 in my last WOYBS post.

What did you learn this year?

That this too shall pass!

Did you suffer illness or injury?

Apart from higher than usual blood pressure, all has been good. I’m on medication now and it seems to be managing to keep it stable.

How did you spend Christmas 2021?

We had booked a holiday house at Vincentia on the NSW South Coast earlier in the year, and despite our booking early, the various owners kept changing the booking until finally we had a lovely house sorted – a case of third time lucky. It was a bit worrying at times as we had family coming in from interstate and wondered if it would actually happen. We loved every minute of it. 

We had two of our three daughters SILs, three of our four grandchildren, my sister-in-law and us so it was a full house – 7 adults and three children! We FaceTimed with our daughter, SIL and granddaughter in England and it was good to see them. We also do a toast at 11am on Christmas day for absent friends and family which gives us a moment to pause and reflect on who is missing from our gathering.

The beach was a short walk away with a great shared cycling/walking path across the road and we had fun despite the weather being a bit so-so. Luckily Christmas Day dawned bright and warm!

You might have noticed out matching Christmas pyjamas :). My daughter organised this for us and it was loads of fun! #familygoals

Where did your money go this year?

Online shopping – books, clothes, gifts, pamper packs for family and friends in lockdown.

What kept you sane this year?

Reading, blogging, riding, walking, family and friends – all have helped me enormously through another torrid year!

My blogging friends, the Stunners, have kept me going at times with their care, wit, compassion and positive attitudes.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Staying positive as much as was possible with everything going on around the world. Being bold, taking things in my stride, taking on new challenges and getting through the year in one piece.

Compared to this time last year, are you:

Happier or sadder? Happier

Thinner or fatter? Fatter but I’m working on it – I’m in a good headspace

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

How did you spend your birthday in 2021 and how old were you?

I turned 61 in December – and of course I blogged about it! I had my daughter, SIL, and 2 grandchildren come home for the weekend and we enjoyed going on the rail trail, swimming at the pool, riding on the tractor, and playing in the garden. My mum also came to celebrate with us.

The afternoon of my birthday was my local bookclub Christmas party so it was a great party weekend!

What has 2022 got in store for you…so far?

I’m not sure if it’s worth making any plans at the moment – staying flexible is the only way to go it seems.

I don’t know what the year has in store for me but I’m staying positive and will see what comes. I’m old enough to understand it’s up to me how I handle things.

This quote also resonated with me when I saw it this week, (thanks to Leanne at Cresting the Hill Facebook page).

Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it a life.

Robin S Sharma

Sunday Stills in 2022

Terri is back with her Sunday Stills photo challenge for 2022 and to get the year started the first prompt is ‘in your rear-view mirror’. I’ve combined my Q&A for the year with #SundayStills. You can read Terri’s post here.

All my Sunday Stills posts can be found here – I’ve been doing these for quite some time now!

What about you?

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 another challenging year. Here’s to a fabulous year ahead for all of us.

Deb x

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Linking up to Natalie’s first #weekendcoffeeshare for 2022.

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