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So how has 2025 been for you?

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It’s a time of year when those of us lucky enough can unwind and reflect on the 12 months (almost) gone by, so how was 2025? I hope it has treated you kindly, but let us know the milestones, both high and low, that you’re happy to share with us. Best wishes to all for the year to come.

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Comments

  1. The biggest change for me was the first full year in our new house and new town, after we moved from Chelmsford to Colchester at the end of 2024. It’s only 20 miles up the A12, but a world away in terms of quality of life. In short, I fucking love it here. So many interesting pubs, cafes and shops, loads of history, scenic walks and wildlife (in the last week alone a fox in the garden and an egret and a deer on the walk to the shops, all 10 minutes walk from the city centre). There’s a buzzing art scene too. My calendar shows 18 visits to the Arts Centre alone. A cliché, but it has been like moving from black and white to colour.

    The move was not without its difficulties, in particular legal troubles selling my flat which left me feeling utterly drained and helpless at times, but it all came good in the end. I got very lucky with a buyer who was determined to buy flat, and only mine would do, because it was directly above the one already owned by her sister. Anyone else would have walked away and found somewhere easier to spend their money on.

    As usual I’m lucky with my health and am still the only person I know who has never had Covid. I did have one day off with a heavy cold, but if I remember correctly that was only my second day of sick leave in about 10 years. Due to stuff way, way beyond my pay level my job may be insecure in a couple of years’ time but, after living from month to month all our lives, we’re now in a financial position to be quite relaxed about it (which obviously doesn’t apply to a great many colleagues).

    In short, life is good, I’m aware enough to acknowledge that, and long may it continue.

  2. Hmm, pretty shit. One off spring estrangement appears to now include the other one.
    Survived assassination by tree- everyone says how I lucky I was, but as I limp around it doesn’t feel like that.
    On the plus side just hired a new Station Manager for this little country radio station I am involved with – fingers crossed he gives us the generational shift we need.
    On the plus side again Mitchell Starc.

    • Sorry to hear that Junes – I don’t see my kids all that much, but at least they’re still talking to me, when they can be arsed. Hope it can all be made right somehow.

  3. Well now. This is a bit raw.

    It’s not been the best year (ketamine addled younger son at least avoided prison in the summer) though his community service and probation meetings have still to be completed.

    My sister, at 64 just a few years senior to me, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer just 10 weeks ago. She passed away in the early hours of this morning at her home, thankfully. It’s a motherfucker.

    Not much to add to this really other then I might regret the venting I’m sure.

  5. Up to the end of September life trundled on in the manner to which I had become accustomed. Not venturing far from home except to attend the occasional hospital appointment in advance of getting my right hip replaced. That procedure to replace my right hip in late September is when life became different but the same. I’m still not venturing far from home, truth to be told since September my world has shrunk even further as I concentrate upon recovery. It’s been difficult but progress is ongoing and I am obviously far better now than I was in the immediate aftermath of surgery. Further to this medical kerfuffle I underwent further medical kerfuffle when I had cataract surgery on my left eye a fortnight ago today. Recovery from that is ongoing but I can already see far better than I did prior to going under the knife. Early next year I can look forward to a visit to the optician for some new specs and a shingles jab.
    Ain’t old age a total hoot.
    Nadolig Llawen i chi gyd.

  6. Well, the woes at Castle Og dim into insubstantial against the above, but it has been a shitty old year, at least since Spring sprung its chaotic spanner in the extended Og family. Things mend, but slowly, and Christmas, or our Boxing Day bash, will be two folk short, and thus a potent reminder of the still hard to accommodate mother/daughter rift therein.
    Our nasty tradesmen have stayed away, acquiring a non-court disposal order on themselves, whereby any further contact with us grants them a(another) visit from Old Bill and a fast track to court. So that is good. And our new security cameras are giving great pleasure, as we watch cats and foxes cross our front door, in their various nightly saunters.
    I have an audition for the new Lichfield Community Radio Station next week, they having a
    accepted my pitch (and, presumably, their own desperation….) Whether 1/2 an hour of folk and roots related musics is what the locals need or want, but there isn’t that much damage I can cause in only 30 minutes. We’ll see…..
    Otherwise I am looking forward to another year of busy retirement, already lining up the festivals I am hoping to frequent. Likewise to get back into some cold watter, that pleasure having gone to the wall during this year of discontent. And to catch up on the postponement of various trips around and about the UK and Europe.
    Best wishes to all, whatever this time of year means to, whether a time for celebration or something to fast forward through pronto.

  7. Not great. My sister died suddenly in May of a brain aneurysm, and I went back to Blighty for the funeral. Took a month to get back to Oz for various admin reasons, and once I was back I came down with flu A and ended up in hospital for a week. Was touch and go apparently, but I came through.

    Not all bad though – I’ve played a lot of music, including regular busking. Can’t beat playing Friend of the Devil and being given $20 by an old geezer who’d flown to the States to see the Dead 20 times.

    Talking of which, highly recommend the Spark Edge. Size of a carry-on bag, 60W, 2 x mikes and 2 x instruments, sounds brilliant.

  8. This thread last year I wasn’t long out of a hospital stay where the outcome was that I had nothing more serious than vertigo. I’ve had maybe three proper episodes since then so it’s not a major issue. Healthwise, since my regular football game ceased in mid 24, my health has been slowly deteriorating without any major concerns arising yet. I can’t walk up a flight of stairs now without getting out of breath especially since a proper bout of covid last month. I need to make more of an effort to timetable exercise.

    The big news last December was that, while I was on hospital, my nephew rang to see how I was doing and out-of-the-blue said that he was selling his company and offered to give me the chance to retire early. I turned 60 in August. Well the sale was delayed but went through in June so we now have a multi-millionaire in the family. Shortly before this happened he told me that he would not be free to spend major money for around 2 years as he has to retain some liability for the company under the sale contract. I took that to mean he wouldn’t be in a position to forward me a retirement fund prior to then. We haven’t had the conversation yet but may do over Christmas. I’m still working. He’s a generous soul and sent us €5000 on the first day of our family holiday to Portugal. I live in hope.

    In other financial news, I finally sold my bachelor pad and in doing so was able to clear all our debts including the outstanding mortgage on our home. This put and end to 7 years of living payday to payday and barely getting by. Losing that daily stress has been the big positive this year. Those 7 years put a lot of stress on my relationship with my wife and I’d hoped for a positive bounce or reset with our finances improving but I find on reflection our relationship causes me more stress than anything else nowadays. We have three young kids all great in their own unique ways but I find that there’s so little space for us that it’s not getting any better. I hope next year is better.

    I used some of the money above (€4500) to buy back 19 years of UK pension contributions which will amount to an extra £120 per week on top of what it was when I reach 67. With my Irish work pension and state pension I should be doing okay when I reach my late 60s. Hopefully we’ll still be debt free
    Work is fine but the commute is grinding me down. An hour each day used to be the norm but traffic in Dublin is clearly getting worse.

    Here’s to recharging the batteries over Christmas and a good 2026 ahead. I wish all on here the best. It’s such a civilised place in a world of turmoil.

  9. This was a People Are Strange year for me.

    After finally getting through the upset and grief stage of divorce to acceptance stage with ex-wife and The New Guy this was the year that the woman shared life with for a couple of decades decided to cut me off seemingly forever with The Silent Treatment.

    On the upside, our sons still want to be in my life so that’s the most important thing.

    And it turns out I’m still somewhat attractive to The Female Of The Species so that’s given me Space to not be too unhappy this year compared to the past couple of years.

    I now understand Tomorrow Never Knows…

    Hope everyone has a good Christmas (overrated) but most importantly as happy as possible New Year next year.

    • Uncertain how many you’ve had, but life post divorce tends to be better than imagined, or told it would be. Get the awkward 2nd “impulse” marriage out the way, as third time is the best!!

        • Christmas Eve pints and whisky had been consumed in this time zone when posting…but no regrets 🙂

          When first get divorced it’s awful. One of the worst feelings of failure in life.

          You don’t believe when others who’ve been through it say it will get better in time.

          Thankfully it does though.

          Appreciated the pints imbibed reply!

  10. It was OK really. We spent last New Year at our beloved freezing little cottage in rural France which was tinged by sadness as we sold it in February. A combination of Brexit hassles, the drive feeling a lot further these days and a positive wish to go to other places. We had a few UK holidays which were lovely – a wet week in west Wales (is there any other sort) and a splendid trip to Northumberland when Mrs. T celebrated the one year anniversary of breaking her ankle by hiking up to Hadrian’s Wall – a triumph. I also had a brilliant trip to Normandy on motorbikes with my best mate. Twang Jr knocked his uni course on the head and has started a new 3 years doing Music Tech at Sussex. He sends me fun snaps of tape machines and classic compressors and Neve EQs. It was a budget hit but he’s following his dream which I never did so my job is to swallow hard and support it. Otherwise I’m loving retirement and am in the process of forming a folk rock band (Fairport, Albions, Steeleye through to more modern stuff) which is great. Learning Richard Thompson guitar solos is fun – he’s a clever bugger and even simple sounding things usually involve playing in a completely different way to anyone else.

    Anyway the shopping is done, guests arriving (only 6 for Christmas dinner this year – we had 13 last year – never again) and I’d just like to thank everyone here for being such brilliant company.

  11. A year of great contrast. I finish the year in significantly better physical condition than I started it, but many of the people around me have not.
    I had an awful fortnight’s episode of excruciating back and knee pain in February, all following prolapsed discs that I’ve carried around for four years. Then, after diligently doing what the physio told me, I had immediate relief one night when, in essence, the discs that had still been about 5% out of place all these years, finally returned to their rightful home. Honestly, it is like I’ve been given a new back – well, maybe a reconditioned one! I cannot tell you how happy this has made me. Further, despite there being no clinical evidence for there being a link, my knees have got so much stronger since I started taking Glucosamine Sulphate. So, I can be as active as I like and, boy, do I like to be active. You don’t often hear people saying such things.
    But, two weeks after my March recovery, my eldest brother literally dropped dead, completely out of the blue. He left no will, but did leave a much older widow, suffering from dementia, in an apartment in Paris. Here, I will say something else you don’t often hear. The solicitors have played a blinder and done a great job for us. My second brother and I now have Power of Attorney for our sister-in-law and are running her life for her to make this as easy as possible. But you can imagine, this was not straightforward, and that will continue to be the case. Life bowls you googlys.
    Add to this, no fewer than four regulars from the tap room of my local have died young, including my drinking buddy, and two drivers at my depot died in the same week, one by his own hand. One of my closest friends bookended the year by being run over and by having emergency prostate removal; I feel for him.
    On the basis of all this, I have every intention of living life to the full in 2026.

  12. Sincere commiserations and prayers to all who have had losses this year, I hope life treats you better next.

    Nothing bad or even midly interesting has happened to me and mine, I just keep chugging on. Long may it continue.

  13. I really shouldn’t complain what with living in the South of France and near monthly short jaunts around Europe (Hi, Sicily – we shall return) but continuing the dominant theme on this thread of physical ailments , I most certainly will.
    Three years ago, routine knee replacement, left one first, right one planned in for six months later. I kept asking “Should I be in this much pain or am I just a wimp?” Turns out I am statistically one special guy. My surgeon, an arrogant sod who has pictures of famous patients on his wall most of whom appear to have played for Barcelona, admitted that whilst the new knee itself is perfect, I suffered neurological damage during the op.
    Fortunately Montpellier, 40 minutes away, is crammed full of medical experts (most of whom trained in Paris then realised they could set up in the Languedoc, buy a château and be home at five every day). Unfortunately they all said the same thing which was basically “Tough luck , have you tried these painkillers?”.
    Then two years ago a knee expert in Beziers said “I’ve got this super new steroid, let’s try that”. Instant pain relief, long walks in the hills, bike rides, uninterrupted sleeps, heaven! Every six months pop along the road, injection, 50 euros please until this October. “There has been, how you say, a rupture in production and no idea when the company in China can restart supply”.
    Constant electrical activity below both knees, constant muscular pain above both knees, sleep consists of two hours, get up for a pee, two hours rolling around, fall asleep for thirty minutes, get up for a pee, repeat and now it’s 7a.m. and time for Wordle.
    From nowhere, tinnitus appears and as The Languedoc disappears under unseasonal floods my arithitic fingers hurt like buggery.
    Merry Christmas everyone!!!

  14. I’ll be glad to see the back of 2025. It started badly with my sister getting rushed into hospital with heart problem’s luckily for her after a bout of surgery she recovered and is now almost fully back to health. On the back of this I was advised to get mine checked out which I did and my hey guess what I have a dodgy ticker and I was in the docs words a walking time bomb. So for the next six months I had various procedures and a host of medication which during that time I was very scared but with the support of my wonderful wife along with the NHS the last six months a lot better. I’ll be monitored and on meds the rest of my life but if there keeping me alive it’s a small price to pay . Condolences to everyone one on here who have lost loved ones or going through a tough time. Even though i have never physically met anyone from here i pop on here most days and always find our thoughts and rambles interesting & inspiring so I count you all as friends . I’m fortunate to belong to such a group so merry Christmas one and all . Here’s to 2026 let’s hope it’s a better one .

    • Well done for getting defused! I had a heart attack in 2005, so I’ve now been on the meds for 20 years. When I left hospital I asked three medics how long I could expect to be taking them. The three answers were: for the foreseeable future; for the rest of your life; until you die. Which says something of the mindset of those three! But the meds have (presumably) been keeping me alive, so mustn’t grumble – except about the cost in Oz of course.

  15. This thread has made me count the blessings I have, and my heartfelt best wishes to people who have had difficulty and loss this year. I’m currently propped up, ingesting nothing more than Lemsip and soup. The minute I finished work last Friday the superflu took over and Christmas is cancelled – no trips to elderly parents for good reason. A delirious fall on Sunday night has left me with a few injuries (mainly cracked ribs) – could have been much worse. But I’m with my wife in a warm flat and happy with that.

    Government work has been varied and fun, working for a great bunch but with the threat of our jobs being cut back or disappeared hanging over us all year. Given my wife lost her job in 2024 and hasn’t found a full time replacement, job insecurity and bill paying has equalled no holidays or real fun stuff.

    On the plus side, my new(ish) Americana band have finished an album, my first time with a producer. I’ve normally done albums in a few weeks from soup to nuts, but this was painstaking, crafted and polished to a high sheen, with four mixes and two mastering sessions from a chap in the US before everyone was happy. Producer Peter Bruntnell (who some AWers may know) was great to work with and shared his extensive knowledge, tasty gear and gags all summer long. I’ll pester you all on the notice board when the time comes – I’m hoping March.

    Anyway, a peaceful and happy Yuletide to you wonderful folk, this remains a great place to come to. Here’s to a better 2026 for us all.

  16. It’s been a quiet and uneventful year, pretty much like the last one, and I confess to being more than satisfied with that. I turned 64, and am plagued with the usual aches and pains, but they are manageable and I know things could be so much worse. Retirement suits me just fine. Plenty of time to walk, watch the flowers grow and listen to music, but sometimes the aimlessness of it affects my wellbeing, even though I mostly keep busy. The long winter months are hardest of all. Mrs B works long hours, which makes for an unbalanced relationship that has been hard to adjust to. This place remains a comfort blanket for many reasons. My best wishes to everyone who contributes to that, and all good hopes to those for whom this year has brought challenges and sadness. Happy Christmas to you all.

  17. Not too wonderful, some of it has been documented here. Lost a close friend in September, another friend of 30 years passed away in Switzerland. By a complete coincidence I happened to be there for first time in 5 years on the weekend of his memorial party/wake. The good part was I got to catch up with a lot of old work colleagues from the 90s who I hadn’t seen for more than 25 years in some cases. Also lost a cousin in October, we hadn’t really been close for a while, but still very sad

    A lot of challenges with my daughter throughout the year but some signs of improvement right at the end of it.

    Work is kind of ok, I have pretty much stopped working unpaid overtime. There were redundancies about a month ago, I was half hoping to be selected and moving to early retirement if the amount for 13 years service was high enough, but I wasn’t chosen

    Health is not too bad, new medication has helped my Crohn’s, few other hopefully minor issues. Have enjoyed getting up most Saturday mornings and doing a park run, bit cold now but hope to try one or two winter ones for the hell of it

    New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight (again), do a lot of decluttering and stop buying things I don’t need (some improvement on that score in 2025)

    Merry Christmas Everybody!

  18. It has, as usual, been a mixed bag.

    On the upside, my son has been accepted into Law School. It will be an expensive three years, but he’s committed to Public Defence, so we’ll call that a good investment.

    Sharon and I both retired at the end of our tours in Australia. Not sorry to be leaving the workforce, happy to be looking forward to our future, just want to get our home location settled. Texas for a year, and then who knows.

    But we had to leave Australia, about which I was really unhappy. Alice Springs isn’t for everyone, but I was doing meaningful work, and really enjoyed living there. We never went anywhere in Aus that I didn’t like, and some that I absolutely loved. I’d have been more than happy to have stayed there long term.

  19. Seems somewhat disrespectful in the light of the year some have had to proclaim it as a goodun, but I have enjoyed it a lot. Early in the year I managed to finally put of a load of stressful bureaucracy behind me, which was very liberating and allowed me to really enjoy living in Sardinia (apart from the litter). We had a long summer this year – I started daily sea-swimming at the beginning of June and had my last swim of the year in the first week of November.
    Being completely deaf hasn’t spoiled things, I still find it novel and quite interesting in a surreal way and people are always very kind when they discover I’m deaf. Plus I don’t have to bother engaging with them. Win-win, as they say. On the downside, I do have a constant headache, which gets on my nerves, and I hate getting old, but apart from those two gripes life in 2025 has been great.

  20. A couple of deaths in the family, both octogenarians, these things happen.
    I was hugely impressed by all the various bodies I had to negotiate following a death earlier in the year… bank, funeral directors, probate people… very heartening.

    Living at the edge of the world for a decade now, and I’m more Cornish now than most of the Cornish. I regularly get the ‘oh, we don’t mean you’ when outsiders/tourists are being slagged off, a very minor and lesser version of what many black or Asian people have had throughout the years!

    I’m keeping my best shoes, best shirt, and good shoes primed as I suspect I’ll be going to a few funerals in 2026, the age range of my neighbours and friends being the north side of 80.

    New Year’s Resolution: I must remember people’s names better as I’m always getting ‘hi, how’s it going’ from people I can’t ever recall meeting.
    Also, going to go through the Uncut Top 500 60s LPs magazine, and plan to do my own Top 500… it will be a better list than theirs… no ‘Sound of Fury’… Really?

  21. Hugs and positive vibes to those who clearly have had or are having a difficult time. Christmas will often amplify the blues – I hope things will be better soon.

    For me, it’s been a year of fairly significant change, some good and some… well let’s wait and see.
    I started a diet on Jan 2nd and as of this morning I’m 85 pounds lighter (about 6 stone in old money). I’m not half the man I used to be, but something around 20% less. I didn’t expect to lose this much, but with the aid of Mournjaro injections (which rendered me about 1500 pounds lighter in the bank account) I surpassed the modest 2 stone loss I initially hoped for in the first 2 months and just kept going.

    My waist has shrunk by 8 inches which has taken my wardrobe form comedically baggy through to dangerous and in turn expensive to replace. But happily so. Whilst shopping for souvenir T shirts on a recent trip to Memphis and Nashville I discovered the irony of everything being available in my old 3XL size, and more often than not, nothing I actually wanted in my new size of XL. I’m now an incurable label tart, haunting the designer outlet stores close to where I worked in the US / Canada and even in sleepy old Somerset.

    Ah, but what happens when you stop injecting, I hear you ask. Well, I’m about to find out. I have just 3 doses left to take. Most people regain at least half of what they lost, so there’s trepidation on my part. I totally changed my diet on the day I started and whilst I now occasionally indulge (a whole 2 curries so far this year but still 0 pizzas) I’m hoping I can keep going. I’ve lost nearly all the weight on just 1/3rd of the maximum dose, so hopefully the withdrawal won’t be too onerous. I’m aware that whilst I’ve made the transition from “obese” to “overweight”, being a normal weight for age and height is still something like 18 pounds away.

    In the meantime, I’ve taken up running (well, jogging and shuffling haphazardly) and find I can just about polish off a 5k run in 45 minutes. I’m pretty much the slowest thing out there, my nose actually runs faster than the rest of me, but am I bothered? I’m going to try a park run in the new year, and I now have more compression fit Lycra than any man of my age should own. I simply can’t explain why I now actually like getting out and running – I just know it’s good for me mentally and physically (apart from the little toe on my right foot which is acting up) and pretty much the exact opposite of everything I ever felt in a gym.

    My step daughter got married in April and she went out of her way to treat me like a “real dad” despite the relatively little contact we now have. There were quite a lot of tears on the day, many of which were mine. They way they included me really moved me, and the whole weekend was a blast. I resolved to be more proactive about seeing them although it’s the sort of thing I struggle with. I did get them all together for a meal in September, and I’m staying with her for the weekend in Feb.

    I also retired this week, as my 66th birthday arrived. I took the decision over a year ago, and there’s very little about the work and the frequent commutes to the USA that I will miss. That said I can’t pretend that for the last week I’ve felt anything but an unexpected well of emotion and regret having had a couple of colleagues (one quite uncharacteristically tearful) say how much they’ve liked working with me, and how they will miss me. It feels like it will leave a huge void in my life. They gave me a lovely send off which I think made the following week all the more difficult to face into. I have very few real friends and whilst there are Zoom calls already in the diary, I’m finding it very hard to adjust to, at least for now.

    I have a few things to do now with my freedom. I’m taking on the role of chair for a little community transport charity, which cut adrift of council funding needs to raise cash to stay open, so I plan to learn how to fundraise. I’m also tentatively thinking about having a go at a local community radio station – who could resist a 3 hour Blue Oyster Cult special? There’s also a local arts center that seems to want volunteers to help with sound and light and will train novices – I’ll have to see if that’s really the case.

    Oh, and I got a tattoo.

    Best wishes to one and all for Christmas and the New Year.

    • I retired in April 2024 and had no intention of working ever again until an unexpected offer of consultancy work came up at the end of June 2025. . 2 days per week at a very generous level of remuneration was too good to turn down. If truth be known it is not onerous at the moment but suspect it might become so when they decide that I need to up my value to them. When that happens I will revert to full time retirement – no drama.
      Health wise it’s a mixed bag. On the plus side I have seen my blood sugars drop by 30 percent and my cholesterol levels fall to their lowest level in several years. On the negative side a recent diabetic eye test suggested that I have stage 1 diabetic retinopathy. Not happy with this but will try my best to control it.
      The sad news that our daughter and her boyfriend had to have their magnificent XL Billy put to sleep as he developed an extremely aggressive cancer. Despite horror stories in our ever awful press he was a real gentle soul with no malicious bone in his body. He enriched the lives of our daughter and us too and I am not a dog lover.
      I continue to enjoy my English Writers class, joined a Gospel choir and performed at a sold out Lichfield cathedral. Travel is still a big part of our life and we have a number of holidays scheduled for this coming year the big one being a trip to the 5 Stans
      I don’t take any of this for granted and am really grateful that nothing really terrible has happened in this year that is just about to end .
      On the other hand I am fearful of World politics and becoming depressed with the way this once Green and pleasant land is rapidly becoming nasty and litter strewn. Why are we so docile to allow this to happen? The French would be manning the barricades and bringing out the guillotine

  22. I started the year working on a project from hell, which made me ill. I dropped my working week to four days and pressed on. It made me ill again. I dropped my working week to three days and told work to shove the project. The new project is being run by another company – I’m just the part-timer who mucks in when I can – and it’s a whole lot easier than before, and it still pays for a lot of things we couldn’t afford otherwise. But I’m going to see how things pan out in the first bit of ’26 and look to jacking the whole consultancy nonsense in by the summer. So my year was difficult in some ways, but has got me to the point where I can start to see glimmers down the end of the tunnel, and compared to many here on their own journeys, I’ve had a pretty easy time of it, all things considered.

    Stay kind, be good and have a great time with your loved ones over this festive period; Happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year. I’m not convinced he exists, but may your God go with you anyway.

  23. Can I add my condolences and commiserations to those of you who have experienced losses and illness this year?

    My own year hasn’t been great either really: son moved back after a year living with his gf of five years. We really liked her and miss her being around.
    In August, my dad was blue lighted to A&E with another minor ish stroke but he also had sepsis and after a couple more incidents, he’s in a care home, which he hates and is 150 mile round trip for us, so not convenient to visit. I’ve taken over his financial affairs, which has been a long round of paperwork with multiple banks etc. He’s very frail now, nearly 97 and he won’t be coming out,
    My brother had a stroke last year, which he got over quite well but his wife, older by a couple of years, had a major one in the summer and isn’t doing well at all.
    My big van was broken into and subsequently written off, requiring me to find an acceptable replacement, adding about £12k to the payout and a load of grief refitting the ramp and tie points. Just when that was all sorted, my daughter’s car was hit by an Evri driver who drove off without leaving a note, fortunately neighbours got the number plate but it’s been more hassle reporting it and dealing with insurance companies.
    Due to a combination of circumstances, work is quieter than I’d like, I may have to either ring around for some freelance work, diversify or both. I’m not in a position to retire yet, I need another three years or so really.

    After all that, my son and daughter are thriving, daughter especially, blossoming in her last year at uni, part of a team of 9 or so making a short animated film. She’s doing the background art which looks great and she’s loving it as well as being president of the Climbing Society. Such a change from the timid, anxious kid of a few years ago.

    My health is ok, usual aches and pains which are helped by a bit of exercise: cycling and a cross trainer are definitely good for my knees. I’ve more or less stopped drinking, an experiment to see how it affected my blood pressure. It did lower it some but I wouldn’t say I really feel any better. I have the occasional beer or wine but mostly have a Shipyard Low Tide IPA, which is indistinguishable from the regular Shipyard.

    I had a short, solo break in Seville and Granada, which I enjoyed immensely, especially Seville, where I walked extensively. We’ve also seen quite a bit of live music this year , which has kept us sane and we plan to do the same next year.

    Wishing all of you a better 2026.

  24. So I read through this and think “I’ve done nothing really this year”.
    No big life changing events, no major forks in the road, no health failings, work failings, or life failings in general.
    Have I really spent the whole year keeping my head down while the world washes over me?

    Twentieth Wedding Anniversary (and therefore the 5th anniversary on the new kitchen).
    (I know … she deserves a medal – or so I constantly reminded)
    Estrangement with eldest daughter and grand kids moving to “much less estranged”

    Did have 1 funeral this year that mad me think “uh-oh” … old bloke I used to work with (in fact it was me that interviewed him and offered the job in the first place) and a staunch member of the Old Gits Every-Other-Friday Cultural Visit / Pub Crawl Club passed away.
    The Funeral was on a non-working Friday, which was apt, and the next Cultural Outing (OK, Pub Crawl) was marked with many toasts and reminisces.

    Health wise – despite continuing to drink more Guinness than is good for me, smoke far too many roll-ups, and eschew all things vegetable related, I’m still upright.
    Did have the Flu job in November, but I believe it actually made my immune system worse as since then I’ve been fighting cold-after-cold (and I still can’t hear properly due to blocked ears).

    2026? Will just keep bumbling along, with them possibility of voluntary redundancy/early retirement potentially on the horizon.
    And me and my mate might finally get our podcast out of the planning stages and on to tape
    (this was to happen in early December, but it appears that a Flu Bomb hit Henley-On-Thames and everyone living there has been knocked out of action.

    All The Best to anyone who reads this drivel, and thanks for keeping me sane, giving me something to read, something to think about, and directed me to unheard/unseen/unread gems.

    Slàinte Mhath

    • I had the jab 8 days ago and have felt like shit since, hopefully that means it’s just doing its job. Had a cold a month ago before that and have been almost deaf in my left ear, but that is improving now

        • I’ve had Schrodinger’s flu and covid jab. We moved house when I was due to have them initially so cancelled them then and I booked replacement jabs up here on the 3rd of October and had them done. After I started getting messages from my new surgery asking me to come in for a flu jab.
          I explained to the nurse at the surgery I’d had them both done. The NHS app says if your record is wrong visit the pharmacy that you had it done, which I did. The chap at the pharmacy said I can’t have had it done there as they didn’t start doing them until the 6th. I’d screenshotted the appointment from the app which definitely says the 3rd.

          Have I had it done? Was it done by a rogue pharmacist?

          I know my arms hurt after but luckily no after effects.
          .

            • I’ve been getting the flu jab yearly for over twenty years and the only reaction I ever have to it is a slightly sore arm at the injection site. I don’t seem overly prone to adverse reactions to anything. I was asked if I had any allergies at the pre-op appointments I attended for my THR and Cataract surgery and I told both nurses that I was allergic to Nigel Farage and his ilk but that nothing else came to mind.

              • I only had a reaction when I had a COVID booster and flu together, though science says they can’t interact. I felt crap for a day after anyway. Wevs.

                • I used to get a bad cold or flu every winter until I started having the flu jab in 2019 and then every year since. Also in 2019 I had my first Covid jab, repeated for next three years then abandoned due to laziness and the suspicion that I’m Covid-immune. Since 2019 I haven’t had a cold at all, not so much as a sniffle in six years. Is that normal or is it weird? (Perhaps I’m a god! That’d be nice.)

          • Annual Flu Jab and 6 monthly Covid jabs for me and nothing more than a slightly sore arm afterwards.

            I had the first of the two Shingles jabs recently, however and it knocked me for six for two or three days.

  25. 2025 was a pretty good year, all things considered, apart from a temporary financial blip in October-November. Now back on track again, hopefully. My rent has finally gone up, after remaining the same since 2017, but an increase in housing benefit will cover that.
    My health has been reasonable, in a codgerly fashion. Slight improvement in my mobility but a tiny bit shorter of breath.

  26. Up and down

    Mother moved into care home in February, which was a relief

    Liverpool won the Premier League- I know it’s not important but made me so happy

    Took voluntary redundancy in June. Good as I wanted to leave.

    Mother passed away in September

    At 59, maybe I have retired, but not sure yet, as I like the structure of working.

  27. Condolences and commiserations to those who have lost loved ones this year. May 2026 be a happier time.
    After a couple of turbulent years through deaths and retirements, this year has proved a steady, mostly enjoyable ride.
    Still went to nearly as many funerals as gigs. My gigs for the year ended last week with a final total of 10. Looking back my stand out times of the year have been trips to see the likes of Richard Hawley, Paul Heaton and most memorably The Courettes.
    Youngest son did very well in his A Levels and started Uni. Youngest daughter moved jobs in the summer and is currently loving life working in the local Lego Store.
    I suppose the highlight of the year was the two precious weeks with the grand-daughter in the summer. After which I needed a holiday myself.
    Plans for 2026 include a weekend in Glasgow and a much needed meet up with old school friends that is planned for March.
    Best wishes to all for a happier 2026.

  28. Bloody hell. Seems a fair few of us have been through the mill this year. Clearly a bulk order of black cats from somewhere.

    I thank once again everyone for their support (It IS support even if I don’t know you.) and send my best wishes to you all.

    Did you know I used to be the drummer in Krokus?

  30. My condolences to everyone who has lost someone close.

    I’ve not been directly affected but my grand-daughters’ other grandad was found dead in his bed Sunday morning. He was younger than me.

    I’ve accumulated more health conditions myself this last few months. I have long-standing high cholesterol (apo-E2 type 3 hyperlipidaemia if you must know) which has been well controlled since I was forty. Fifteen years ago I had a lung clot (saddle embolus) after an operation for an ankle fracture, and a DVT six years ago following a long flight. I’ve been on cholesterol tablets and anticoagulant for many years. Now, my renal function has dropped into official chronic kidney disease and bloods have shown I also have idiopathic neutropenia (shortage of the white blood cells that fight bacteria). I’ve had three skin infections and a urinary tract infection as a result. Then, I had a persistent cough following a bout of covid, had an x-ray, then a scan. My lungs need monitoring in two years, but the scan also revealed moderate coronary artery disease. Mild would have been okay but I have to admit to being a bit shaken. I guess I have something that could cause me to go to bed and never wake up, just like other grandad.

    I have no symptoms, apart from the infections, and feel better In myself than I have for years.

    In the meantime, I still work and intend to keep going as long as I can. 😁 Plus, visit here regularly. I don’t know what I’d do without you all.

    Here’s to a better 2026.

  31. Every year I read the “how has the year been for you” thread and feel fortunate for remaining in good health while simultaneously feeling huge sympathy for the many trials and tribulations of a lot of people here. This year has been no different as far as things go for me, but we had a major health scare in March when Mrs M was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. There followed months of chemo and resultant bowel surgery, accompanied by an amazing and generous output of love and assistance from friends and neighbours. She was pronounced cancer free in October and her doctor’s advice was “enjoy Christmas”. In other words, don’t look too far ahead. We are optimistic, but realistic.

    Meanwhile I made the rather surprising decision to “retire” at the end of next year – surprising because I never thought I’d ever feel that way. Musicians never retire! I’ll be retiring from working at the job I’ve had for the last 25 years, which I always describe as the best job in the world for a freelance piano player. It’s not the music itself I’m retiring from, it’s the grind of music as work. Still lots of my own creative projects in the bottom drawer to complete. We’ll be OK financially, with a slight decrease in spare cash, but thankfully we paid off our mortgage some years ago

    Our two older children are doing brilliantly while the youngest keeps getting stuck in nowhere jobs that demand unpaid overtime. Be good to help her sort that.

    Best to all for 2026!

    • Great news re your wife @Mousey. I assume it was caught quickly.
      I had a friend who was sadly only duagnosed after many visits to the doctors by which time it was too later to do anything.
      Enjoy retirement – it’s ace.

      • Thanks @SteveT. Actually it was diagnosed quite late (stage 4) which is common for ovarian cancer. The most common symptom, which Mrs M had, is a swelling round the abdomen. As most women of a certain age can be embarrassed about being a bit large in that zone they don’t mention it to their doctor until they realise it’s something odd.

        Fully intending to enjoy retirement!

  32. Fairly uneventful year up until beginning of September, then it all kicked off. Brother who has been struggling with health for a while was admitted to hospital, then to ICU where we nearly lost him. There they finally got to the bottom of what’s been wrong with him for so long, he had TB, though god knows where he picked it up from. Now on a long long road to recovery after a long hospital stay.

    By November my dad was in hospital, serious enough for me to travel across country at short notice as the signs weren’t good. Because of his own issues, my brother not in a position to come, so it was on me to go and support my mum and run her round. Thankfully the doctors stabilised my dad, and he’s home for Christmas, but seems diminished both physically and mentally.

    While all the above was going on, out of the blue my company was sold to new ownership. I went into it with an open mind, but the culture at the new place is really not positive; it was when they docked me pay after I’d gone to see my dad that I knew I had to get out.

    And here’s the happy ending… Last week I got offered a new job working for an organisation with a social mission to improve lives, and the people I’ve met there are fantastic. So once all my DBS checks etc are complete, I look forward to handing in my notice in the first week of 2026 and starting a new chapter. Here’s to a better year ahead, Merry Christmas all 🙂

  33. On the 30th June 2025 I decided to stop drinking alcohol. It was a boiling hot day and I’d had a few cans of lager. I was in my kitchen when I felt I was going to faint. I managed to make it into my living room and slumped onto the sofa. Luckily my brother was there and I could hear him saying “shall I call the paramedics?”. I told him not to and he fetched me a glass of water. An hour later when I was feeling a bit better, he gave me an almighty bollocking and told me he thought I was having a stroke. This scared the living daylights out of me and I decided there and then that I was done with alcohol. I am 66 years old and first started drinking when I was 14 with my friends down the local park where we would share a bottle of cider. Luckily for me I never took to spirits or wine and have always stuck to lager. Since I stopped I have more energy, sleep better and of course have more money in my pocket. I have also stopped going to pubs. People spend most of their time either looking at the sport on TV or looking at their phones. The landlords are rude and the piped music is rubbish. After reading about how bad the year 2025 was for some Afterworder’s, I consider myself fortunate and my heart goes out to them. As the late great Bette Davis once said “Old age is not for sissies.” Merry Christmas everybody and a happy new year.

  34. I’m happy to report that my year has been relatively unaffected by major difficulties. Getting older continues to be a bit of a bastard of course and my mobility has deteriorated a bit since last year, although not seriously.
    I hope those of you who have had a difficult – in some cases extremely difficult – year have a much happier and healthier 2026.
    Happy Christmas everyone!

  35. Sorry to hear about the trials and tribulations of some of the correspondents on here and hope 2026 is a better year.

    As mentioned above we moved finally this year, no thanks to our buyer’s solicitor who moved with the speed of a geriatric snail five and a half months from offer to finally moving. Still managed to get to concerts from here and some good stuff booked for next month. My weakened leg still gives me problems and with moving house and problems getting my tablets I had to do without them for a month. My balance is getting worse, staying at a hotel this week i got up in the night to avail myself of the lavatorial facilities lost my balance and ricocheted off walls tried to steady myself and nearly crashed through the shower screen.
    Luckily no damage done.

    All the best everyone.

  36. It has been a good year. No major events to report other than a family trip back to the UK in April as well as an utterly brilliant 5 nights in Crete, where I spent time with my two best chums. It had been years, but those years melted away instantly.

    Still have three of the five offspring at home and Christmas Day was wonderful – with wider family and cousins joining us for a big outdoor evening meal and drinks. I wish I didn’t have so many aches and pains but that’s all a part of getting older I guess.

  37. This is always such a moving thread to read. How great that in this virtual pub we can pivot from talking bollocks about music to sharing such personal feelings. If it was a real pub we’d probably just cough awkwardly, get another round in, and go back to the relative merits of Ringo and Charlie Watts. Or maybe not. I have always loved the honesty and the generosity of this place and it says something about those who travel here. My deepest condolences to those who have been through tough times this year; may 2026 be better.

    My big event of the year was to finally retire, 2 or 3 years later than I had originally thought I would, but the pandemic put paid to that – there was just too much to do in its wake as we all worked to get the company fully back to where it had been pre Covid. I had always wanted to leave whilst I was still enjoying (mostly) the work and before I became the grumpy and disillusioned old git in the corner who everyone couldn’t wait to see the back of. Mission accomplished I think. I still loved my job and was still doing it ok but I was and am ready for this next phase of my life. I’ve loved it so far – I seem to have no trouble filling the days even if it is largely doing the same old stuff I enjoy doing but now have more time for. I have taken on a couple of voluntary board roles so that will keep me occupied alongside everything else.

    We’ve had a few trips away – just in the UK and Ireland and usually for a few days. It’s lovely to be able to do that without worrying about whether I can afford the time.

    Family all good. Mrs BB has been brilliant this year – my retiring and being around all the time is as big a change for her as it is for me. And I remain unspeakably proud of our two daughters who are both with us this Christmas along with their very pleasant and decent boyfriends.

    In all of this I count my blessings and know how fortunate I am. Whilst also, especially at this age, knowing how things can change in a moment.

    God bless us everyone, and thanks again to all who keep this place ticking along.

  38. I’m very much in the camp of not really sharing much personal information – I don’t post to Facebook, I don’t do twitter etc etc. However, given the many moving updates in this thread, it only feels right that I should contribute. Plus, leaving it late in the thread means no one will read anyway 🙂

    So, 2025…. It’s been an interesting year. On the whole, I would say it’s been good and there is no way I can complain.

    As some background, I’m still (early) retired – I took a very nice payoff at 52 (6 years ago) and as we are financially secure, I never went back to working again. I know that I am in a privileged position and am thankful for the freedom that it brings. One upshot of this early retirement is that I started swimming every day, did more home cooking etc, and overall, I am pretty healthy. My yearly health screening is generally all clear.

    However……

    The major event of the year started towards the end of last year when my health screening showed an increased PSA level for two years in a row. A referral to a Urologist and the subsequent MRI / biopsy showed cancerous cells in the prostate and a Gleason score of 3+4 which is on the borderline of “you better do something about this”. So in May this year, I had the op to remove the prostate. All went very smooth and I was kicked out of hospital the next day. Recovery was very fast and straightforward – the usual urinary leakage issues which lasted about 6 weeks. One of the main factors in this recovery was the pelvic floor exercise before and after the op – I had a really good physio. I was back swimming 4 / 5 weeks after the op. I still have some ED issues (it’s reckoned to take a year or so for that to fully recover) but since then my PSA has been essentially 0 and the doctor has basically told me to go away and come back in six months. Basically the cancer was contained in the prostate and so caught early and unlikely to cause any further problems.

    So, getting on my soapbox – prostate cancer is now one of the most common amongst men of our age (I was told that essentially ALL males will get if you live long enough, just that in most you will live with it and die with it, not because of it). So – get your PSA tested and if it is caught early it can be cured. The side effects of surgery are at most an inconvenience and can be overcome.

    Other than that, it has been a very good year. Two boys are both doing well at Uni. I continue to enjoy life – monthly get togethers with old colleagues to drink very good wine and whisky. Nothing really much I can complain about.

    Like I said above, I am extremely thankful that I am in such a position. My sincerest good wishes to all of you on here and, for those with struggles, a hope that all gets better.

    Cheers.

    • Thanks Chris and I completely agree. A close family member didn’t have the regular checks during COVID and now has inoperable prostate cancer which is being held at bay by hormone treatment. Fingers crossed. It also killed my dad so I’m very attentive to checks. Mine is steadily under 2. Get it done everyone.

    • Glad you’re well, Chris. When i went for a Colonoscopy, the doctor said exactly the same thing about all men getting prostate cancer if you live long enough, so yup, good advice to go and get it checked.

      • When I had the colonoscopy that led to my diagnosis, the doc asked how I was doing halfway through. I wasn’t enjoying it much, but I thought I’d tough it out and so said, ‘I’m getting a bit bored now.’

        The doc said, ‘You’re bored? It’s Friday afternoon, how do you think I feel?’ 🙂

        And sixthed to the get checked advice. I was diagnosed in 2008 and I’m still here, thanks to an early diagnosis. Squeamishness is foolishness.

          • It’s a rare old conundrum the prostate. As a younger medic I was on the National Screening Committee that, about 2001, said no to prostate screening, agreeing it caused too much havoc in those with indolent and slow growing tumours, who would invariably then want surgery and its consequences. As I got older, concerned by quite how many presented with an already widespread and aggressive tumours, I wondered as to that earlier decision.
            The crux is that PSA remains a far from perfect index for action. For those with symptoms and with family history, I think PSA and a finger are a must, with prostatic MRI to gauge size and whether still snug and safe in the prostatic capsule, certainly before the night of long knives biopsy and any consideration of surgery. All men also, in England and Wales, have the right, at 60 to ask and have a PSA test without being fobbed off. Not all staff at GP surgeries know that.
            I still don’t know about universal screening, but never refused anyone’s request. And, much as I might have always preached putting off unnecessary surgery until it was necessary, I still wonder what I would do, if presented with an early tumour and asked to consider watchful waiting, as it was once called.

            • FWIW, I was diagnosed in 2021. I was offered active surveillance (as opposed to watchful waiting, which is less, er, active). Local urologist was happy to refer me for surgery if I wanted it, but tertiary centre surgeon recommended AS at my stage of risk/benefit and I agreed. Regular PSAs and the odd MRI and biopsy if anything appeared to change – but it took until early 2025 before surgery was recommended. System works, provided you understand what’s happening and why (and provided that your head can cope with apparently doing nothing).

              https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/prostate-cancer/treatment/monitoring-prostate-cancer

            • After a period of watchful waiting recommended by my GP and a sympathetic specialist (one Jonathan Waxman), I fell into the hands of a surgeon for whom prostate removal was what got him up in the morning. The new Mrs thep and I were having a reasonably pleasing sex life at the time, so I said no. Five years later the PSA got a bit dicy so I had radiotherapy and have been in remission ever since. The sex life went out of the window, but I’m still alive. Sorry if I’m over-sharing – drink has been taken.

              • Thanks both for the shares and context; it is the headfuck of “apparently doing nothing” that causes most of the angst to the men I know, when faced with the “choice” of not “taking it all away now, doc.”

                • I get an annual PSA test but the doc didn’t want to do the finger (in one sense for obvious reasons…) saying the PSA is better. MRI – no chance.

                  • The finger is vital on 2 counts, I think. If you feel a horrid craggy and irregular prostate, that trumps a possibly false negative PSA. And, for the chap with frequency, strangury, hesitancy and dribbling, let alone the post tuck in pis à deux, it can reveal a prostate that, however benign, may still warrant an interventive rebore.

                    • I must admit I’d never heard the word ‘strangury’ before, but then I don’t live in an English-speaking country.

                    • Funnily enough, if left to the Fickle Finger of Fate, I’d have had a clean bill of health – both my GP and the urologist thought that my prostate felt entirely benign: no lumps or bumps, no rough bits, nothing irregular. But my PSA was about 14. So I was sent for an MRI and then a biopsy and – hey presto!

                      Suffice to say that, after three years of checks (and four biopsies), it stopped being an embarrassment or an issue at all.

                    • I saw the film Blue Moon last month about Lorenz Hart I have to paraphrase but mentioning his visits to relieve himself of a pressing bladder in the night “it’s now a two act performance with an interval” which I thought was rather splendid. I must admit to laughing out loud at that point.
                      The age I am now is when my father started with prostate cancer, I asked for a check at the start of the year which after it all they said that it was all clear. I’ve now moved and now with a different doctor I think I’ll ask again.

            • Whilst I very much understand that the PSA test is far from perfect, I certainly get the impression these days that a combination of PSA, MRI and (improved/safer) Biopsy has gotten to the point where the urologist can make a pretty well informed diagnosis and course of action, so the previous screening decisions / directives are probably no longer valid.

              Having now been cleared (so far) after early detection, I know that I am biased in my thinking, but the potential to save lives must surely outweigh any downsides.

              Plus a PSA test is so easy – here in Singapore I need to turn up at the clinical lab an hour before my urologist appointment and the results are out by the time I see him.

              • I got myself checked earlier this year and was given the all clear which was a relief. My sawbones gave me a thorough going over bless him, checking and testing every bit of me he could and told me that apart from the usual wear and tear issues associated with increasing decreptitude I was doing alright. There are days when I doubt his judgement or even his sanity but what do I know. I just pop the occasional paracetamol and wait for Spring.
                I can only echo what others have said…get yourselves checked out.

  39. Late to the party as usual, but like they say, better late than never. I can’t believe how quick this thread seems to come around. That reminds me how quick time flies, and that some of us of a certain age, really do need to make the most of our time.

    This is my first full year of being retired, after retiring in March ’24. Like others have said above, I’m enjoying every single minute of it, and would highly recommend it to anyone who is in two minds of doing it. If you can afford it just do it, you won’t regret it.

    It was quite an uneventful year until late summer, with my days spent walking, eating out, practicing my guitar and keyboards, and lots of reading. Not necessarily all in one day mind.

    Things changed late August when my daughter and her partner split up. They have been together about ten years, and have two boys aged 9 and 6. We could see that things hadn’t been right for a while, but it all came to a head when we had a phone call at 1am on a a Saturday morning with my daughter screaming that he was threatening to hurt her. We phoned the police, drove there ourselves, and all hell broke loose. Long story short, he was escorted from the house, and has been ordered to stay away. He didn’t actually hurt her, but she was terrified, and hasn’t been the same since. She certainly doesn’t want him back, but she is not coping very well, and the boys are blaming her for him going, and are not behaving themselves very well. She’s on the phone most evenings crying, and it’s been a difficult few months. We have stepped in and help out a lot by picking them up from school, and taking them out on weekends. I know time is a healer, but I’m really worried about my daughter and her fragile state of mind at the moment. She’s only 36, so hopefully she will still have a great future ahead of her.

    The other news was that my 89 year old mother in law, who hasn’t been in the best of health since her husband died two years ago, was diagnosed with colon cancer. She is too frail to have surgery or chemotherapy, so she is having palliative care at home. We didn’t think she would be here for Christmas, but she is, and we all had a lovely day yesterday. It’s just a waiting game now for the inevitable to happen.

    Sorry if this all sounds doom and gloomy. It’s the last thing you want to hear at Christmas. There is good news though, as last month I treated myself to a new Denon hi-fi unit, with Cd and a turntable. I’m really enjoying my cds and vinyl after years of streaming, and it’s like listening to them for the first time again.

    Wishing you all a belated Happy Christmas, and have a wonderful New Year.

      • Thanks Freddy for your kind words. If there’s one consolation to this situation, it’s that my mother-in-law has reached a ripe old age, and has had a full and healthy life. Your sister was taken from you far too early at just 64, the same age as me, which is far,far too young. Thinking of you at this very sad time, and I wish you and your family all the best for the coming year.

  40. Commiserations to all above who have had tough times and losses this year. It turned out to be a year of two halves for me. The first five or six months weren’t much cop at all:

    – wife started the year with prolonged mysterious headaches with no apparent cause and had to go through a series of medical tests with both of us fearing the worst
    – daughter developed huge anxiety issues around school and the build up to A-level exams. Ended up having to pull her out of school altogether by the end of January and she only went back to sit the exams
    – I’d started a secondment in a different department at work in November 2024 and was enjoying doing something different and dare I say it easier. But the cost of the extra commute twice a week was ludicrous and when they started talking about having to be in the office three days a week I had to admit defeat and return to my previous role. Which is fine, it’s by no means a terrible job, but I have been doing it for a very long time and was disappointed to give up on something fresh

    but it got better:

    – we never found a cause for the headaches but they are nothing like as bad now
    – daughter did well enough in her exams to get into her university of choice and is closer to being the happy confident teenager she was a year ago
    – short family holiday in Florence was really nice
    – worst thing that happened in the back half of the year was the car failing it’s MOT but a bit of welding fixed that

    Work is still work, and the very elderly dog’s health is a growing concern but December 2025 is way better than January was and I’ll take that.

  41. 2025 started with routine bloods indicating my liver was no longer tolerating the medication I’d been on for the previous decade, and I had visions of Crohn’s flare-ups galore, but I’ve been reasonably alright, considering. A liver ultrasound scan led to a MRI, which revealed kidney stones, but, well… I’ve been reasonably alright, considering.

    I’ve had more time off work this year, for scans and investigate procedures, than for the previous decade. But work itself has been relentless, and I’ve also had my first sick leave in a decade, much of it through workplace stress, which itself triggers Crohn’s symptoms.

    Two years ago, when Mrs F announced she wanted to retire at 60, I had never considered retirement before. Now, I’d happily quit tomorrow.

    Aside from that, a week at the Suffolk coast and a week in the Cotswolds, many long weekends on the north Norfolk coast, and Mrs F continues to tolerate me. She’s even developed a charity shop jigsaw puzzle habit akin to my own for bargain vinyl.

    Offspring The Elder has signed up to do a Masters, the other is only working part-time while he figures out his long-term plans, so we’re supporting them both for a while longer.

    Our search for a campervan continues. We’re only allowed to keep the static caravan in Norfolk until the end of November 2026, so the clock is now ticking.

    Overall, I can’t really complain. Plenty (above) have it much worse than me.

    I value this place, and those in it, much more than any other. Let’s hope 2026 is better for all of us than 2025.

    • Yep, a flat on the edge of town, overlooking the water tower. We checked out the campervan site down by the harbour while we were there, which has been upgraded since out last visit.

      We also looked at a site a few miles inland, somewhere near Wrentham, which was a lot cheaper. But there’s something nice about having Southwold on the doorstep, without having to worry about the horrid parking.

  43. Good wishes and a positive 2026 to everyone who has shared from their lives in posts above and to others reading. Many of you have been virtually present in my life for all over a decade, so it’s a privilege to have a peak into your lives.

    I’m kind of putting off saying anything about my life in 2025, partly because it’s been ‘quite all rightish’ as my daughter would say – a few holidays – in the UK, France and Germany, daughters growing well into their second decade, my job still seemingly secure, and partner flourishing in her chosen profession. But also partly because, approaching the end of my 6th decade, I’m rather treading water in life and not sure if I’m measuring up on life’s standards. Left to my own devices, I’d probably continue as I am, but that sort of stasis doesn’t bode well for future security and well being. I’m not so comfortable talking about that (though I don’t mind alluding to it, clearly).

    2026 may bring changes. May things improve for all those who need it, and stay good for those more at ease with life.

  44. 2025 had lots of dark clouds, but most of them came with a silver lining, so I can’t complain too much – especially after reading what some of you have been dealing with…

    I finally had a knee operation in January, after much pleading on my side and even more reluctance from their side. The keyhole op revealed that things were much worse than they knew (I admit I very much enjoyed the triumphant feeling of “told you so” that I experienced when they told me post-op) and rather than the two week sick leave they had expected for me, I ended up unable to work for most of the year, battling an inflammation that apparently had plans to make my leg its “forever home”.
    It was painful, financially draining and saw me gain back all of the weight I had lost a few years ago. But the silver lining was getting away from the stress of my usual life, having time to spend with family, and also time to finish writing a novel that had been stuck at chapter two for years, and start a new hobby (making miniatures).

    Time to spend with family was especially welcome in the summer, when I could spend time with dad during his final weeks, and around the same time visit mum a lot, when she was in hospital after major surgery.
    Dad died, falling asleep surrounded by family. Mum recovered from her big operation, which improved her life in a major way. She’s now (at almost 95) feeling much younger and healthier than she’s done in years, and is able to go on her daily walks again to see her friends at the corner shop and buy her daily newspaper.
    Dad dying at almost 99 years old, after a mostly charmed life, was not a tragedy. Sad, but expected. We were comforted by the way he died, we had a big celebration for him at his funeral, we miss him often, but don’t feel sad about it. The last day I spent with him, our conversations, are memories I’ll always be grateful for. And we, his children, are now making a conscious effort to keep in touch and meet up more often than we did before – especially with our sisters from his second marriage.

    My dad’s younger sister died mid-December, in much the same way, surrounded by her children and grandchildren after a long life (but “only” 91 years old). Only one aunt left alive (96 y.o.) on my dad’s side; none on my mum’s side (and she was one of nine siblings, and not the youngest of them).

    I’m back at work, finally – but on Christmas vacation at the moment – and it’s going…OK. I’m battling my bad back more than my knee at this point in time, and I feel that my job really is too physically demanding for me now, but retirement is at least five years ahead of me, so I just have to find a way to make it work until then. I’ve changed my schedule slightly to only working four days a week, and no weekends. This will affect my paycheck more than my hours, honestly, but the weekend shifts are just too tough for me in my current physical state. I certainly don’t expect to be able to find another job that would be easier to cope with – I don’t really have much of a proper education and being almost 60…it’s not going to happen.

    Rehab just finished up last Friday, but I was given a “Prescription for Physical Activities” which will get me some reduction off the fees for a gym membership or similar. I’ve found a gym near my flat that looks nice, so I’m going there next week to try it out. Hopefully, if I can get into good exercise habits I can keep my back problems in check, while also continuing strengthening my leg muscles so the knee doesn’t get worse again (or the other knee goes…) I can’t honestly say that I love exercising, but the year and a half I’ve spent in the rehab clinic gym did get me more used to the idea of it, at least! 🙂

    I feel cautiously optimistic about 2026, and it will begin joyously, with me starting to make the fifth book of funny illustrations and silly verse for mum’s upcoming 95th birthday (that’s one book every fifth year since her 75th b-day). Always a fun task, even if I wish I could learn to give myself a year to make it in peace and quiet, rather than the rushed work of a couple of months, as it usually ends up being. But I guess I’ve always done my best work with a deadline looming ahead…

    Wishing all the best for everyone in 2026 – not least the people having had to deal with tragedy and ill health in 2025. My slightly cooky sister blames all of the bad things in -25 on the (apparently) more than usual sun storms…so let’s hope for a quiet and still year for the sun (just in case she’s right).

  46. It must be close to 20 years since I first nervously dipped a toe into this odd little corner of the internet and although I’m more of an occasional observer these days, each visit brings back memories of epic laughs and fights, and tender moments of long-distance sharing like this.

    It’s been a year of change, slowly detaching from the whole ‘work’ thing and building a new home, literally – we’ve bought a wreck on a beach in Southern England. With hindsight it probably wasn’t wise to do both at once, but why dither? Time seems more valuable these days than it did when we were younger. I’ve dealt with the first transition, from full time employment to a freelance consultant role, with rather more ease than the second one, which has involved spending what seems like every penny we earned in those employed years. You learn that time is more valuable than money, but of course you have to have the privilege of having had the money to truly indulge that belief.

    I think I’ve maybe got a year of work left in me, and then it’s all about building a life here on the beach. Probably joining the residents association, the winter swimming team and the yoga sessions in the village hall. Driving a minibus of old ladies to Sainsbury’s once a week. Running the tombola at the Fete. You know what? I’m rather looking forward to it.

  47. Late to this thread but a quick summary of my year.

    Going into my 32nd year as a postman and quite honestly I’m finding it harder each week to get motivated to go in.
    I used to enjoy it but in May we became one of the pilot offices for the new delivery patterns and honestly its appalling.
    Unrealistic rounds that can never be done on time.
    When you say you’ll be struggling to complete it’s a case of “make sure you get rid of the packets”.
    That’s the way the business is going.
    In 5 years I can see it being a packet only service.
    Looked for other jobs but not a lot on offer for an unskilled 56 year old.
    Seems as though I’ll be stuck here for the rest of my working days which is disheartening to say the least.

    Health wise I was diagnosed with achalasia in September 2024.
    This is a rare disorder where the muscles at the bottom of the oesophagus don’t work properly and food is really hard to swallow.
    Have to help it along with copious amounts of water.
    There’s also quite a bit of food regurgitation.
    It’s not curable but there is an operation where the muscles are cut and it makes swallowing easier again.
    I’d heard nothing in the last year and every few months would contact the hospital only to be told I was still on the list.
    Finally in September I was contacted and went to see the doctor at the local hospital.
    He apologised at the long wait but I’ve now been referred to Sheffield hospital as they’re one of 2 in the area that carry out this procedure.

    Son is in his last year at Uni doing law but now he’s not sure he wants to pursue this as a career.

    Mrs Lester is also disillusioned with her job as a primary school teacher.
    Like me she used to really enjoy it but again it’s not the job she started nearly 30 years ago.
    The amount of work she does at evenings and weekends is unbelievable.

    Got to a fair few gigs this year and my football team Doncaster Rovers won League 2 back in May.
    As I type we are second bottom of League 1!!

    Despite the above I do realise I’m in a fortunate position.
    Mortgage free and a job which, despite not enjoying, does give me the opportunity to have a great social life.

    All the best to everyone for 2026!!

  48. I decided not to report my year here – I’ve probably over-shared throughout the year anyway.
    So, I’ll just take this opportunity to wish everyone best wishes for a happy and healthy new year.
    And here’s hoping that 2026 is an improvement on 2025.

  49. Glad to see back of 2025 tbh although compared to many on here our travails seem relatively mild.
    The year was dominated by house moving or more accurately not moving (sold at Easter and still waiting to actually move!). We’ve lived here for 28 years and love the place to bits but prompted mainly by my daughter starting to study veterinary (4 years and as second degree we have to fund the tuition fees) we decided that we needed to ‘downsize’ to realise some readies. Being in one of the most expensive parts of the country (Harpenden) a sensible choice would have been to move almost anywhere else but we have great friends here plus family in the area and do we really want to start afresh at our advanced stage of life – not really.

    This all being coupled with my total aversion to change – always have been despite all the many big changes in my life having been for the better. So I’ve been having many talks with myself, practicing mindfulness and watching the positive and negative gremlins on my shoulders fight it out. Ignoring our financial need to move I also recognise that life has become a bit dull and routine and a bit of a kickstart is needed. So we are moving to the bright lights of St Albans (all of 15 minutes away) but just waiting and waiting for a date (there is a probate case further up the chain).
    Otherwise can’t complain (but do ‘cos I’m old). Was due to have cataract surgery on both eyes this year but have put it off because of the unknowns around the move.

      • As I mention way, way up there property selling trouble was the top of our stressors this year as well. We were fortunate that would could service the loan we took out in order to buy the house we live in now, but due to the freeholder of the flat I was selling disappearing (or dying for all we know) the sale was a protracted and extremely stressful affair. There must be some way of making the process more straightforward and certain for all concerned. If my buyer hadn’t been so determined to find a way to get my specific flat a whole chain would have collapsed.

    • Cataract surgery is a breeze and has a dramatic impact on your vision. Colours are amazing. A move isn’t really going to effect it, unless you plan to do all the heavy lifting the following day. Get it done.

      😃

  50. Firstly, my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one in 2025. Grief is a heavy burden to carry and my heart goes out to you all..

    My own year was good in that some long-term things came to fruition.

    A big thing was being able to drive again. Towards the end of 2024, I was told to stop because it wasn’t safe. I had lost proprioception – ie the ability to know where my feet were. Driving had become an anxious experience and it was actually a relief to be told that it wasn’t just me being a wuss – it was making me feel anxious because it was dangerous. There then followed months of being assessed for hand controls, waiting for lessons from an instructor with a suitable car, being signed off from that and finally getting a car with hand controls via Motability, in July. It’s been fantastic – driving is a pleasure again, though my days of long journeys are done.

    I completed a years-long project to have a balcony built on my flat. It was a long haul but we got there in the end. And it’s lovely. I often sit out with a coffee, enjoying one of the best views in Edinburgh. Feels like I’m on holiday.

    The loss of proprioception mentioned above is down to ageing with Spina Bifida. My legs are slowly getting weaker and neuropathic pain is ramping up. However, I started using a wheelchair for anything more than a very short distance and it’s made a huge difference – I can now go round museums and galleries again. Not to mention book and record shops. Result.

    I became a counsellor/psychotherapist 6 years ago and I love it and have carved out my own specialist niche. However I’ve come to realise that, with the best will in the world, I just don’t have enough time left to do all the things I want to do to develop that niche – research I’d like to do, papers I would like to write. I wish I had started earlier.

    Lastly, I had a mini-campaign that came to a successful end. Basically, in the 1970s, babies born with Spina Bifida were left/encouraged/actively pushed to die. You may well be thinking that things like that don’t happen in this country. So did I. And I’ll never get over the feeling that we are always just a short distance away from ‘normal’ people doing unstable things. I was shocked to find that the leading light of this selection for death (who died in the 1990s) had an award given in his honour by the leading professional body. I asked them to stop this as it wasn’t right. And they did (his activities came as a shock to them too, I think.)

    And so, on to the next thing.

  51. Sending condolences, sympathy, and love to all my friends here who have suffered bereavement and health challenges.

    My year had some proper highlights – The Primevals provided the theme music for Stewart Lee’s show “Stewart Lee Vs The Man-Wulf”, so he invited us to be the encore of his Glasgow show, at the Theatre Royal. The show is fantastic – multi-leveled, multi-layered, insightful, challenging and laugh-out-loud funny. It was a great thrill to look out at soundcheck in that beautifully designed theatre and see rows and rows of chairs arranged so that every audience member has a beautiful clear line of sight to the stage. We also played a bunch of gigs, including some other venues that i had not played before – Ivory Jacks and The Bungalow, for two.

    Senora Malo and I had a great 10 days in Porto – a fabulous place, with great seafood, bars, light, museums, and a wonderful vibe.

    We also celebrated Senora Malo’s Birthday [one that ends with a zero], and at the party both The Primevals and The Beat Poets played. In March 26, it will be The Beat Poets 40th birthday! I am very fortunate to have so many dear old friends still in my life, and to still get out and play regularly.

    Work is fine, and my family are thriving. Our younger daughter achieved her Masters (in Precision Medicine) and is now looking at her PhD. Elder daughter is progressing in her career, and has a lovely boyfriend.

    On a different thread, I have been learning to draw, so I pushed myself to complete and share a drawing every day on the Sketch A Day app. That was very rewarding. I have taken part in Inktober (one ink drawing a day, every day, in October) for the last 5 years. This was a step up, but very worthwhile.

    Looking forward to more good things happening in 2026

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