Let Her Eat Clean

The clock struck 9pm. “Happy New Year” we bellowed. There was no way Fi was making it to midnight. There was no way she was missing the last toast of her life. We adapted to accommodate her wishes. We shared a thimbleful of champagne.

2013 – it was the worst of times; it was the best of times

January notoriously sucks, doesn’t it? Losing a parent in January double sucks, believe me. But here’s the thing, you can wallow in that kind of suckiness or you can go on to do great things, you can live the life that person would have wanted you to. You can make every effort, every day to do something that person would have been so proud of.

February was the month of getting back on our feet. It was a time for big decisions and gearing up for London farewells.

Not even a hip flexor injury in March was going to stop me in my marathon training tracks. It was medals all round in April with the Three 26.2 mile nailing Musketeers going the distance to collect over £6,000 in sponsorship for Pancreatic Cancer UK.

Peppered with new experiences, it was heads down and in the books for the month of May and the first of many BCNH exams to follow. The beginning of a new era and a pass mark that paved the way for summer fun.

It’s a hard life timing the move to becoming a freelancer with one of the best summers we’ve had in a very long time. It was one of barbecues, outdoor work outs, long coastal walks and balmy evenings. It was a time to get plenty of practical experience and learn from some fantastic folks. It was a chance to share some of my own experience.

Back in the swing of all things academia, the new September term arrived and brought with it a freelance and study juggling act, an important October celebration, a last push through November to a truly memorable holiday and a break away from it all.

2013, you definitely could have been a lot, lot worse.

A huge thanks to every single person that has made the better bits of 2013 quite so memorable. To every blog reader, college tutor, coffee shop barista that served me with a smile, every stable Wi-Fi connection, every invoice payer that allowed the good times to keep on rolling. To friends. To family. Without this epic support network 2013 would have been very different.

How did your year shape up?