How's Your Year Been? (2024)

Buckley

Buckley

Well-Known Member
How's it been? Indulge me again, as per last year:

How's Your Year Been? (2023)

So here we (still!) are: Last year: https://forum.ibiza-spotlight.com/threads/hows-your-year-been-2022.81031/ Me: Another decent year for us. Dad's Parkinson's is still ok, his meds still give him constant headaches, but keep all other symptoms at bay. Boy 1's Autism is still a feature, but...
forum.ibiza-spotlight.com forum.ibiza-spotlight.com

I'll add to my review of my year and edit as when I have time, but highlights/lowlights are:

Highs:

Hiking with @stivi in Ibiza :cool:
Cliff jumping with my kids in Jamaica
Finally taking the kids to Ireland, if only Dublin, not my folks origins of Galway and Limerick
Rugby - my youngest is a demon in the tackle, he does not care how big the opponent is, they are going down. And our first ever rugby tour!
Running - half marathon completed in my Mum's birthplace, Connemara. My first ever organised run and a weekend I'll remember forever.

Tories out. Of course, the new Government us far from perfect, and whether anyone can repair the level of damage inflicted over 14 years, remains to be seen. But at least there's a chance now.

Lows:

Youngest getting thrown out of 'decent' private school. We're pretty privileged in a number of ways, but seeing a change of headmaster resulting in 100% discrimination against my very bright boy, with only a tick-box allowance for his ADHD, makes me realise just how hard others might have it.

Dad's Parkinson's is getting worse, the meds have held if off for the best part of 7 years. We continue the fight, appears his excruciating knee pain is all referred from hip so replacement op due next year.

Need to offload my other house, and the tenants left it in right state. Entirely the wrong time of year to be selling, but once they were willing to go early, I needed to move on it. Gutted to lose it, the plan was it would be a passive income for my eldest if he can't work and/or live independently, and there's a lot of memories bound up in there. From my wild 20s, to the kids first home, that is really where it all began.
 
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Buckley said:
How's it been? Indulge me again, as per last year:

How's Your Year Been? (2023)

So here we (still!) are: Last year: https://forum.ibiza-spotlight.com/threads/hows-your-year-been-2022.81031/ Me: Another decent year for us. Dad's Parkinson's is still ok, his meds still give him constant headaches, but keep all other symptoms at bay. Boy 1's Autism is still a feature, but...
forum.ibiza-spotlight.com forum.ibiza-spotlight.com

I'll add to my review of my year and edit as when I have time, but highlights/lowlights are:

Highs:

Hiking with @stivi in Ibiza :cool:
Cliff jumping with my kids in Jamaica
Finally taking the kids to Ireland, if only Dublin, not my folks origins of Galway and Limerick
Rugby - my youngest is a demon in the tackle, he does not care how big the opponent is, they are going down. And our first ever rugby tour!
Running - half marathon completed in my Mum's birthplace, Connemara. My first ever organised run and a weekend I'll remember forever.

Lows:

Youngest getting thrown out of 'decent' private school. We're pretty privileged in a number of ways, but seeing a change of headmaster resulting in 100% discrimination against my very bright boy, with only a tick-box allowance for his ADHD, makes me realise just how hard others might have it.

Dad's Parkinson's is getting worse, the meds have held if off for the best part of 7 years. We continue the fight, appears his excruciating knee pain is all referred from hip so replacement op due next year.

Need to offload my other house, and the tenants left it in right state. Entirely the wrong time of year to be selling, but once they were willing to go early, I needed to move on it. Gutted to lose it, the plan was it would be a passive income for my eldest if he can't work and/or live independently, and there's a lot of memories bound up in there. From my wild 20s, to the kids first home, that is really where it all began.
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It's a journey reading about your life Buckley, can feel weekly how much the family put into being a supportive unit. A number of barrier but lots of love and fun 💙
 
it's always hard to know how to approach these threads. How serious to be? How to strike the right tone? How to read the room? But here goes:

2024: the good stuff

ok so 2024 was the year I got my head out my arse, got back to work, tried different positive mindsets (no easy feat when you're a natural cynic), got into cycling, improved my Spanish and Catalan, appeared on radio and in interviews, immersed myself into local life more than ever, restaurants, exhibitions, gigs, excursions... How we laughed at the woman upstairs and her creaky bed, or the Dia supermarket opposite getting some of the worst ratings on google, or the surreal BBQs we went to out of town with mariachi singers and wild boar. I really enjoyed writing and did it for the love not money or kudos. I guess that is my attitude to life too. Appreciated some fantastic music and went on some brilliant trips to the Pyrenees, Andalucia, Valencia, Costa Brava and of course Ibiza (where Mercury Rising surely ranks amongst the best nights I've ever had).

I read loads of wonderful essays on Substack (and other sites like Test Pressing and BanBanTonTon) and occasionally people made me smile on this forum too. You read something like Amigo's food review or Stivi's hiking endeavours or Jimmiz's weather reports and it reaffirms your belief in humanity, that despite all the encroaching soullessness there are still passionate people around. I felt that this side of the water too. Some of my friends here are brilliant people with good hearts who have helped us so much. My missus finally got her residency and we both finished the year in good health (despite the dark annual cholesterol warnings). Enjoyed reconnecting with old pals and making new ones. Spain as a whole is still a fantastic country to live in, with great food, friendly people and endless moments that really lift each week. It can get you down at times, but much like the weather it's never bleak for long.

2024: the not so good stuff

No matter how hard you try it is hard to disconnect from reality, bureaucracy, news.... My missus is not much of a news junkie and she stresses about more immediate things and probably has a better overall attitude but I struggle. If you're somebody prone to anxiety you can't help it. It just feels like the world is going to shit and will get worse. Idiots winning and the greedy cuntocracy that drives climate change and migration displacement seemingly immune to reason, knowledge or an actual conscience. And the real-world consequences are being felt in Africa, the Middle East, Antarctica and yes Europe too. And then you read the braindead apologists (yes even on this very website, yes SOME OF YOU) and want to headbang a wall.

It goes beyond politics though. Maybe there's a certain melancholy on the cusp of your fifties. It's different for everyone I guess. We all face different pressures. Stress is a very personal thing and I've not yet worked out how to deal with it. The old solution: Anaesthetising yourself with gear every week isn't an option any more. Being around people who have depression is a tough gig for everyone. You don't feel equipped or trained to deal with it. You can only be empathetic. And be loving. My approach to this forum has changed a lot. It's less and less about music and more about middle-aged travel. The reality of it all. We're not young anymore. I can't get impaled jumping railings or passing out on trains or returning to bed on January 3rd. It ain't gonna happen. I do think the forum and middle-aged internet in general still serve a purpose though. There are always new things going on but I guess the world has changed - for better or worse.
 
Buckley said:
@jimmiz
@TheHiredGoon
@CasaNegron
@Robder
@Morbyd
@stivi
@McRackin
@Ikoda
@craig72
@diver
@Life of Rye
@sandi
@grego
@silvia
@Ibiza-girlie
@NITEFLY
@nish
@mambobirdette
@Drew
@puppylover
@jjinit
@fatphilb
@macdonsj
@stephen
@eclipse15
@Don Simon
@B_Falls
@AntonioGeordio
@The Sun God
@elmooreo
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I don't mind being left out at all Mr B. *SNIFF!*
Good Stuff:
At long last I've been able to move from the arse-end of nowhere! It's been wonderful living in the Dorset countryside waking up to deer ambling across the bottom of the back garden but being five miles from the nearest corner shop, 7 miles from the nearest supermarket and five miles from the nearest GP's surgery began to wear thin especially in winter when the road outside didn't get gritted. I also had to take my dad's advancing years and my own physical degradation into account and so we decided to move back to civilisation. Sort of. Yeovil.
My major highlight of the summer (though it meant I had to miss Ibiza this year) was the purchase of a new motorbike! A Honda CMX1100 Rebel to replace my ancient (27 years old) Honda VT750 Shadow that I'd had for 25 years! It also meant I had the pleasure of gifting my old bike to some friends as a wedding present. That was really cool :) I got the 1100 with the idea that it should last me the rest of my riding days and enable me to re-connect with friends I haven't seen for a few years.

The Not So Good Stuff:
My physical health has suffered this year. I have a re-occuring back injury which has prevented me from going too far on my new bike which is a bugger. I also came down with trigeminal neuralgia which is shocking and painful in equal measure caused by a damaged nerve in the left side of my face (probably due to playing lots of rugby and being rubbish at boxing in my youth). Don't recommend it. I also have pretty much constant toothache at the moment (probably due to grinding my teeth most weekends for decades) but unfortunately there isn't a single NHS dentist in the county of Somerset and I can't afford to go private. Bugger again.
Finally and touching on something The Sun God mentioned, for the first time in 20-odd years I felt the need to block a couple of people. I'm not proud of myself for doing so but one, to me, seems to be an obvious troll, taking great delight in saying just about anything to annoy, antagonize and get a reaction from people. I find that kind of behaviour neither appealing or interesting and at my age I have better things to do with my time than to keep that particular individual amused. The other person just seems so pitiless, soulless and mean spirited that I feel they are the very antithesis of everything I believe in. Again, I have neither the time nor the inclination to get involved in their games.
 
Padster said:
I don't mind being left out at all Mr B. *SNIFF!*
Good Stuff:
At long last I've been able to move from the arse-end of nowhere! It's been wonderful living in the Dorset countryside waking up to deer ambling across the bottom of the back garden but being five miles from the nearest corner shop, 7 miles from the nearest supermarket and five miles from the nearest GP's surgery began to wear thin especially in winter when the road outside didn't get gritted. I also had to take my dad's advancing years and my own physical degradation into account and so we decided to move back to civilisation. Sort of. Yeovil.
My major highlight of the summer (though it meant I had to miss Ibiza this year) was the purchase of a new motorbike! A Honda CMX1100 Rebel to replace my ancient (27 years old) Honda VT750 Shadow that I'd had for 25 years! It also meant I had the pleasure of gifting my old bike to some friends as a wedding present. That was really cool :) I got the 1100 with the idea that it should last me the rest of my riding days and enable me to re-connect with friends I haven't seen for a few years.

The Not So Good Stuff:
My physical health has suffered this year. I have a re-occuring back injury which has prevented me from going too far on my new bike which is a bugger. I also came down with trigeminal neuralgia which is shocking and painful in equal measure caused by a damaged nerve in the left side of my face (probably due to playing lots of rugby and being rubbish at boxing in my youth). Don't recommend it. I also have pretty much constant toothache at the moment (probably due to grinding my teeth most weekends for decades) but unfortunately there isn't a single NHS dentist in the county of Somerset and I can't afford to go private. Bugger again.
Finally and touching on something The Sun God mentioned, for the first time in 20-odd years I felt the need to block a couple of people. I'm not proud of myself for doing so but one, to me, seems to be an obvious troll, taking great delight in saying just about anything to annoy, antagonize and get a reaction from people. I find that kind of behaviour neither appealing or interesting and at my age I have better things to do with my time than to keep that particular individual amused. The other person just seems so pitiless, soulless and mean spirited that I feel they are the very antithesis of everything I believe in. Again, I have neither the time nor the inclination to get involved in their games.
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Not sure where in Zummerset you are, but we've recently had some luck at Melksham Dental Practice if that's not too nuts of a drive for you
 
Padster said:
I don't mind being left out at all Mr B. *SNIFF!*
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I've edited and added you for when I copy next year:)

Some good high points for you mate - pleased to see!

Health issues are a bugger aren't they, though!? Best of luck and I hope @eclipse15 dental recommedation works out!

Padster said:
The Not So Good Stuff:

Finally and touching on something The Sun God mentioned, for the first time in 20-odd years I felt the need to block a couple of people. I'm not proud of myself for doing so but one, to me, seems to be an obvious troll, taking great delight in saying just about anything to annoy, antagonize and get a reaction from people. I find that kind of behaviour neither appealing or interesting and at my age I have better things to do with my time than to keep that particular individual amused. The other person just seems so pitiless, soulless and mean spirited that I feel they are the very antithesis of everything I believe in. Again, I have neither the time nor the inclination to get involved in their games.
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Re this - I think it should be in your good section. Not wasting of our limited time on fools is a positive. More power to you.
 
How was my year?

Well,my stock reply whilst living in Ibiza was "bored to tears," however things have changed since we left so here goes.

Summarising, the year's been good to us 90% of the time, and not so good for the rest.

Let's get the bad bits out of the way first; our little one-eyed,half-tailed Ibicenca cat left us forever in March after going blind with thyroid caused blood pressure problems and other ailments. She was a sweetie, and much missed, as we're now left with the most miserable cat we've ever owned who has outlasted 3 dogs and 8 cats we've had on her watch.

In May I had a minor stroke which affected the area of my brain which controls speech so that I couldn't construct meaningful sentences or communicate and was rushed off to hospital where I've since had lots of tests and am now on blood thinners for the rest of my life in the hope of preventing a full blown stroke.

So with that in mind we're getting as much out of life as possible now because who knows how long we have left physically or mentally (my mother died last year as a complete cabbage through dementia) so -

we spend our time at the theatre, shows, cinema, concerts, rugby (i've watched st helens since 1964) and gardening. The garden is a fly and mosquito free pleasure, great to sit and relax, and I enjoy shaping and landscaping it to an aesthetically pleasing area for plants,wildlife and us. The big project this year was a new patio laid atthe front of the house to catch the evening sun post bbq. Our new build house is now finally kitted out and decorated to my wife's satisfaction with the aid of an interior designer so everyone's happy!

On the holiday front we've done a fair bit of travel and we're lucky that we have my mother in law's studio in cala de bou to visit and Jaki's cousin has an apartment in raval in Barcelona that we go to fairly regularly, though not this year. We visited benidorm, palma, devon, ibiza twice, kefalonia for our 40th wedding anniversary,and we've just returned from madeira where I celebrated my 70th birthday.

So,that's that. Hopefully we'll continue next year so fingers crossed we can!
 
stephen said:
How was my year?

Well,my stock reply whilst living in Ibiza was "bored to tears," however things have changed since we left so here goes.

Summarising, the year's been good to us 90% of the time, and not so good for the rest.

Let's get the bad bits out of the way first; our little one-eyed,half-tailed Ibicenca cat left us forever in March after going blind with thyroid caused blood pressure problems and other ailments. She was a sweetie, and much missed, as we're now left with the most miserable cat we've ever owned who has outlasted 3 dogs and 8 cats we've had on her watch.

In May I had a minor stroke which affected the area of my brain which controls speech so that I couldn't construct meaningful sentences or communicate and was rushed off to hospital where I've since had lots of tests and am now on blood thinners for the rest of my life in the hope of preventing a full blown stroke.

So with that in mind we're getting as much out of life as possible now because who knows how long we have left physically or mentally (my mother died last year as a complete cabbage through dementia) so -

we spend our time at the theatre, shows, cinema, concerts, rugby (i've watched st helens since 1964) and gardening. The garden is a fly and mosquito free pleasure, great to sit and relax, and I enjoy shaping and landscaping it to an aesthetically pleasing area for plants,wildlife and us. The big project this year was a new patio laid atthe front of the house to catch the evening sun post bbq. Our new build house is now finally kitted out and decorated to my wife's satisfaction with the aid of an interior designer so everyone's happy!

On the holiday front we've done a fair bit of travel and we're lucky that we have my mother in law's studio in cala de bou to visit and Jaki's cousin has an apartment in raval in Barcelona that we go to fairly regularly, though not this year. We visited benidorm, palma, devon, ibiza twice, kefalonia for our 40th wedding anniversary,and we've just returned from madeira where I celebrated my 70th birthday.

So,that's that. Hopefully we'll continue next year so fingers crossed we can!
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Sorry to hear about your trials and tribulations Stephen- really puts mine into perspective, moaning little shit that I am! That said, my father had a stroke about 15 years ago and has recovered really well. He has had to give up playing the flute (badly) though as he can't move his arm and fingers in the requisite manner and that's unlikely to improve after all this time. So now he plays saxophone (equally as badly). Bugger.
 
my episode was more of a warning shot across the bows. had i been alone i would not have known i'd had the tia. i drove home from the supermarket, put all the shopping away quite normally and it was only when i tried to tell my wife something and the words came out in a nonsensical jumble that we realised something was wrong. bit of a bugger really.
 
stephen said:
my episode was more of a warning shot across the bows. had i been alone i would not have known i'd had the tia. i drove home from the supermarket, put all the shopping away quite normally and it was only when i tried to tell my wife something and the words came out in a nonsensical jumble that we realised something was wrong. bit of a bugger really.
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Sounds it Stephen. Glad you got through and are living life to the full.

Props to Mrs El Ste for spotting the change from your normal nonsensical jumble too!:D
 
stephen said:
my episode was more of a warning shot across the bows. had i been alone i would not have known i'd had the tia. i drove home from the supermarket, put all the shopping away quite normally and it was only when i tried to tell my wife something and the words came out in a nonsensical jumble that we realised something was wrong. bit of a bugger really.
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How are you doing now?
 
How has 2024 been for me? Pretty good, but with one big low.

The highs. Work’s going well, and pretty much enjoying it so feel pretty lucky there. Doing better on the fitness side, exercising more than ever, and surprised how good I feel from that. Lots of travelling, Ibiza (obviously) in September, and what a great holiday we had relaxing, eating and drinking around Ibiza Town. London a couple of times, Edinburgh a couple of times, Glasgow, our main summer holiday was in Nairn (near Inverness for anyone who doesn’t know it), lovely part of Scotland, 5 nights in New York last month for my birthday, and a few other long weekends away. Lots of nice restaurants, with the highlights being Tom Kitchin’s place in Edinburgh. A few gigs, Rick Astley in Glasgow, Pet Shop Boys at Royal Opera House, Paul Weller at Edinburgh Castle, and Pete Tong’s Ibiza Orchestra in Aberdeen.

The lows. Unfortunately we lost my wife’s brother in June. Hospitalised in March, 9 hour wait for an ambulance which is quite ridiculous, then a lot of visiting for 3 months or so. Wasn’t very impressed with the doctors but the care he got from the nurses was so good. Liver disease got him in the end, so a warning there for us on our drinking. Lost a few others over the year, including a work colleague last month and a good family friend just yesterday. Gone but never forgotten! Feel it’s a sign of getting older, and hits home that looking after our health is so important, also to do the things you want to and enjoy your time, family, and friends as you never know what’s around the corner.

Looking forward to Christmas at home, then New Year at St Andrews. Then it’s on to planning next years adventures with Ibiza, Inverness, London, Belfast, and Edinburgh trips already booked.

Wishing everyone here a very merry Christmas and the best of health for 2025.
 
My year 2024?

I guess I could say that the year went quite nicely. Or at least I want to think positively about it, even though the world is on fire.

The family and loved ones have been healthy, only a few longer flu episodes have had to suffer. But that's better than getting sick more seriously. However, I've been sick enough that I've put competitive sports on hold and I've only focused on technique exercises, coaching and guiding the Juniors. 🥋

Work things have gone backwards this year. All over the world there is news about how clubs and nightclubs are closing their doors. Or at least suffer from the loss of a customer. We also have the same in Finland. A year ago I still did at least 4 gigs a week, but at the moment you can call yourself lucky if you can do even two gigs a week! I have been a DJ for over 30 years and for the last 26 years it has been my full-time paid job, and now it seems that I have to start thinking seriously about the so-called day jobs, or as my older relatives would say: "real jobs"! Despite this, I try to think positively. I have to try to adapt and do my best so that as many dance floors as possible remain and I can do a job that I love! ❤️

The best things of the year have been watching my 14-year-old son take his first steps as a DJ. I gave him the old CDJ-2000 players, a mixer and a small sound system and he did his first gig already three years ago at the school disco and has now taken over the whole school disco scene and youth centers in our hometown. He has been interviewed in local newspapers and he has spoken in favor of young people putting their phones aside and coming to the dance floor to dance and enjoy the music. At the beginning of the year, he also learned how to mix ”stylishly” and he has now played a few warm-up gigs at local House events. This is really rare, if not even the first time in Finland, when such a young DJ plays real house at a real house event. Two weeks ago he came home from school and asked me: -"do we have any synthesizers, drum machines or samplers?" I gave the equipment and he searched on Youtube how the Akai MPC-1000 works and how to connect the Korg Minilogue with the Volca series.. After about half an hour the bass line and the beat of Blue Monday started coming from his room! 😅 The best thing about all this is that he does this completely of his own free will and enjoys playing and making people dance so much! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a proud father! 🥹

The year also included a really successful trip to Ibiza, although after the trip it felt unfair that people's lives on the island were really challenging. I was pretty sure that next fall I would skip the island and see how things develop. However, the wife decided otherwise and now the whole family is waiting for next September's trip. 😎😎😎😎

This year I have also been really busy making many kinds of mixtapes. Maybe it's because the gigs have drastically decreased, I have extra time and I still want to play music.. I also encouraged my mind and started looking for some use for the mixtapes, so maybe during the coming spring they will also be heard on familiar web radio streams! 😉

At the end of the year, I can still fit 5 DJ gigs, 10 Santa Claus gigs,🎅 Ham and other traditional Christmas dishes, shared (peaceful) time with family and friends and maybe I'll have time to celebrate myself at some point. 🕺🏽

Happy end of the year to everyone and all the best for next year. ☮️❤️🙏
 
The year was okay for me.

The good - reconnected with both cousins, having traveled and spent quality family time with each one. I had very little contact with my extended family until both of my parents died in 2020 and 2022, this has now been fixed.

Health wise, I am probably better than average at my age. In fact I still feel like I am 25, except that I can no longer go without sleep for days, and that plane seats appear smaller due to the big belly.

The bad - a search for a new job that should have lasted 1 month at most took over 4 months, with an important job interview on September 26 - in the middle of my planned Ibiza vacation 😢 So I had to cancel the Ibiza trip, but I got the job, and one week of vacation time in September 2025 has already been approved :cool:

I think 2025 will be a much better year!
 
Thanks for continuing this tradition @Buckley . 2024 was a 'beige' year overall.

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" - Henry David Thoreau

Most of the year was adapting to our new life in Florida. We left the Caribbean in October 2023, and this year was spent finding new routines. It was a big change for my oldest (11yo) that started school for the first time, as both had been homeschooled until now. He is particularly keen on the ladies, so everyday there is a lament or request for advice. Both of them started wrestling with a club once we got here, so many of my weekends and evenings in 2024 revolved around playing taxi for practice and tournaments. It's a brutal sport, but I think it's good for them. My oldest seems to love it.

No real vacations. I bought some cheap flights to IBZ for May , but they went unused. I was concerned about work and really didn't have the extra funds after setting up life after moving and preparing/ repairing my old house for sale. Usually a bright spot is the countdown for Ibiza, and poking around here on the forum but I have been distracted and uninspired.

In September I was able sell our home in Puerto Rico, that was basically vacant for 8 years. I wish I had done it sooner.


Bad
Work is tolerable, but I am worried that I have just become used to a toxic environment. Lots of turnover. I never really wanted to move back to the US, but the old situation in the Virgin Islands was not sustainable either, so here I am.

I used to have energy and "plans", but I felt much of my vision and drive simply didn't engage in 2024.

I lost an aunt in September from a fast cancer in her 70s, and my oldest dog died about 2 weeks ago. He was a week shy of his 19th birthday. Dad's dementia is getting worse. He now doesn't notice when we come to visit, and he is completely dependent on my mother.

Looking forward to 2025.


2025 goals

1-Lose about 35lb (15 kilos). I am muscular and wear it well now, but I'm getting older and see how it won't end well for me in about 10 years with mobility and cardiovascular problems that come with the weight.

2-Buy a home here and begin building equity for the next steps.

3-Get back into gardening. Before I became an apartment dweller 9 years ago I had a large backyard garden that I was proud of. I also raised quail for eggs and meat. Once I have the space I'll get back into it and expand into aquaponics.

4-It's not likely I can go to Ibiza AND buy a house this spring, so I want to take the cheaper option and drive to Miami for a Defected party at WMC in March 2025.

Good luck everyone! Happy new Year!

Brandon
 
I had a great year.
With a lot of problems 😂.
But, we have a job, we have a (new) apartment,and we have been able to spend 5 weeks in our place in ibiza, which I have to recognise it's a real luxurious thing.
And, the most important, at 51 and 59 years old, we have no health issues (known😂).
Now, as I'm older, I'm more focused on the real important things in life :health, couple, friends, free time.
I wish you all a fantastic 2025.
 
2024 ups

  1. Had nice holidays with my family in Dubai, Italy and Ireland and managed 2 Ibiza trips with the Mrs and a trip to Croatia for Love International.
  2. Achieved a few dj goals...have an hour show monthly on internet radio station voices which has a balearic theme. Playing monthly in a local pub which is 100% vinyl only, and we are doing 2 parties a year for our "Ice Cream" party series in London/Brighton.
  3. Added a bedroom to the house which should mean this house sees us another few years until eldest is in big school at least.
2024 downs

  1. Work continues to be a real bugger...have become stuck in a job I really don't like and need to make some changes realistically. Have been saying this for years now. Ideally need less commuting/more remote working while maintaining the same salary!
  2. Have piled the weight on into Christmas...10 kilos at least needs to shift! Again!
Big love to all the Spotight faithful and wishing you all the very best for 2025!

x
 
2024
It's been a good year. Family, social and work bubbling along.

Son is 6, fairly rounded charactered - very much a 'lad' according to his headmistress in the school report but academically sound. We watch football together, he can handle a big crowd at a festival and loves his mum.

Been with my wife over 20yrs, i think we are still young, this year we celebrated our 10 anniversary with a fake wedding in Vegas

Work - in the 3rd sector, not the greatest pay but doing good. Brought a new person into my team which has been a challenging 6 months. My wife is excels in her world.
Have no real ambition (much to my wife's dismay) but only ever wanted to be mortgage free "in my 40's". Achieved in late 30's, so genuinely buzzing about that.

Big change this year, always been very lean due to hiking/running but we both do weights 4 or 5 times a week now. Shape changing slowly.

Travel, my green credentials are in the gutter. Lanzarote, jamaica, ibiza x2, NY, Las Vegas, Cyprus, Dubai, Lapland - it's been an exceptional year. A number of festivals, Glastonbury, Beatherder and Solfest with the lad. Still attend the odd illegal rave and house or techno parties regularly.

You can often still find us in a kitchen at 4am (see last night) but at some point i'm told we have to grow up - I doubt 2025 will be the year!

Love the forum, the people I dont really know and the island of course
 
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