Goodbye 2021 (and good riddance)

2021 is in its final death knells, and frankly, I'm not too sure many people are going to miss it in the same way we didn't miss 2020, the year Covid kicked off when we all thought it would be over in a few months. That worked out didn't it? Here we are almost two years later, and still firmly in the grip of this horrible pandemic.

However, looking back at my posts from early 2020 (around March), things are better now than they were then. You won't be stopped at the supermarket till for having more than 3 bottles of wine in your trolley. Toilet rolls are in plentiful supply. We can go out and about, even to the pub or restaurant. Live sport is on the telly (England cricket aside - that's more torture than sport) although currently in Wales at least you can't attend live sport unless it's less than 50 people. You can even go abroad, although we haven't and our cancelled/postponed overseas trips count since this all began is sitting at four with a couple planned for 2022 waiting nervously in the wings. 

As we rapidly approach New Years Eve to no doubt optimistically raise a glass to a health and happy New Year as we did on 31st December 2019 and 2020, I wonder if we really, truly will be looking back this time next year and saying, thank God we're finally through this? We'll no doubt find out in due course.

So looking back at 2021, what have been the highs and lows, both personally and more generally?

Highs

• As a family we've largely managed to avoid Covid, and stay fit and healthy although my son did succumb to it in September, but thankfully as he'd already been vaccinated, it was a case of a few days feeling quite rough, but no more.
• We've all been double jabbed and (by tomorrow) we'll all have been boosted too.
• My daughter got a new job
• My son's moved out into his own place (I mean that in a good for him, not pleased he's gone sort of way!)
• We have, despite all the trials and tribulations around Covid managed a number of fabulous holidays/breaks, including North Wales, West Wales, Bournemouth and Devon
• We've walked with alpacas
• We've had a new patio built
• I've played lots of golf

Lows

• We're still in a pandemic with all that's associated with that
• My son caught Covid
• We had to postpone our Corfu holiday (again)

More generally, 

• Misinformation is rife and fuelled by the use of social media (yes including some blogs, although hopefully not this one) and has resulted in some real divisiveness in society. There's frequently no middle ground or understanding of another viewpoint. And much of this is vile, vitriolic, and frankly dangerous.
• The Government has lurched from one disaster/crisis/embarrassment/scandal/corruption allegation to another, and continues to comfortably be the worst administration for many a long year
• The NHS continues to be woefully underfunded and is slowly being torn apart by the Tory government. Kudos to those every single person who works in the NHS that are doing their level best under extraordinarily difficult circumstances
• The Brexit chickens are coming home to roost and we'll no doubt see a lot more of the crap caused by this in the coming months
• Cardiff City are still crap
• England still can't beat Australia and are very crap
• COP26 didn't seem to achieve very much

For a fuller list of 2021 events worldwide, see this Wikipedia page

So a mixed bag, but there is hope for the future, but it's always the hope that kills you.

So whatever 2022 holds for you, I hope it's better than 2021.

Happy (fingers crossed) New Year to you all.