It's very nearly 2019 so I thought I'd look back over a year that has seen a lot of change for me and my family... plus a little bit of hobby along the way... so let's get started.
Early in the year, things were pretty settled. I was at home, my wife was at work and things were ticking along nicely... then my other shoulder froze up so the painkillers came out again. As a result, I became lethargic and began to get a little bit house bound... so I decided to do something a little bit different, in memory of my Dad, and quit drinking for a year (the only exceptions were toasts for very special occasions and the passing of friends/relatives). Since 8th May 18, I have been on the wagon and have had seven toasts... I will be finishing this drought on 7th May 2019, which is the evening before Flora Day and the first toast will be to my Dad.
Quitting drinking has made a big difference and I have been more cheerful as a result. I have also lost all of my 'drinking' weight and am back to where I was when I was fit and healthy in the RAF.
This year has also seen the completion of my "leaving the RAF" list because I have not only become a member of a charity committee (Marie Curie) but have also got myself a job, working as an HCA in dementia care, for a non-profit, charity organisation... completing my list, which was:
- Move to Cornwall.
- Become part of the community.
- Get a part time job that I could walk to.
- Get involved with charity.
It wasn't a big list but it was an important one. Now the list has been completed, I can properly settle and get my feet under the desk.
As I have mentioned, my job has changed directions in a dramatic way... from Aircraft Engineer to Dementia Care-Worker. It has been a real eye opener and has been extremely tiring... I haven't had such a physically demanding job for years... but I love the work and get a huge amount of satisfaction from it so I am likely to be doing care work for the foreseeable future.
From a Charity perspective, Not only have I been assisting and working for charity, I have also been able to do a bit of fund raising and donating and have raised well over £1200 this year for various charities... especially those of which my friends are involved. I hope to exceed this amount in 2019.
From a family perspective, my daughter is doing very well at her job and is gaining more training and responsibility... and getting suitable pay rises to go along with it. She has also found a nice lad to share her journey and things are settling down nicely... joint habitation is their goal in 2019. My son has been in the RAF now, for 3 years and is currently enjoying a detachment in the Falklands (another coincidence because the Falklands was my first overseas detachment when I was in the mob).
Click the Pic! (Port Stanley, The Falklands)
He is enjoying himself and has really flourished in his military role... and he has grown up considerably as a result. He passed his driving test this year and will be getting a car when he returns to the UK. My wife has been pottering along as she always does... being the anchor for us all to cling to. She was the one who gave me some tough love and got me to seek work... something that needed to happen. She still loves her child-care job and is looking forward to a few changes to her work routine in the new year. The pets are all doing well (apart from Boris, our Giant African Land Snail, who passed away), especially my cat Sam, who has really grown into a proper cat now:
Click the Pic!
The house renovations have stalled... I am too tired to start doing all that stuff at the moment but will look to ramp things up in the new year. Another thing I plan to do in the new year is get some miles in, on my bike. I am ashamed to say that I have had the bike for a year and haven't even ridden a thousand miles yet! That will change in 2019... my bike needs to be seen:
Click the Pic!
From a hobby perspective, I have been fairly productive. In fact, I thought I'd been pretty slow this year until I checked back through this blog and listed what I'd done... Here's the list:
- Sly Marbo - Conversion.
- Valkyrie Drop-Ship - Conversion.
- Sgt Harker - Conversion.
- 6x Demiurg Air Guilders - Converted and Painted.
- Squat Berserker - Sculpted, Sold, Cast Received, Painted.
- Halfling Cavalryman - Converted and Painted.
- Badger Rider Squat - Converted and Painted.
- 2x Dreadnought - Converted.
- 5x Squat Bodies (Commission) - Sculpted.
- Tank Company - 11x Armoured Vehicles - Converted and Painted (Awaiting Decals).
- 10x Halfling Snipers - Painted.
- Engineseer and 4x Servitors - Painted.
- Primaris Beastman - Painted.
- Squat, Platoon Command Squad - Painted.
- Squat, Infantry Squad - Painted.
- Dash Hound (Superhero) - Converted.
- Big Olaf - Painted.
- Snorri the Giant -Converted and Painted.
- 3x Hearthguard Bikers - Converted.
On top of all that, I have also painted a few Primaris Marines, part painted a host of Drones (for my Demiurg project), part sculpted a bunch of commissions (but lost my mojo and haven't sculpted properly for most of the year), part sculpted an Ogryn, Lizardman and various other characters... and I am currently in the process of converting a couple of Hearthguard Biker units. That said, I think that my crowning glory, this year, has been my tank company. I have always struggled to complete armoured vehicle conversions so I am glad that I have managed to complete the tank company:
Click the Pic!
That was 2018... so what will 2019 bring?
Hopefully, a settled year where I become accustomed to the physical aspects of my job and start getting my home-life back... rather than getting home and flopping! More bike riding, more charitable activities and more hobby time. I don't make resolutions because they just set you up to fail but I do plan to try hard in 2019, just the same as I do every year... and that is resolution enough.
I'll be celebrating the New Year in company and will be having a toast at mid-night (the only drink of the evening) so I will take this opportunity to wish everyone a 2019 that they deserve and also that you all stay safe and remember that living to work, will kill you... so work to live!
Click the Pic! (Taken at Perranuthnoe Beach).
See you from the big reveal!
