A bendy sort of year, ups and downs and ups and downs then a gradual ascent with the odd interruption, an almost vertical bit right at the end (bad road diggers, killer courses, overly long carol concerts) before hauling up to a stunning rooftop plateau with the sky all lit up for 2014. Let’s try and keep this one bright, shall we?

HIGHS

• Nice teacher: happy boy = happy home

• Family and friends in da house: happy airport trips, best possible use for spare room

• Bangkok football: bottom for scores, tops for company

• Jaunts: Ipoh, Borneo, Jogjakarta, Tioman, Cambodia, Bali, Australia

• UK heatwave: sunshine + friends + family + M&S deli = contentment

• Getting the running bug: new sweat bands in stocking, yay!

• Kids karaoke: passing on the mike-hogging gene

• Fun times: temple running, Sydney sunning, trail walking

• Redundancy: 15 years hard graft becomes a three-month weekend for the PCs

• Cultural studies: tip top speakers and a whole new slant on rice and noodles

• Spot of actual, paid work = sense of worth, cash, brain salad

• Planning permission approval: a good home to come back to

• Dad’s book comes out: #prouddaughter

• Babies here, there and everywhere: come on, last little one, we’re waiting!

• Helpful Boy school certificate, piano lessons, catching first wave: #proudmum

• An end to the psycho writing at last: #henolongerknowswhereyoulive

• Drinks on the deck, trips to the beach: #notightsrequired

• Pottering by the pool with the neighbours (getting my cossy on, wait for me!)

• Dipping a toe in the camping arena: next time, canvas

• Australia revisited – we love you, you know

LOWS: Homesickness, Haze, lost jobs, killer courses, missed kitties, downpours, bloody knees, useless condo repairs, tenants moving out, roads being dug where they shouldn’t

GOALS: Ditch course, get job, run faster, throw party, drink less, sleep longer, Skype better, write more

Happy new year, and thanks for reading