I think we’re all still recovering from COVID, or more specifically, the time warp that the lockdown imposed upon us. It’s been (almost) two years of (mostly) freedom, but I suspect our start to the 2020s will be haunting us for a while yet to come.
It’s been an odd year, with highs and lows, with a whole lot of meh in between.
- Went for New Years Tea
- Visited with my old friend Nigel, for what felt like the first time in forever
- Went to Zoo Lights for the first time in a few years
- Traveled to Edmonton
- Went to West Edmonton Mall, met Tyler Shaw (who liked Monkey’s shirt)
- Saw the Neon Sign Museum at night (as one should)
- Went to my first ever Junos
- Learned more about AI than I could have imagined, and understood why both the “A” and the “I” are misnomers
- Celebrated Choo Choo’s 13th birthday
- Went to England … again (and Scotland)
- Flew into London Heathrow
- Understood why London’s Soho is so named
- Had Wizard’s Tea
- Went to Camden Market (and got some great shirts)
- Visited with Gren in the King’s Cross Station pub
- Went to Liverpool for the first time
- Nearly got sick on the train on the way there, a first for me
- Saw the Beatles monument
- Had some good fish n chips
- Went to Liverpool Cathedral
- Saw where the Cavern Club used to be (it was demolished for a Network Rail project)
- Went to the Beatles Museum … but didn’t get to take the bus tour
- Took the train to Edinburgh (and had to stand, as I gave up my seat for an elderly woman)
- Walked alllllll over Edinburgh
- Went to Edinburgh Castle
- Walked around Edinburgh at night, which is gorgeous
- Went on a ghost tour of Edinburgh
- Saw a lot of Harry Potter influence, including our escape room
- Had some really need “magical” potion drinks
- Took the Edinburgh tram
- Went to Dean Village
- Went into St. Giles
- Walked through a lot of Edinburgh’s closes
- Saw Holyrood (only from the outside)
- Went to the foot of Arthur’s Seat
- Went to York (one of my favourite places)
- Stayed at a spooky boutique hotel just off The Shambles
- Did wizard mini-golf
- Got my first good picture of The Shambles at night in 16 years
- Lost my lens cover into the Ouse (oops!)
- Went into York Minster
- Went to the National Railway Museum
- saw the Flying Scotsman locomotive
- Stalked a few trains at night at the beautiful York Station
- Finally saw Abbey Road Studios
- Went to Leadenhall Market
- Went to Supertrains
- Caught an amazing northern lights display
- Mom moved to calgary
- Had an extremely tearful goodbye to our beloved cat, Asia
- Went out to Lower Bankhead
- Went to Canmore
- Went to Glenwood
- Tried cannabis for the first time
- Went to Fairmont Hot Springs (didn’t see much of it, as I worked)
- Drove the Crowsnest Highway to Hope (won’t be doing that again anytime soon)
- Stopped in Midway to see the Kettle Valley Museum
- Went through the Princeton tunnel (took a picture of Choo Choo over the west portal)
- Got a ride in a time machine from my friend Scott
- Got some more pictures of hummingbirds
- Went rafting on the bow in a headwind (way more paddling than I had wanted)
- Celebrated Monkey’s 16th birthday
- Found out that I have another hernia
- Visited with my old friend, Duncan
- Tore down our old fence and had it replaced
- Saw Colin James for the first time in over two decades
- Went to the Highland Games in Canmore
- Had a lot of biking, and lost a lot of weight
- Saw I Mother Earth and The Tea Party
- Saw Big Wreck
- Left the Believeco Kensington Road office for the last time
- Caught a nasty cold (not COVID), and still don’t know how
- Celebrated a quiet Christmas
And as a final nail in the coffin, I (completely sober!) drove my big toe into the stairs, giving myself a hairline fracture. Happy New Year, indeed…
Alright, 2024, you have a lot to live up to. Let’s keep this year calm, okay?
