Sparkle, not fade

I've been looking forward to this :).

Another year, another recap. Another story of some things that went well, and others that went superbly :). I suppose at the end of the year if you can look back and smile, that in itself is a fantastic thing. But I have proof :D.

After a year of restricting my international travel rather zealously, I let go of that phobia a little. The trips to Barcelona, London and Hyderabad were brief and mostly rather hurriedly planned (or not really planned at all, beyond trusting in others to point me in the right direction). And such sights they provided! Such colour, architecture, life, and a chance to catch up with many many old friends.

But there was also the trip back to Kolkata in the summer. Mangoes and rain. And conversations with the parents. Connecting, reconnecting, sharing life. Letting people into one's life is a choice. Sometimes it's easy to forget that.

There was also the rather fantastic trip to Iceland. The land of ice and fire. Maybe one day I will write more about that than short superlative outbursts. Generally speaking when it comes to trips it's easy to remember the extreme bits. As such I remember quite a lot of Iceland quite vividly! The extremes kept on coming thick and fast :). And all that from having spent a whole week in effectively a tiny fraction of the southern valleys. Who knows what a broader exploration might reveal!

Finally there was the most recent trip to the south of England over the last few weeks. A more extensive trip. Getting to know people and places. A lot of new faces around a few familiar ones :). It was a mix of overcast skies, rolling hills and frequent blustery rain, but every now and then the clouds would part and then suddenly, sunshine! Beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Drives along twisting fantastic B roads. And barely less twisty but somewhat wider A roads. And a judicious avoidance of M roads altogether :). To say nothing of the cats!

(Digression: It was fun to drive right handed again. But the car manufactures have decided to keep the European positions for the wiper and light switches, which is rather annoying. As is driving diesel. For the foreseeable future, therefore, I shall stick to petrol, thankyouverymuch. And don't even get me started on digital speedometers! End of digression.)

I suppose I was a little lazier this year, preferring long lazy afternoons/evenings in the sunshine over long cycle rides or swims in lakes or fjords. But it was such a nice way to spend the hours of sunshine :). A bit more time to talk things over. Or just to enjoy fantastic shapes in the clouds :). I suppose we did a bit less of Norway itself, with just the one summer road trip, but one hopes there will be time for more exploration.

Life at work changed for the better. Although such things are best seen in the context of life in general, but no, no complains. A little more time and breathing space at a time when it is really helpful, what more could I ask for.

It has been a week of reflection in some ways, through circumstance I ended up working these last three days of the year. A time when the office is ridiculously, if understandably, sparsely occupied. It kinda lends itself to introspection. Anyway, enough of looking back.

It's time to look forward to what new things come my way in the new year. Who knows what further surprises, twists and turns might be in store :).

Happy New Year!

Currently: grateful and hopeful
Listening to: Kygo - Here for you (ft. Ella Henderson)