Sometimes you get what you wish for

The calendar year ends this week and it's usually a time for looking back and looking forward.

A couple of lovely things happened in the past few days, bringing my Christmas holiday to an end with a warm glow. The first was during a Boxing Day walk along the canal towpath not far from where we live. It was all the more wonderful because it was unplanned, couldn't have been planned. The weather was gloomy with fog and low cloud, there was no bright colourful scenery to admire. Then my daughter pointed out a bright flash of colour in the trees on the far bank and there was a kingfisher. It turned around, almost like a model showing off its gorgeous turquoise and orange plumage, we were able to have a really good look before it flew away. In nearly seventy years I had never seen a kingfisher before but always wished I had. There wasn't time to take a photo, and we don't have the right equipment to get a good shot anyway, but if I close my eyes I can still see it vividly between the branches.

The second warming thing was to try eggnog as a hot nightcap. I have had a snowball made with ready-made advocaat and lemonade and thought it would be like that, but this was a richer, sweeter taste, with fresh egg yolk, cream and brandy. Definitely one to try again.

#61 #62 of 70

This blogging lark hasn't been as easy as I thought it would be, so I doubt I will carry on blogging once the seventieth year is over. If you've followed me on the journey thus far, many thanks. I wish you well in your own adventures. I still have time to complete the target of doing 70 new things before my seventieth year ends because my 70th birthday is in the middle (17th) of January 2025, so that's when my year ends.

Here's the dream, looking forward:

I've never been to Africa, nor visited Egypt. I have never sailed down the River Nile in a cruise ship, not even been aboard a cruise ship. I have never visited Aswan, nor the ancient archaeological sites at Karnak, The Valley of the Kings, nor Luxor, though I've seen pictures of them. I have never swum in the Red Sea. I have never spent my birthday on a beach. The dream is to do all of these things in the next three weeks.

Watch out for my final blog post(s) after I return home to see if the dream comes true and I reach my 70/70 target.

For 2024-5 HAPPY NEW YEAR

sometimes you get what you wish for - image borrowed from the internet