It’s easy to write off a year and be glad to see the back of it but, even the worst years will have added something to our life experiences and made us who we are. What we do with those good or bad experiences shows everyone what we’re about. Not bragging too much about the good, not overplaying the bad. Coping when we can cope and accepting the help when we cannot.

For me perhaps ‘interesting’ best described this rapidly departing year. One of highs and lows both of which have been heavy on the emotion.

Serious issues with Zoey resulted in her finally moving out. That was a very unpleasant experience for many involved.

Me and Dennis getting stronger in our relationship, becoming engaged, failing to get a visitors visa for him to come here, succeeding on getting a fiancé visa, huge highs and lows. Dealing with some huge trust and betrayal issues along the way and coming through it making us stronger. My getting close to the new family over in the Philippines

Setting in motion getting Dad moved up to Northampton. My terrible choice of solicitors and all the headaches which came with that choice. Relatives getting too involved, an ex wife not stepping away as she should and making life for Dad and those around him more unpleasant and, in October his dementia taking a turn for the worse and his ending up in a home and me effectively becoming a landlord of his Northampton flat.

I’ve been really fortunate and done some amazing travelling this year and travel remains a passion of mine.

So many celebrities died this year but, if I am honest, it makes no difference to me, their work lives on and none of them were people I knew personally. It’s sad for their loved one but for the rest of us, we have our own people we need to think about.

My health has been reasonable I guess.

One thing I know my mind wanders to is seeing my Dad how he is and realising, when he’s gone, I become the older generation. I think our parents cushion us from the realisation that we have become our grandparents. I am a granddad and yet, I don’t consider myself anything like the grandparents I remember and, perhaps that was because they didn’t have parents, how can we ever really be old if our parents are still alive? I do remember my nan at 50 and ‘knowing’ she was old. My mum never managed to get as old as I am now. It doesn’t help when I hear the question … ‘what were things like in your day’ like, today isn’t my day, I’ve had my day!

As I say goodbye and thank you to 2016 what does 2017 hold?

Let’s be honest, much of what happened this year I could not have predicted in 2015! The plan was always to bring Dennis here in 2017 but, that meant not applying for the visa until June of 2017 with his arriving perhaps in September and, knowing Dennis, he’d have extended that until 2018 anyway! I didn’t imagine Zoey would be moving out in 2016. I honestly thought Dad was fine in Wickford, certainly had no plans for him to move to Northampton and never expected he’d be living in a home.

So, my flimsy guesswork for 2017 … me and Dennis get married in March. We succeed and get the next stage visa and we’re both working by July. We go Disneyland Paris in November. That’s as far as my thinking has gone with what I hope is likely.

I have some wishes … I’d like some resolution to my allergy issues. I’d like to be financially secure, no more money worries. I would like anyone who currently has depression to be better able to manage it.

So, not a vast, in detail appraisal, the tiniest of summaries. There are blog entries throughout 2016 for anyone wishing more detail.

Be safe, be healthy and love yourself