Well it is New Years Eve and time to reflect on the year gone by. It has been an odd one. The first half seemed to be waiting/dreading for that all (un)important  40th Birthday. I didn't do anything special and it was all a bit of a disappointment if I am honest. I had kind of been planning to be sipping cocktails on a beach. But as we were (notice the past tense) also due to be moving I ended up crabbing in Hamble! I enjoyed crabbing though! I also booked a short stay at Alton Towers which couldn't have been better.

Then came Brexit. I won't lie that it felt like the dementors were circling overhead. I am still disappointed by the decision. I just think the positives about staying in the EU weren't focused on. When there's an election and your party loses, you get over it. Give it 4 years and the country can vote again. Change their minds. Not with this. I hope I am wrong, but I can't see it panning out well. I guess it will make an interesting history lesson one day.

My husband changed jobs and had some gardening leave which was actually quite nice. There was a fear that he would be under my feet and we would argue all the time. But we had a relaxed time and actually spent some time together. One of the downsides of no family nearby means no going out either (unless you want to pay out for a babysitter.) So we had some daytime dates instead. It was nice.

In the summer we had the most amazing trip to Costa Rica. I can highly recommend it as a destination. One of my favourite places I have visited. It was there that we found out our house sale had fallen through. Not the best news to get when on vacation and in a different time zone, but hey a couple of cocktails let me give less of one!


Then Sept-Dec has gone by in a blink on an eye. Life on fast forward. My sister married the love of her life and the boys got to be 3 cute page boys. Little man started school which was just the thing that he and I needed. He was more than ready to go and has settled in like a dream.

Talking of dreams, I am still half hoping that Trump becoming president is a nightmare and I will wake up soon. I have never really understood US politics, and don't claim to know a thing. I just know that he should at the very least stay off Twitter!

December was full of Christmas plays and parties and I am not sure how I managed to be in the right place at the right time.

We went to see Santa in Lapland which quite frankly I was more excited about than the boys. It was a long day that was beautiful, but it also highlighted that I am getting old. Do you know how dangerous snow and ice is!?!


Blog wise, I have split the blog into two. I am still not sure if that was a good thing to do, but I hope it is. Whilst I have loved writing about my boys, they are getting bigger. When big man's photo was stolen from a post and made into a meme, it opened my eyes as to how my actions can backfire on them. Our travels will be recorded on A Strong Coffee To Go and here is for my musings and recipes.

And now New Year is upon us. As always my biggest wish for my family and friends for 2017 is that of good health. I am pleased to say that we have finally sold our house again, so I think it is fair to say we *should* be moving next year. So Goodbye 2016. You have been a year. Not bad. Just a year. Now if time could not rush by quite as fast in 2017 that would help.

Happy New Year to my family, friends and followers. May 2017 be a year to remember for the right reasons. May it be a good one. xx