How was your 2019?

[TeePee]

Looking back and reflecting on your experiences and achievements over the last year, how did you do?

I started the year with the goal of flying a new airplane, and visiting a new country, but I also had a fair idea of how that was going to work out. It did. The new job on the new airplane has been pretty much as expected. A huge change from the previous seven years of different jobs in public service, this is a lot more traditional. I schlep through the airport terminal on my way to a lap of the globe. It's a lot less work, but I think it's turning me lazy.

On the plus side, I've been to a few new countries, and had a decent amount of time to experience part of a few of them. Japan was easily my favourite new country this year. Just a beautiful country, with the nicest people imaginable, and great food!

I also visited the UK four times this year. I usually only manage once, and it's was kind of a chore, but this year was significantly different. I also took a trip to Scotland for a Tim Minchin concert, and ended up touring distilleries and drinking an appropriate quantity of single malt.

So, fellow Hexials, how was your year? What did you do which was epic, and what will you do in 2020?

[[GSV]Trig]

Last few years have sucked dick tbh, however, change of job and industry will hopefully see me well into the new year.

I can't say much more than that as I don't have 20/20 vision...

[Ferral]

The past few years have been horrendous, another elderly relative died so my wife now has no one at all, we did get away though to Marmaris this year after the relative died as there was a little money left over so we went away for 2 weeks.

I passed my Level 2 Electrical course so can now work as an electrical fitter (1st & 2nd fit) or mate but had to leave the level 3 course as the tutor is one of the biggest pricks I have ever met, he got aggro on the phone with me one morning when I didn't go in. Problem is that I had emailed him about a hospital appointment which he hadn't picked up or read. So when he called tore strips off him after he spent 10 minutes being snarky and next thing I know the guy that is head of tech was on the phone trying to transfer me to another college but the other college had already finished 2 of the 5 units (shows how bad the college is that I was going to).

Other than that loads of problems with my sinuses and nothing they can do about it. They could see my nasal passage inflamed so did the usual CT scan etc and bloods for allergies but when everything came back I was told you have an allergy to something but we don't know what!

Christmas though for the first time in 10 years was great, no family battles or trouble this year and we all had fun.

So I am hoping that 2020 is going to be a better year, provided the student loan for the course gets refunded by the college (apparently it has been set in motion) I will be going to the other college to complete my level 3. We have already booked a holiday to Bodrum going in May and we have an altogether better outlook on things so fingers crossed.

[g8ina]

Its been a relatively quiet year for me and Sally. She had a cancer op a few months ago, with an all clear post op, but she is now awaiting more surgery for a kidney stone. Me ? Im still muddling along with fibromyalgia, which is a right royal PITA, elbow, nose, teeth, tonsils and eyelashes. New meds this year have been proving worthwhile.

Been building turntables and selling and have done pretty well this year, the third year Ive been doing hifi instead of infrared cameras. Developed a modification for a main bearing of a particular turntable, the Lenco GL75 and have sold over 70 kits in FB and ebay so Christmas was good, beoinmg able to afford things for family and Sally (a new garden shed in her case !).

Our 15 grandkids have been doing well too, even little 2 yr old Maisie who had TGA at birth, but major open heart surgery 10 days old sorted it and she to has had an all clear this year. ( https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en...-tga-90-P01823 ) Other grandkids range between 18 and 2 ish, with twins abounding on both sides of our familes, I have twins, one of them has twins, Sally had twins and another of her daughters had twins. Half the trouble, twice the fun

Our house has been improved (Northampton Council), with new doors and windows this year, having already had a full rewire, new bathroom, kitchen and central heating in the last four years, so its a
now a comfy little place. Sally won an award for the garden, best in the Environmentally Friendly category. We have hedgehogs, squirrels, all sorts of birds including a goldcrest, plus three families of field mice. I do have a problem with this thoiugh, coz one of the little flying beasties has nested in the eaves under our bedroom window and the little begger keeps me awake all night

A quiet year ? Hmmmm, maybe not then

[sammyc]

^ any goldcrest pics? I did check Photo-a-Day in case of, just thought I'd ask anyway (or glad to see any of the aforementioned, come to that).

[g8ina]

sadly no, and only Sally has ever seen the bleddy thing

[sammyc]

Ah, shame but not surprised, so elusive. Odd few sightings here but few & far between (never on Big Garden Birdwatch day, needless to say, any redwings & herons & whatnot save themselves for the day after, don't they )

[Disturbedguy]

Moved house - renting while still saving to buy - almost there though.
Reached my initial goal of losing 7 stone (in a year and 6 months) but a little bit back on though due to anxiety rearing its ugly head and kicking my arse again, but back at the weight loss now so that should soon go.

I moved into the Infrastructure role I am currently in, in about May of 2018 so last year was my first proper full year and it's been a hectic one, in between doing 4 courses (still more to come) I've been mad busy with the sheer number of projects. Not long after I got my promotion in to the new role, the company decided to upgrade our network and move to a new provider (From BT to Verizon) along with upgrading hardware at depots and upgrading servers, so it's been pretty full on, I've been officially made the "Firewall guy" because I picked it up relatively quickly (training on this coming this year), currently in charge of implementing PRTG and I've had my fingers and toes in other projects such as implementing CrowdStrike as our threat protection.

A new director came in and also changed things up for the better, he was the one that got the training approved, he also got a proper and substantial increase to the on call pay we get and personally, he helped me when I was struggling with a few things, to top if off, I also got a pay rise of about 10%, meaning that in the last ~ 2 years, I have had close to £13,000 in pay rises.

On to another year of being ridiculously busy!