Review of 2020 - 5 positive things

As it's New Year's Eve, I thought I would close out 2020 with a blog post. While it's a hard year to review, for fairly obvious reasons, here are 5 things that made my year a bit special. 

1) February's Five Football Saturdays

It feels like a long time ago since I was freely able to go to football matches. Although the pandemic derailed my matchgoing last season, and has meant I haven't been to any games this season yet, I still feel pleased about getting to a game on all five Saturdays in February. This can only be done in a leap year, and only when the 1st and 29th of February are Saturdays. 

I blogged about the games I went to here

2) Achieving a collecting target

On 9 May I started a blog about baseball cards featuring the Padres greatest ever player, Tony Gwynn. I set myself a target of collecting 394 cards featuring him - in honour of his batting average in 1994, when he recorded a modern day record of .394. On 7 October I completed that mission. I've actually exceeded my target by some way and have now blogged well over 500 different cards.

3) A surprise knock at the door

Quite unexpectedly my former colleague Sean, who now works for Diabetes UK Cymru, knocked on my door and presented me with a Diabetes UK Cymru Director Award for Campaigning and Influencing Change. It was both unanticipated and humbling to receive that recognition and in the middle of a tough week, work-wise, it was a timely encouragement. 

Sean also took a photo of me and stuck it on Twitter. I'm holding up a planter that came with the certificate. In hindsight I could have posed a bit more elegantly. At least Sean timed his call when I'd just had a haircut and wasn't sporting Lockdown Hair!

At the end of October many of my NHS Wales colleagues were successful at the Quality in Care Diabetes Awards. There's a full write up here. One of the projects I've been involved in was shortlisted. It's a picture book about a dinosaur who has diabetes and the two girls who wrote it were also given special awards - which I was really happy about.

4) Dwi'n wedi dysgu Gymraeg 

I started learning Welsh in September 2019. In January this year I sat an exam and passed my Lefel Mynediad (Entry Level). I then went on and completed the Sylfaen (Foundation) course, most of which had to be taught on Zoom. I didn't find the remote learning as good as the classroom experience. 

I didn't enter for the Sylfaen exam because it would have been on a date I was supposed to be at Hampden park for a Euro 2020 game. That game didn't happen... and neither did the exam!

I have really enjoyed learning Welsh. It's a challenge because languages were never my strong point, but I am able to write the occasional email in Welsh now, and have some very basic conversations. I can also understand a bit of the commentary on Sgorio when watching the highlights of the Cymru Premier games, although I have a bit of a way to go before I'm able to follow it properly. 

5) An unusual Christmas

I blogged a couple of months back about "Lockdown freedoms", which were some of the good things about this horrible year. I worked from home from the middle of March. Although I miss my office colleagues and seeing people face-to-face, it does mean I have had lunch with Cathy nearly every day.

Another bonus for us was planning to have Christmas at home. In the 22 years we've been married, we had only spent two Christmases at home. Once we had a last minute change of plan when I was really poorly with a terrible bout of 'flu. And two years ago we had Christmas at home with my sister-in-law as Cathy recovered from surgery.

We decided a few months back that the most sensible course of action that was least likely to be derailed by events, was for Cathy and me to plan to have Christmas on our own at home - for the very first time. As it turned out, this plan worked out best for everyone. My brother's family expanded with two new children in November, so they needed some space. My foster-sister was given an appointment for dental extractions two days before Christmas and needed my Mum to go and stay with her to help with childcare. (They travelled up on the day the Tier 4 restrictions came in and Scotland closed its borders about an hour after Mum arrived in Edinburgh!)

So Cathy and I had our Christmas together, just us. And you know what? It was lovely. We had a leisurely time opening presents. I made a roast dinner. We went out for a little walk in the afternoon. We watched the new Pixar film, Soul, on Disney Plus in the evening. And it was just really nice and relaxing. 

So, looking back on the year, there have been some good times and I've managed to achieve a few things despite the best efforts of a nasty virus. Even the small wins are wins. 

Meanwhile, to kick off 2021, I'm planning on doing my Annual Christmas Card Audit for the 9th consecutive year! So keep an eye out for that...

Five Saturday February - a footballing mission

It was a rare one. A February with 5 Saturdays in. I decided I wanted to try and see a game on all 5 Saturdays and I'm delighted to announce I made it!

Saturday 1 February

Game: Grange Albion v Merthyr Saints, South Wales Alliance Premier Division

Score: 1 - 1

Grange conceded a late penalty to blow the chance of a third home win on the trot. This game also saw me achieve the status of number one fan on the Futbology App and the number one for their ground as well. 

(OK, it was a low bar, but hey....)

Saturday 8 February

Game: Barry Town United v Connah's Quay Nomads, Cymru Premier League

Score: 0 - 1

The evil battle giants of North Wales benefited from having the most one-eyed ref I've seen in a long time. A ridiculous red card for Barry striker Kayne Maclaggon got overturned on appeal and the ref was subsequently demoted from the Premier League list.On the plus side, David Cotterill (pictured), former Wales international, made his debut, and hit the post when he took a free kick with his first touch of the ball. 

Saturday 15 February

Game: Cardiff City v Wigan Athletic, EFL Championship

Score: 2 - 2

My friend Sara offered me her ticket as Storm Ciara was wreaking havoc, and Wigan weren't exactly a great proposition. Cardiff found themselves behind twice and then missed a gilt-edged chance at the end to seal the win.

Saturday 22 February

Game: Barry Town United v Caernarfon Town, Cymru Premier League

Score: 1 - 1

Another weekend, another storm, this time Storm Dennis. All the action happened in about 60 seconds of the second half as Barry finally converted their pressure into a goal, only to concede almost straight away from the restart. I went with my friend Mehmet, who is originally from Turkey and who I met in my Welsh class. It was his first game he had attended since moving to Wales.

And finally...

Saturday 29 February (Leap Day!)

Game: Bristol Rovers v Shrewsbury Town, EFL League One

Score: 0-1

The Memorial Stadium is an odd place. Last year my friend Stewart observed that it looks like it's been built out of all the bits left over from other stadia. The executive stand looks like it's been stolen from a race track, and it was advertising Chepstow race course as well. 

I sat with a new footballing acquaintance called John in the "permanent temporary" away tent. The alternative is the away terrace which isn't covered.

It looks OK if the sun is out. We had icy rain just before kick off, and intermittently throughout the game. However, Shrewsbury won! And I think it's the first time they have ever won on a Leap Day, so a little bit of club history there.

And some personal history too: a Futbology badge when I checked in!

So that was my 5 Saturday February! I managed it, despite the best attempts of the weather. The next February with five Saturdays is in 2032. Hopefully football will still be around by then. If Shrewsbury and Bristol Rovers are in the same division 12 years hence they will probably be playing at the Mem on one of those Saturdays - this was the third year in a row they had met there in February.

506

Playing Yahtzee round at Mally's last night with Cath, the Vivster and Irony Boy, I chalked up my highest score ever: 506. That's three Yahtzees and everything in the bottom section except a full house. Oh yeah.

Incidentally, this blog has been offline of late because I've been concentrating on job applications. There are some really fantastic looking jobs out there. Now I've sent them off, I've got everything crossed (which make sitting here a bit painful!)

It'll be another four years till I blog again... on a leap day! (Had you going there, didn't I!)