2012 reflections

Sitting here in front of the TV watching the Prince of Persia I am thinking back to the last year and trying to balance the negative with the positive aspects of it.

I end the year on a high with a grand total of 2 euro in my bank and no party to go to.  Usually we go to a lovely party that is full of fun and laughter and have a great time.  This year the lady who usually holds the party is in the UK so we are without celebrations this year.

We have three dogs staying now, several have already gone home.  Each with their own needs and personalities, we juggle their needs to fit in with our own ever growing collection of animals.

Looking back at last year I had good and bad news outweighing each other so  leaving me in the same place! I managed to get Barclaycard to agree that the purchase of a car was done by someone else and not me and so after two years of fighting they removed the debt which had risen to over £6000 and restored my credit rating only to have the French Authorities say they had paid me too much and I now owe them 5500 euro win some lose some!  Then they changed my business and gave me a new Siret No and now my health care doesn't work so I can't get sick.  My son is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and is having treatment so cannot work.  My daughter had her heart broken by a boy and then mended with a new boy! My car cost me more than it did to buy it and some parts of it are held together with duct tape.  My heating, yet again, isn't working for the winter so we are surviving with just a little wood burner in one room.  I am hoping that the temperature doesn't get as low as -21 as it did last year.

On a positive note we rescued 6 kittens, we all made it through the year, my bronchitis wasn't too bad this year only lasted 3 weeks and I took up my beloved drawing again.  I discovered Audible which is wonderful as I do a lot of driving around France and having a good book to listen to on my journey is brilliant. I've stopping worrying, caring and taking time on people who really wouldn't be bothered with me which has cleared my mind for other things.  I am having a website designed for my drawing business and I am writing my book again.

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends in my life, I have friends that have been with me for many years, ones who have just arrived in my life, wonderful online friends, friends here in France and many friends all around the world.  I am happy to still have my father in my life and so glad to be able to care for him.  I am so grateful to have the memories of my mother who was the light in our lives, who put the fun in the day the laughter in the week and made the year worth remembering.  I am happy to have food on the table, a roof over my head (albeit leaking), a car to get from A to B, my family around me, my little animals and my clients who trust me to care for their animals.

So here we are another year over, I blinked and 2012 had gone!  I'm making plans to improve our 2013, life is hard and it can get on top of you but there are always things to be thankful for.

HAPPY NEW YEAR WORLD