Friday 1 January 2021

Cro's Review of 2020.



What a rubbish year it's been.

The year started with nothing but Brexit on everyone's tongues, and it looks as if it'll end similarly.

The United Kingdom finally became separated from the European Union on February 1st; although you'd hardly have known it. No-one died of starvation, imports and exports continued, and the pound only dropped a small amount. In fact it was all something of a damp squib, as most of us had predicted. However, the 'deal' still needed to be finalised, and we still looked forward to another 12 months of arguing. 

On the weather front, the year started very well. We had no perceptible Winter, with our lowest temperature being around 0 C. We had our fair share of rain, but otherwise it was perfectly tolerable.

However, the first quarter of the year was not without major events elsewhere. Dreadful bushfires across Australia, flooding back in the UK, a couple of minor royals quitting England for a glitzier life abroad, and then in March the wretched COVID-19 arrived; WHICH CHANGED EVERYTHING.

Globally, the virus will have caused nearly two million deaths by the end of the year, including that of my cousin Stella; RIP all. 

For us, the enforced 'lockdown' was really not that different to our normal lives. We stayed at home, only made the occasional shopping trip, and pottered around in the garden; which was basically what we do anyway. 

Work at Haddock's started at the end of April, and took my mind off viruses for a while. Mostly things went well, but yet again my Tomato crop failure dominated my growing year.


The month of May had been like full-on summer, then, almost predictably, 'flaming June' was a wash-out. It became the month of depression, with lockdown continuing, COVID still rampant, and cold and miserable weather, it was a good month to hibernate. Luckily towards the end of the month the sunshine returned just as our visitors arrived. July was mostly OK, as was August and September.

COVID has now affected everything, and dominates our lives. It tells us what we can and can't do, where we can go, who we can see, and what we must wear. We are not particularly gregarious folk, so we were much less affected than many, but this doesn't reduce our concern, both for us, and for others. At the start of October, Trump himself became infected. Many of the 'ugly people' danced for joy and wished him ill. I am not of that ilk, and he, like all others who had become infected, had my sympathy.

Meanwhile Covid-19 comes much closer to home than we'd anticipated. In late October news came of a few cases in our nearby town/village, and on November 1st, my oldest son Kimbo was tested positive; thank goodness he's now back to full health.


For a while it seemed as if we could do no more than sit, twiddle our fingers, and wait. Stay at home, wash our hands regularly, and wear a mask whenever in the proximity of other humans. What a sorry bloody state of affairs.

In November the US election became a farce. Both Trump and Biden declared themselves the winner, Trump threw his toys from his pram, and we all became bored with the whole childish affair. Biden (of course) won! We now await the antics of the change-over in 3 weeks time.

I think I shall mostly remember 2020 for a new movement, that for a while took the world by storm. During the early knee-jerk stage, statues were toppled, monuments defaced, footballers knelt-down on their pitches, streets became re-named, works of Art were removed, and the nation's school curriculum 'de-colonialised'. We were told that Great Britain was a racist hell-hole, founded solely on the proceeds of slavery. Well, I for one found it all rather tedious. 

Immigrants, of course, are still fleeing France for the unparalleled freedom that the UK offers, taking to sea in small boats and even children's inflated paddling pools, in order to reach the UK's shores. If one was to believe what many of the BLM demonstrators say; one would have imagined the flow to be in any direction other than towards the nasty UK.

So, to 2020 I say GOOD RIDDANCE. My Yule log burnt down to ashes again, I remembered to say "white rabbit, white rabbit" this morning after midnight, so let's now hope for a better New Year; and pray that life for all will be considerably healthier in 2021, than it was in 2020. 

A last minute deal has been agreed with the EU, so all is well with the world. Well, almost.

19 comments:

  1. Hippo Gnu Era.....
    May 2021 be kinder on Personkind
    And may you and yours remain safe and well!!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks. 2021 can hardly be worse, unless nature thinks otherwise. Fingers crossed!

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    2. And to all fellow Cro'ists....
      Hoppy, healthy and safe 2021

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  2. Happy New Year Cro! (I love that photo of your pool.)

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    1. I remember the day well. I think it was even more dramatic in real life!

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  3. I’m just going to wish you and Lady M a very Happy New Year ..... 🤞 XXXX

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Jacqueline.. It'll be another very interesting year, at least.

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  4. Happy 2021 to you and yours, Cro x

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    Replies
    1. Thanks JayCee. I hope your selling through very soon, and that you find yourselves a pleasant new home.

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  5. So much I could comment on, as un-opiniated person, but here BLM was all about the US, not the UK. I never read anywhere in media around the world that the UK was a racist hell-hole. Sadly only when in old age care do white English learn (here too going by my mother) that 'foreigners' can be very kind and caring and they are real people with lives and concerns just like the white person. As here, I expect immigration in the UK has been badly managed with too many from one country at the same time and not a diverse intake.

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    Replies
    1. For a while the BLM fanatics in the UK, did nothing but look for things to complain about. It became ridiculous. They were delving into every tiny connection with slavery, with colleges, businesses, and everything else you could imagine. You just wondered who would be their next target. It was crazy.

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  6. Pretty good summing up of 2020 Cro - do hope you don't have to make a trip home for part of the year each year now. Happy New Year.

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    Replies
    1. I fear that'll be our future, unless France/UK come to their senses.

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  7. An interesting appraisal. I hope you have a good 2021.

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  8. Hope they manage to sort things out so you don't have to leave your home.

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    Replies
    1. We'll be OK. We were planning to spend time in the UK again, but things won't be the same post-Covid. We're used to our home town being a bustling metropolis.

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  9. Congratulations on your Blogger of the Year award Cro, and a happy new year to you and your family.

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    Replies
    1. A knighthood would have been nice, but my blogging award is the next best thing.

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