In my experience every new year arrives with a bang; and I don’t mean welcomed with fireworks, which are often let off earlier on New Year’s Eve anyway and can be a bit of a fizzle out as well.
Rather do I mean, the arrival of the first of January is always supplemented with a climatic weather display that is out of the ordinary. In previous years at this time we’ve been blighted by severe cold temperatures by way of frost, snow and iced up waterways, which have always seemed at their worst on New Year’s Day. But this time, though the temperature is mild (and apart from the news that England have been whitewashed in the Ashes Series, which is a big enough blast for anyone to cope with) it is heavy rain, with it’s resultant flooding in many parts of the country, high winds and tides, causing storms at sea and around the coasts that is creating this impressive accompaniment.
However let’s not be misled into seeing anything too mystical about the event. None of us even notice it’s happening really, simply because after all it is the time of the year for such conditions. However it is nice to think that 2014 has arrived with such a Natural fanfare this time as to make me at least notice it has arrived.
While Janis was at Newark I secured the little ships for a few days and spent Christmas with my brother at Stratford-upon-Avon. Though the river was high there, the town was lucky enough not to have any problems with flooding, as they have done in the past. He and I ate out on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day (as all good bachelors should) accompanied by David’s charming friend Patricia. Afterwards we all agreed that it was the happiest one we’d experienced for some years.
On New Year’s Eve I remained aboard but to finish off my holiday celebrations, on Thursday last I travelled by train into Banbury and stayed the night with my good friends John and Maggie. They did me proud and on Friday I returned to the ship very ready for the coming year.
So now may I wish everybody a very peaceful, fruitful, healthy and especially happy 2014.
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