2015 reflections

I love New Year, I look forward to it every year. Why? Becuase it's an incredibly time of reflection on New Years Eve, then setting goals on New Years Day. It's a blank piece of paper for 2016. Looking back, 2015 has been a phenomenal year:

• A visit to Bletchley Park and learning of Alan Turing
• Standing on Antarctica and realising a dream was the top highlight
• Falling in love with South Georgia and Falklands
• Walking the last part of Shackleton's epic journey
• Cottage trip to North Wales
• Watching tennis at Wimbledon on Centre Court
• Watching an ordination
• Visiting HMS St Albans
• Bristol Pride with Mum and Chris supporting Nandos
• Taking our Australian friend Wendy to see Cambridge
• Visiting Blenheim Palace, home of Winston Churchill
• Soggy family camping
• Homer joined our family
• We made every signature bake on Great British Bake Office
• Sophia was born
• Ali and I went camping and abandoned ship due to rain
• Ali got a new job
• Cottage holiday in South Wales
• Visiting the relaxing Aqua Sana
• We discovered the beauty of monthly massages
• I shook hands with Prince Harry on Christmas Day and was intereviewed live on Sky News
• Vsited the Cabinet War Rooms with mum and dad
• Went punting with Rae, Jue and Archie
• Alison and Paul's wedding, the last SMRT friend to marry
• I discovered that I have a knack for carving pumpkins
• Watched the first Oxford/ Cambridge boat race where women competed on the same stretch of river
• Afternoon tea at Fortnum and Mason
• Went toboganning on snow
• Took part in a scarecrow festival

Not bad for one year. What will 2016 hold for us?

Cabinet War Rooms

Mum and Dad's present was to the Cabinet War Rooms and they loved it. We drove to Cockfosters and then got the tube into London. The Cabinet War Rooms are below the building I had a meeting in during the week. It's amazing to think that it has a steel plate above it. The Churchill Museum was a treat, you could spend a good couple of hours in the interactive museum. It had old cigars, his pocketwatch, films about his life, videos about how he liked three square meals a day, how he drank whiskey daily but it was heavily watered down. The typists had silent typewriters becuase he needed silence. We started his day at 8am and finished at 3am! With an afternoon nap in between.

Shackell family tradition

On Boxing Day, it's a Shackell family tradition to have cold meat and chips. Mum and Dad joined Ali, Brigitte and I for a traditional boxing day lunch, then Aunty and Cous Cous joined later in the evening.

Meeting Harry and live on Sky News

Christmas day started at 5am as we had to be on the road to Sandringham at 7am. We arrived at 8:30 and I made a quick dash to the queue. Luckily it was only short at this time. I love the queue, it's incredibly sociable. I met a lovely couple from Scotland and someone from St Neots! What are the chances. John is a retired sheep farmer and it's on his bucket list to see the royals on Christmas Day. He was a magnet to Sky News. He was interviewed and did such an amazing job that they said they were going live in one minute so would like to inteview him live and then speak to me! I quickly messaged everyone I know. The interviewer asked if I had been before. I mentioned that last time I spoke to Camilla who asked me about my polar bear hat, so I have a new one this year. Then I was asked if I want to see anyone in particular. I said that I will be rushing to the front as soon as the gate opens....and I did.

I stood on the corner this time, to see the Queen and the royals. They walk to Church at 11am sharp and rush into the church. We listen to the service on the tannoy and sing along with the carols. The prayers were for the people of Cumbria due to flooding. Then as they left the church, it tipped down. Unfortaunetly, someone beind me asked me to remove my hat, which I resented as they cheered when I did this...not very Christmas spirit, but if they wanted to be in the front, they should have been standing since 8:30am.

Harry moved away from the main party to speak to the lady in the wheelchair in front of me, then spoke to the people next to me. So I muscled in, spoke to him about being so cold and from Bristol. He then shook my hand. All of which was on Sky News again! Later in the day, my friend from Australia contacted me to say I was on their news.

After meeting Harry, we carried on to Huntstanton for turkey sandwiches in the rain and then home for Christmas lunch of traditional roast. A phenomenal day.

Santa Brigitte

Our Christmas started at lunchtime when I finished work and Santa Brigitte arrived, bearing the biggest Christmas stockings ever. One for Ali, one for me, one for Sailor and one for Penny. Linner started, a mixture of Lunch and Dinner. We had Scallops and Chorizo to start, a Nigella recipe. Then half a side of salmon for mains, chocolate log made with 1.7kg of dairy milk and then the cheese course. We opened our gifts and then to bed for an early drive to Sandringham.

Christmas in St Neots

How much can one fit into one festive weekend? How about taking the Brownies to the St Neots players panto 'pantomonium', watching Ali in her carol concert by the St Neots Choral Society, visiting the Disney Christmas tree in St Pancras, then the lego train in Covent Garden and the London Transport Museum? It was rather epic and I must say, I can't wait to go back to the London Transport Museum. Thankfully I have a 12 month pass to do so. Listening to a war story, which explained why the bus drivers are in the Remebrance Day Service every year, was a real highlight. They have 'ole bill' who travelled far and wide during the war. You get to climb on the old tubes and old buses and then drive a simulator of a tube. A real treat.

A dog walk at Clare Castle Country Park

Clare Castle Country Park is rather interesting. I'm not sure we found the walks we were meant to be on, but it was good nonetheless, even in the drizzle. It was a Bailey and Castle, archaelogical remains, an old railway station and dog walks. Penny, Sailor, Gussy and Max rather enjoyed it.

Anniversary surprise to Aqua Sana, Woburn.

It was Ali's turn to organise the anniversary day out this year and she excelled, a full day at Aqua Sana. I'd never heard of it before. It's part of Centre Parcs, a haven of saunas, steam rooms, relaxation, foot spas, massage, comfy rooms with pillows and blankets to nap. We managed to go to every room and loved every second. Half way through, at 12 o'clock, we were surprised by the massage staff bringing us a glass of champagne. the exact time we got married, three years ago. An absolute haven, we will be back.