2016 in review

I tried a fountain pen ink sample subscription.
Read 31 books
Created an Adobe Indesign and PDF tutorial that now has 8600 view on YouTube

Books Bought
Mindful Meditation
Rags & Bones – Short Stories
Conversations with Myself – Nelson Mandela
Six of Crows – Leigh Bardugo
Callanish – William Horton
Fred Green Tomatoes – Fannie Flagg
We Were Liars – E. Lockhart
Throne of Glass – Sarah J Maas
I’ll Give You The Sun – Jandy Nelson
The Executioner – Chris Carter

4 Jan – Pete got locked in bathroom
10 Jan – RIP David Bowie
14 Jan – RIP Alan Rickman
17 Jan – Walk around snowy Bletchley
19 Jan – stationerygeek.com
30 Jan – Sara Hennesey’s 40th

7 Feb – Bought paintings for bedroom and dining room from The Range
14 Feb – Whaddesdon Manor
18 Feb – Laura left AFB
18 Feb – 5 Love Languages
20 Feb – Mole removed from chest
28 Feb – Homebase sold

6 Mar – New Vivarium for Vash
7 Mar – Wine tasting @ H.M.S. President in London with AFB
10 Mar – Skin Cancer diagnosis received
13 Mar – Beili Helyg B&B, Brecon Beacons, visit Goodrich Castle on way
14 Mar – Hill Walk – Four Falls Train in Brecon Beacons
15 Mar – Penderyn Distillery
15 Mar – Marine Hotel, Aberystwyth
19 Mar – Painted tree on dining room wall
22 Mar – Brussels airport and metro attack.
25 Mar – Hill Walk – Ivanhoe Hills
27 Mar – Easter Sunday egg hunt
29 Mar – Dad’s broke leg falling off ladder

1 Apr – Dad knee surgery
2 Apr – Build cross trainer
3 Apr – Sand and stain IKEA Moppe draws to convert to apothecary drawers, Pete repaired outside room roof
4 Apr – Elena resigned
8 Apr – Dinner @ Banana Tree when I got date wrong for dinner with Laura
18 Apr – Bath plugs fit on the overflow #mindblown
21 Apr – RIP Prince
23 Apr – Left arm tattoo by Philip Milic
28 Apr – FS Awards – The Belfry

1 May – RIP Keegan van Staden
2 May – Tring Museum
4 May – Pete invited me to business conference call by accident
5 May – Won full Tombow Brush Pens set
10 May – Pete’s pay rise
12 May – Wide Local Excision * Sentinel Lymphnode Biopsy
18 May – Third Massdrop gift box 3
19 May – Mattress for guest bed
20 May – MK11 night out
21 May – Massdrop gift box 1 & 2
25 May – Morning with Digital Design Team
28 May – Parents Arrive

3 Jun – Last day working with Elena
3 Jun – Biopsy results clear
4 Jun – Family Reunion
7 Jun – Smart Metre installed
8 Jun – Orlando night club massacre
8 Jun – Berwick
9 Jun – Elgin, Scotland
10 Jun – Loch Ness, Fort Augustus, Culloden Battlefield
11 Jun – Fort George
11 Jun – Eddie’s 70th party
12 Jun – Berwick
14 Jun – Mum & Dad made shelf above desk, wall mount TV, new curtains
15 Jun – I scratched girls car at Dunelm
16 -19 Jun – Arthur & Sue visiting
18 Jun – Dinner @ Swan for Dad’s Birthday & Parent’s Ann. Arthur ill.
19 Jun – Parents 45th Anniversary
24 Jun – Brexit
24 Jun – Parents Leave

Jul – Camp NaNoWriMo – 10,000 words writing in July
3 Jul – New shed
15 Jul – France massacre
18 Jul – Resigned from AFB
24 Jul – Drink with Tom K @ The Three Trees
26 Jul – Mum wrist surgery
28 Jul – Corner cabinet for dining room
30 Jul – Lisa’d wedding, Rugeley

1 Aug – Annetjie knee replacement
5-6 Aug – Stranger Things on Netflix
6 Aug – Back to red hair
12 Aug – Shadow had his teeth removed
13 Aug – Diner & drinks @ Tom’s house
21 Aug – Pilot Vanishing Point
29 Aug – Stowe visit
31 Aug – Last day in AFB

1-6 Sep – Galway, Ireland
2 Sep – Sainsbury’s buys Argos
3 Sep – Beth & Alan’s Wedding
4 Sep – Beth & Alan’s cottage
8 Sep – Start in Digital
21 Sep – Massdrop giftbox 4
28 Sep – My first bath bomb

1 Oct – Swatched my fountain pen inks
7 Oct – Pete’s climbed Skaffel Pike
9 Oct – Made new friendship bracelet
10 Oct – Hive installed
15 Oct – Hononichi Techo
15 Oct – New fireplace grate
22 Oct – PS4 & The Last of Us
23 Oct – Walk in Emmerson Valley park with MacBook
30 Oct – Adam Hills @ MK Theatre

5 Nov – Garden shredder
9 Nov – Trump wins US election
12 Nov – Mini sewing machine
16-20 – Sigrid visit
23 Nov – switched to using a menstrual cup.
25 Nov – Hip spasm

17 Dec – New dinner set

2015 in Summary

Wow 2015 has been INSANE! Overall it’s been an amazing year.

January

5th Jan – Pete started a new job in Digital Operations

7th Jan – Gilbert, a long standing friend of Pete’s father, passed away.

9th Jan – Contracts were exchanged to purchase our first house

16th Jan – We got the key to our new home.

23rd Jan – MOVED INTO OUR FIRST HOME!

28th Jan – Saw Cirque du Soleil @ The Royal Albert Hall, London

February

16th Feb – Shadow the cat adopted us

 

March

3rd March – Jimmy Carr @Milton Keynes Theatre

7th March – Nikki Hall/Larwill’s wedding

22nd March – Bought my MacBook Pro

 

25th March – Internet Retailer Expo for work

April

24th April – bought huge nail varnish haul from colleague

? – Pete started a new Jiujutsu class

29th April – Pete went to the Abode Conference and saw Brian Cox, Benedict Bumberbatch & Bastille

May

3rd May – Reginald D Hunter @ MK Theatre

13th May – New dining table delivered

28th May – Amanda Palmer & Neil Gaiman @ Hackney Empire

30th May – Dylan Moran – Off The Hook Tour @ Hammersmith Apollo (Great train ride home! Simon Murray lost his friend Chris)

June

22-26th June – BUDAPEST

July

2nd July – Rescued abandoned baby hedgehog

4th July – La-Z-Boys deivered

August

16-28th August – FAMILY HOLIDAY with the in-laws. 1 week cruise around the Mediterranean & 1 week in Croatia.

September

28th September – Joined a yoga class (short lived)

October

2nd October – Got MacBook Pros at work

3rd October – Rugby World Cup @ Campbell Park

4th October – New Ikea mattress delivered

8th October – Mark turned 40.

November

1st November – Put black streaks in my hair

December

12th December – Pete bought his BMW 325i

12th December – Karen’s 50th

Others things

This year I got a bit more serious about learning about Buddhism and started a daily meditation practice.

I expanded my interested for fountain pens, inks and nibs.

My Bullet Journalling really came into it’s own. This system is so wonderful!

Shadow truly became a part of our family and we absolutely love him.

I read/bought some great books. Highlights were:
The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
Big Magic – Elizabeth Gilbert

I was still painting my nails; and I finally swatched, photographed and catalogued ALL 340 of my nail varnishes!

 

I focused of improving my hand writing and lettering

I coloured stuff in

I probably spent way too much not enough money on stationery, but it was a creative year thanks to it!

WHAT A TRULY AWESOME YEAR!