2020 is coming to an end, making space for 2021 to bring its own share of catastrophes.
Personally I've been fortunate this year. I managed to hold on to a job which, while not fascinating, will pay my bills. I wasn't overly impacted by the covid - people I know who had it all managed to recover without too many issues. All in all I was one of the lucky ones.
Last couple of months were insanely busy at work. It's the kind of industry that gets a huge rush before Christmas as people order personalised gifts for friends and family. That, combined with Christmas preparations left me virtually no time for writing. I'm hoping New Year will be better for that.
It was sad not being able to visit my family for Christmas. Living in a different country I see them so infrequently that I was truly hoping to be there this Christmas. This was not meant to be. Not only were there restrictions on travel, but I was also notified I'd been in contact with someone who tested positive and needed to self isolate. That took care of the week before Christmas and only ended yesterday. Unfortunately instead of being happy that I did not experience any symptoms I had to worry about my cat instead. Poor Titch got a bad urinary infection and was very obviously suffering when going to the toilet. Finding blood in his urine we had to take him to an emergency vet. He got antibiotics and some anti-inflammatory medicine but he's still clearly not his usual self. He's a shy cat at best of times and doesn't like strangers. Going to he vet is always a chore for him but normally he at least has me there to keep him company. Not so much with an emergency visit during covid pandemic. The animals had to be taken into the clinic by the staff and the owners needed to wait in the parking lot. All perfectly reasonable precautions in this time but It still makes me feel bad for poor Titch. I'm hoping he'll start getting better soon as he's now so uncomfortable he's peeing outside his litter-tray, something he would never normally do.
As bad as I feel for the cat's suffering, I'm not really happy having t pay 450 pound vet bill either. Titch is insured but as he had once been diagnosed with feline urinary tract disease any kind of urinary illness isn't covered by his insurance. Hey, lucky me that the first time there is something wrong with him since I insured him, it is the one thing that I can't make a claim on. It seems to be a perfectly wretched ending to a not so fun year.
But not to be a downer, I did have some fun preparing for Christmas. It was only me, my partner and the cat this year, but it was still a very pleasant couple days.
We had a traditional Polish Wigilia Supper on Christmas Eve with a lace setting left for an Unexpected Guest. We shared good wisher over a wafer. We had hazelnut trout instead of traditional carp plus all the other necessary traditional dishes: penny bun mushroom soup, pierogi etc. We improvised a fire in a barbecue and sat outside enjoying a nice crisp night. On Christmas day we had a britsh style dinner - a roast with all the trimmings. I enjoyed my favourite cake - a poppy-seed roulade. We played battle-ships and watched a hilarious new show we found. I had a really nice time and it helped me relax from the stress at work. I made my homemade christmas gifts: handmade soap and tea mixes from the plants from my garden. I read a couple of great new books. Now, being off till the fourth of January I finally have a chance to do some writing. Hopefully my Muse will oblige me.
For this New Year I want to wish You All a better time than you had in 2020. Health, Luck and Prosperity. Be Safe, be Happy and be with those who matter most to you! Greetings from Plague Island 😜