A Year in Photos – 2020

What an unprecedented year 2020 has been! From a stormy beginning to the new year to a global pandemic the likes no one had seen in a hundred years. We were told to work from home or be furloughed. The roads were quieter and the air felt fresher for it. Then we were allowed out but it wasn’t for long as we were soon all told to stay at home, again! People lost their jobs, their homes and small businesses suffered. It has been a year of struggle and stresses untold. Every day blended into one and mental health issues took its toll. Now Christmas is upon us but there’s not much cheer to be had. This year in photos has been the hardest blog to write. How has your 2020 fared?

January

Our 2020 started off slowly with lots of walks with Riley. If I knew what lay ahead I would have gone on more adventures.

David and Riley

February

Our aviary welcomed a new friend in the form of Nova, a Star finch.

Nova, the Star Finch

March

If I’d have known that this was the last time I’d see a live concert at the Philharmonic Hall, I would have made an effort to enjoy it more. However I was less than satisfied with this performance of Mahler’s 2nd Symphony.

The Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

April

With all the uncertainty around lock-down it was nice to escape for a while. A favourite RPG of mine which I last played in 1997, had been remade and was released in time to save lock-down.

Final Fantasy 7: Remake

May

Social distancing meant that we didn’t see family as much as we would have liked. So we had many family quiz nights to catch up and have a much needed laugh.

Family Quiz Nights

June

Sadly we had to say goodbye to Evie, the family cat who passed away aged 18.

Evie

July

Once Covid-19 lock-down restrictions had been relaxed, we took a day trip to The Lake District. Wild swimming at Beacon Tarn was a reset button to all the anxiety of the year.

Beacon Tarn swim

August

A visit to a local sunflower maze with family was enjoyable, even though the sunflowers themselves had passed their best!

Sunflower Selfie

September

One of the best days of 2020 was when we took a visit to Buttermere in The Lake District. The weather was perfect, just like a summers day!

The Lone Tree

October

Like many who had plans this year, I had to cancel my birthday holiday to Scotland. I settled for a walk at Formby Beach with David and Riley instead.

Riley at Formby Beach

November

During the summer, on a walk with Riley, I spotted the Google Maps car. Fast forward to the end of the year and during a search I spotted Riley, Mum and I on Google Maps!

On Google Maps

December

With the country in differing Covid-19 tiers, there seems to be less hope and cheer this Christmas. Whoever you celebrate the season with, I wish you all the best.

2020 Christmas Tree

I’m keeping everything crossed that 2021 will be a kinder year to us all!

I wish you all good health and happiness for the new year ahead!

Thanks for your continued support,

Christine xx

A Year in Film 2020: Advent Calendar – Day Twenty-four

It’s day twenty-four of my Christmas film advent calendar. The final film tonight is:

Elf

Christine’s rating: ✩✩✩ David’s rating: ✩✩✩✩

Buddy, a human, is raised amongst elves at the North Pole. When he discovers that he is not an elf, he travels to New York to search for his biological father.

Christmas fun on the streets of New York in this 2003 film starring Will Ferrell.

Do you like Elf? What’s your favourite Christmas movie?

Thanks for following my advent calendar of Christmas films!

Merry Christmas!

Christine x

A Year in Film 2020: Advent Calendar – Day Twenty-three

It’s day twenty-three of my Christmas film advent calendar. I can’t believe how fast this month has gone. Tonight I’m watching:

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Christine’s rating: ✩✩✩✩✩ David’s rating: ✩✩✩✩

One year after Kevin McCallister was left home alone and had to defeat a pair of bumbling burglars, he accidentally finds himself stranded in New York City – and the same criminals are not far behind.

I love this Christmas movie! I don’t know which is best, the first or the second Home Alone film? We visited New York last year because of this movie. It was nice to see the Rockefeller Christmas Tree.

Do you rate this movie?

Thanks for reading!

Christine x

A Year in Film 2020: Advent Calendar – Day Twenty-two

It’s day twenty-two of my Christmas film advent calendar. Tonight’s film is:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Christine’s rating: ✩✩ David’s rating: ✩✩✩

Grinch lives in solitude just outside Whoville. He hates the townsfolk and despises Christmas. Cindy Lou, a six-year-old girl who believes in the spirit of the festival, sets out to reform him.

Not my favourite Christmas movie. The Grinch I feel was clinically depressed. He needed a hug.

Have you seen this Christmas movie? What did you think?

Thanks for reading!

Christine x

A Year in Film 2020: Advent Calendar – Day Twenty-one

It’s day twenty-one of my Christmas film advent calendar. Tonight’s viewing is a beloved 1982 Christmas short:

The Snowman

Christine’s rating: ✩✩✩✩ David’s rating: ✩

On Christmas Eve, a young boy builds a snowman that comes to life and takes him to the North Pole to meet Father Christmas..

The music and art direction of this short animated film carries the message of loneliness and loss in this timeless tale by Raymond Briggs.

What do you think of this short film?

Thanks for reading!

Christine x

My Wildlife Moments of 2020

However restrictive life in 2020 has been, wildlife and nature has been very restorative, definitely a pick me up in times of stress. During the first lock-down, the air was less crowded with the sounds of road and air traffic which made it all that more fresher than it had in years. Though my wildlife moments have been less in numbers this year, it has been nice to just notice and celebrate the small things, like an ashy mining bee resting on a lilac in the yarden and spotting mermaid’s purses washed up on Formby Beach.

Summer is a busy time for wildlife rehabilitation. Our only success this year has been Ava the pigeon who we crop fed while tackling her canker infection. We also rescued a very young lesser black-backed gull chick who had fallen from its steep roof nest and could not be put back. Luckily, thanks to the kind rehabbers of a local volunteer group, we found a home for Benjamin.

During June a male herring gull befriended us and came by daily for cat food or kitchen scraps. Then in August to our surprise he brought along with him his three crying fledglings! For about a month the three youngsters came for food along with Steven the adult. It was cute watching the three fledglings fight over food and then become independent. However, once autumn arrived Steven chased them away to find their own territories. It was a nice glimpse into the lives of herring gulls and I learned the different vocalisations they communicate with.

Spotting wildlife that you haven’t seen before can give you such a rush! I felt this excitement when I spied the looping flight of a bat around our walled yarden. Planting for wildlife really does work!

There have been other wildlife highlights too, that I’ve not been able to photograph; like a kestrel hunting in the local park and a brief glimpse of a holy blue butterfly.

What wildlife moments of 2020 have you seen?

Thanks for reading,

Christine x

A Year in Film 2020: Advent Calendar – Day Twenty

It’s day twenty of my Christmas film advent calendar. Tonight I’m watching:

A Christmas Horror Story

Christine’s rating: ✩✩✩✩ David’s rating: ✩✩✩✩

Interwoven stories that take place on Christmas Eve, as told by one festive radio host: A family brings home more than a Christmas tree, a student documentary becomes a living nightmare, a Christmas spirit terrorizes, Santa slays evil.

I love this film from 2015 which has three interlinked creepy stories. The best thing though is seeing a different side to Santa as he faces zombie elves!!

Have you seen this movie? What did you think of it?

Thanks for reading! Christine x

A Year in Film 2020: Advent Calendar – Day Nineteen

It’s day nineteen of my Christmas film advent calendar. Tonight’s film is:

Krampus

Christine’s rating: ✩✩✩✩✩ David’s rating: ✩✩✩✩

Krampus

Frustrated by the constant quarrel between the members of his dysfunctional family, Max loses interest to celebrate Christmas, awakening Krampus, a demon who will punish his entire family.

My favourite Christmas film has to make a show in this Advent calendar. Krampus has just the right amount of sarcasm and scares to make this a true horror tale for Christmas.

What is your favourite Christmas movie?

Thanks for reading!

Christine x

A Year in Film 2020: Advent Calendar – Day Eighteen

It’s day eighteen of my Christmas film advent calendar. Tonight’s film is:

Miracle on 34th Street

Christine’s rating: ✩✩✩ David’s rating: ✩✩✩

When a nice old man who claims to be Santa Claus is institutionalized as insane, a young lawyer decides to defend him by arguing in court that he is the real thing.

A dated but still enjoyable Christmas film with a lovable Kris Kringle.

Have you seen this movie? Did you prefer this or the 1994 remake?

Thanks for reading!

Christine x

Chrimbly Countdown – Tree

Linking in with this Friday’s Hawthorns December Photo Hunt. Today’s theme is: Tree – a snap shot of your tree, this year’s, last year’s, the black and white one of you as a tiny tot helping to decorate,  the one on the village square, that shiny white one in the shop, a native tree bedecked with lights and bird feeders – any festive tree 🙂 

2020 Christmas Tree

Due to 2020 being a dire year and with stresses at home, I decided to put up my little 4′ Christmas tree earlier than the usual 1st December. So mid November, out came the tree and decorations. I spent the next two hours decorating the tree with polar bears and birds, it was very therapeutic. I know black trees are not in fashion at the moment, but I like the striking contrast between the black boughs and the white twinkling lights.

What do you think of my little tree?

Thanks for reading,

Merry Christmas!

Christine x