Well, another New Year celebration has been and gone, and I sincerely hope that 2020 is as good as you wish it to be for yourselves, your family and friends. It was lovely for myself and husband, as we spent it with friends of 30 years in their home in Chipping Sodbury. LOVELY, she is the best cook we have ever known, she’s Irish, and the best thing for her is to feed you till you cry for mercy!! What am I moaning about then, except to say we could hardly move from the table for hours at a time, her husband LOVES his wine, so the 2 of them together make the most delicious company, and we don’t know what we would have done without them over the years. Happy New Year again to this lovely couple of friends.

Thinking back over past New Years, we seem to have spent it together with them either at our home or theirs for many of those 30 years, but not all. When we haven’t, we have regretted it, ~ they though were probably grateful for the respite! The washing up is of truly epic proportions and the 4 of us stumble to bed in the early hours, usually still laughing. We are older and more staid now ~ what have I said? Older yes, more staid is questionable. I swear, the year I fell on their stairs, that only one glass of Prosecco had passed my lips, but the result on my back meant we had to leave early the next day. Ouch. The promise of only one glass, no one believes, but it was true. It must have been the amount of food eaten!!

I am still harping back to celebrations with them, and thought to share our New Years one at the new millenium. They have stayed with us when we lived in Bristol, Harrogate, Ripon, Woolacombe in Devon, and in York. The York one being the start of the new millenium, and so this particular one was an important one. Very Serious. We had waited for the planes to fall from the skies, for computers to crash, and for the country to plunge into darkness, as we had been lead to believe it would, so our plan for the morning of the new day was for the 4 of us to trudge up the hill in Ripon, and to see the new day dawn.

We prised ourselves from our beds at 6am, and with hats and scarves, and a bottle of Champagne with 4 glasses, off we set to see the New Year Dawn!!

Atop the hill, and with Ripon snuggled down below, we filled our glasses as the brightest orange dawn rose slowly in front of us. It was glorious! Breathtaking in fact, and as we looked at the Cathedral way down below us, the orange sun shone onto it’s windows, lighting up those windows so brightly. I am not religious, but the sight was very moving to all 4 of us, and one I will never forget. No other light shining on Ripon, except on the Cathedral windows. Happy New Year!!! And what a lovely (to us) way to start a new millenium.

Choked with emotion, and empty tummies, we made our way back to our home, had some bacon rolls, and all fell asleep in front of a roaring fire. A truly treasured memory.

Would love to hear if anyone else has memories from the start of the millenium. If so, and wish to share them, just contact the OCAY office, and they will forward them to me, Vocal Volunteer.

Now I am back to being an Advocate, which I love, and if anyone wishes to join me, just ring the office. It’s a great thing to do.

Happy New Year!