And #TuesdayTwirl
Sadness
Sadly my beloved mum died, but I am grateful that it was fast, as she always wanted, and she lived a good long life. Grief ebbs and flows. The "first time" milestones are the worst - first Christmas without her, for example. Here's my post about Mum's life. She was one of the stoic but remarkable women of the Silent Generation.
Milestones
We celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary.
John was 70 and we celebrated with a big family dinner.
Joyful
We had three cycling holidays, two back-to-back exploring the Hebridean Islands and the Caledonian Way in Scotland, plus a few days in the Lake District in September. We also had our annual holiday in the Greek island of Skiathos.
Still didn't visit...
A 2025 goal was to visit Lewes, Rye, Frinton, Norwich and Cromer. Didn't happen! Now that we have a trailer for the bikes I'm hoping Mr M will consider overnight stays at places like this, provided there's a good bike ride involved.
Goals!
On the subject of things I didn't achieve, well there were actually quite a few. I'm always feeling guilty that I don't do more on Instagram. I've always intended to talk about books on Tiktok.
But I ask myself: who are the goals for? On the one hand, I want to explore life to the max while I still have my health.
But I've realised I don't have the energy or inclination to take on more projects. We have to be realistic as we get older. My days are already busy with fitness activities, blogging, reading, gardening, going to exhibitions and on outings. I don't actually need to promote the blog or myself because I don't monetise it.
I sometimes feel that the endless goal setting is a throwback to my corporate days, when you were forever being exhorted to take on ever more aggressive targets (without additional budget or people, meaning they were often impossible).
As a retiree, life can flow at a more gentle pace. Go with the flow. My mum taught me that on some days you'll feel full of energy and enthusiasm. On others, less so.
Exhibitions
I saw some wonderful exhibition, among them Cartier Jewellery, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Flowers at the Saatchi, Wayne Thiebaud, and David Hockney at Lightroom. I didn't see as many paintings as I would normally. A couple of the big art museums, The National Gallery and Tate Britain, didn't have anything very enticing for me.
2026 should be better. The National has Renoir and Love, and Van Eyck, The Portraits, towards the end of the year. Turner & Constable, Rivals and Originals, is on at Tate Britain until April 12 and I've booked to see it. I'm also seeing Seurat and the Sea at the Courtauld.
Below: the winning photograph from Wildlife Photographer of the Year, showing a hyena next to a derelict house.
Other fun outings
Good Housekeeping Live, The Ideal Home Show, ABC at Bournemouth International Centre, Christmas Carols at the Royal Albert Hall, Fawlty Towers, Oliver!, The Weir, Mrs Doubtfire and The Years on stage.
I went to six Kettlewell colour club meetups, three organised by me, and two in "new" locations.
School Reunion
I organised our second school reunion in Plymouth and 45 attended with some coming from quite far afield (Canada was the furthest).
Health and Fitness
Apart from a couple of colds and a mystery virus in November, I enjoyed good health. Between late Feb and the end of October we cycled regularly. I did Pilates and weights at the gym and forest walks averaging 4.5 miles at a good pace.
My aim was to exercise on at least 5 days each week. I started seeing a personal trainer in the period Nov to Jan when I wasn't cycling. He introduced me to some different machines and routines, including pushing the sled. I worked my way up to pushing and pulling 14 stone in weight (88 kg).
Blogging Life
At the end of 2024 I planned to do less blogging with fewer style posts. I ended the Wow on Wednesday link-up and stopped participating in two challenges. I didn't run a big survey for the first time in 5 years.
However, hubs surprised me at Christmas with a new camera and tripod. I felt duty bound to use them, so my blogging didn't really decrease.
I found I was missing the creative process of blogging, which was the reason I started blogging, back in 2006.
In 2025 I averaged 6 posts a month. I took part in #WhatsBeenOnYourCalendar and #Whatsbeenonyourbookself. I started the new #TuesdayTwirl link-up in June.
Changes to the Google algorithms happen several times a year. They either have a beneficial or a catastrophic effect on the blog's traffic. I adopt tips from experts and try to pivot with SEO. But more importantly, I don't worry about it now. I just go with the flow. November's page views peaked at over 750,000, but Google evidently did another algorithm change because December has fallen by 50%.
There were fewer blog collaborations, just two, but exciting ones, with Lighthouse Clothing and L'Oréal.
Favourite TV shows
I've combed my monthly review posts to select my top 10 of the year. It wasn't a fantastic year for TV. Most of my choices were favourites from previous years, with new seasons. There are very few top quality productions these days. We've started re-watching some of the best programmes. The list is not in any particular order.
1. Slow Horses, Apple: continues to shine. Outstanding acting and performances from characters who really gel as an ensemble (although #1 Desk, Claude Whelan played by James Callis was atrocious).
2. Pluribus, Apple. OK, so the plot has a few holes, and the lead character is very unlikeable. It still makes us excited for the Friday drop, and now we'll have to wait for series 2.
3. Rebecka Martinsson, Prime. We loved this Nordic drama, new to us. Rebecka is a damaged but irresistible character who leaves Stockholm for a remote area, and becomes a prosecutor.
4. Drive to Survive, Netflix. We love this "warts and all" documentary about the world of Formula One.
5. Clarkson's Farm, Prime. Eagerly waiting for series 5. If you still haven't been converted, read my take on it.
6. The Newsreader, BBC iPlayer and Netflix. A new series of the Australian drama set in a 1970s television studio.
7. The Diplomat, Netflix. Continues to be outstanding.
8. America's Sweethearts, Netflix. The first series was a real eye opener as it showed life behind the scenes for the cheer leaders of the Dallas Cowboys, including how little they were paid and the brutal hiring process. It then became predictable after the girls won more money and everyone became a bit starstruck.
9. Beyond the Bar (Netflix). Korean legal drama that offered more than it appears when you first start watching.
10. Blue Lights, BBC iPlayer: the best crime drama on TV, exploring the lives of the rookies in the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Favourite Podcasts of 2025
Adrift: based on the true story of a family who attempted to sail the world in the 1970s but encountered a disaster which led them drifting in a dinghy for weeks on end.
Ill Advised by Bill Nighy
The Pitcairn Trials
Case File True Crime
Jane and Fi
British Scandal
Two Favourite Books of 2025
I went through my monthly books round-ups to find the 5 star reads but I didn't necessarily include all of them. Some books last the test of time better than others in terms of being memorable. These were my two overall favourites.
The Approval of Sheep by Karen Storey
I love the off beat story about an old covenant relating to the right to run sheep through a hotel plus the relationships that develop. Definitely memorable.
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
McEwan is on top form with this story of dystopia meets academia.
Favourite Outfits
These were the outfits that had the most comments on Instagram.
So that's my look back at 2025. An anxious, jittery year overall, in terms of world peace. It had its highs and lows for me. I didn't achieve anything "mega" and grief made me low in energy from September to December.
2026 already looks more promising with the prospect of lasting peace in the Middle East and Ukraine. I'm still thinking about my goals for 2026 (aside from book challenges, see my previous post).
Wishing you all a very happy and healthy New Year.
How was 2025 for you? Do share in the comments.
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TUESDAY TWIRL
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I Made a Dress! by Suzy Turner
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