And so ends, 2020. Quite some year.

 It is almost the end of 2020. By any metric devised it has been somewhat of a spectacular, and remarkable year. At the end of 2019 people assumed that 2020 could not be more of a mess than the preceding one. Turned out that this could happen. I haven't experienced a year like the one we have lived through. And, in fairness, that is an important point, we have got through it and hopefully we'll come out the other side by the end of the next year. There appear to be now easy or quick fixtures to the Covid pandemic. We must remember the 70,000 who didn't make it through with us. For context that is almost two of our hometowns passing away. 

This has not been an event that you had the chance to watch from outside, every was involved. Some followed the rules and some, rather famously, decided that their position allowed them to not follow the rules. An interesting year for the current political philosophy of 'Do as I say, not as I do.' Too much of this is infiltrating the fabric of our country. It is to our detriment, I think. We have, I think, followed the rules as best as any one could. I haven't felt the need to drive my family around in the car to test my eyesight, which, I am told, is the actions of a good father. There were days when it wasn't easy. 

Homeschooling was perhaps the most challenging aspect of 2020. With two young children from March to July was 'interesting.' It became more interesting as I began working from home by the end of March and my wife too. Suddenly the larger house we moved into became an awful lot smaller. How we would have coped in the previous 2 bed terraced filled me with utter dread. It would have been impossible. 

We get through it though. You do, don't you. I was brought up that way. Keep going, get through it. Sometimes you just grit your teeth and march. There is no other option, Built to endure. The highlight of working from home I think was when my daughter had gone back and my son appeared next to me with a laptop and proceeded to build a desk next to me. He's an entertaining boy. 

We walked hundreds of miles during the summer. I didn't keep a record but it must have been around three figures. Going back to school after summer has curtailed that, understandably so. With winter the weather has made the summer pathways muddy and boggy, and In places un-walkable. The streets are not as scenic and it has been more difficult with fitting this around school time. We cannot do everything. It's important to understand this and not beat yourself up too much for it. The guiding philosophy is one of just do the best you can. It doesn't need to be perfect all the time, because, as i've said, some days are just about getting through them until bed time. Somedays doing nothing is an achievement enough in this current time.

Hopefully, there are now a few tiny rays of light and these should be held onto tightly. Hope can be a powerful thing when it is harnessed properly. You can build a lot on a firm footing of solid hope. This is where we find ourselves as the world turns into 2021. The next few months will provide an indication of that direction of travel.