So here we suddenly are in 2020. it has been yet anther momentous year, both personally and politically. A time to think about family and friends at home, here in Canada and around the whole world. So excuse me if I first use this medium to wish everyone who knows me a happy, healthy and positive 2020. Love each other and be kind.
With a late night, a hangover and a lazy day, I can ramble on a bit more than usual on this trip. Sorry.
I will start by looking to what the future holds... my country feels a little alien to me right now, having voted finally to enact its dissociation from our nearest and dearest neighbours. But for those that will tell us that it was decisive - it wasn't really. More people voted for parties that were against leaving the European Union than those that did.
We now have a Conservative government elected with only about 40+% of those that voted, a mere third of those actually eligible to vote. I wouldn't call this a decisive mandate but on the strength of this our duplicitous, narcissistic prime minister does appear to feel he has free licence to remake our country in the right wing image of a low tax, low service, low regulation off shore tax haven. If he is even half successful I shudder to think about the long term impact on our young people. As I have said to many a Canadian on this trip, if I had no ties and was at the beginning of my career I would seriously consider emigrating to a country in which my social democratic and socially liberal principles would be more in keeping with the prevailing view. I can only be grateful to live in Brighton, in what, outside London in the south east, increasingly feels like a bastion of tolerance. But we will not be able to turn back the tide of populism alone and if the Labour Party does not get its act together to address why it lost this election I fear many years of the wilderness for them politically. Having just read the vacuous pitch for the Labour Party leadership by the front runner, and Corbyn anointee, I am not optimistic.
Like Martin Kettle in the Guardian, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when I read that Jeremy Corbyn said, despite the most catastrophic election loss in my lifetime: “We have built a movement. We are the resistance to Boris Johnson.” Being a resistance movement is not enough!!!
So one thing I have done while on my travels is join the Labour Party if only to have a vote on the leadership election, but perhaps my new years resolution should be to be an active party member and to try to support those who recognise the causes of the election defeat and will work to building a coalition the can actually gain power, rather than maintain a "purity" of left wing thought. In the coming year I will not be able to wish for a broad left of centre government that has, at is core, a principle of redistributing wealth and reducing inequality - because we are stuck with this bunch of self serving, privileged bastards for the next 5 years.
So here is to 2024, and to a rejuvenated Labour Party that wins for the sake of all in our society, not just the rich.
In the meantime I have taken out Irish citizenship and am now travelling on an Irish passport. Always good to have an insurance policy!
Sorry, that political rambling went a little further than I expected! Ah, well, I haven't had a good rant for quite a while - and after all, its my blog!
So, politics aside, 2019 has, as in any other year, had its ups and downs. My replacement knee last January has recovered amazingly, to the extent I am playing golf and racquet sports again, and plan to ski later this month. My dad has been successfully moved into an assisted living set up, near my brother Brian and is content in his, what is admittedly, a shrinking world. But he managed to phone me early this morning to wish me a happy new year and I hope to be making regular visits to the North East to see him for some time to come. Nareesa and I have had numerous successful trips, most of which have been catalogued on this blog, some on our own and some to visit family and friends (like this one). We have, however, vowed to try to travel more by train in the coming years. And I have been lucky enough to carry on motorbiking in Europe and the UK last year. Sadly my best mate of many years has had to hang up his motorbike helmet and will be sorely missed on our next trip to Colorado in September (hmm, not sure how I am going to get there by train!).
As ever I feel lucky to have the love of my wife and the health to continue to pursue my interests - and one day, with Daisy's ever patient help, I might just be able to play the piano - a bit! (Although if I keep going away for weeks at a time I cannot be surprised when I take almost two steps for every two I take forward)
And so to the last few days. We were fortunate and privileged to be invited to our friends Sally and Bob's for New Years Eve last night with my long time friends John and Nancy. There was much martini dinking, wine, eating, playing stupid games and Auld Lang Syne outside by the fire at midnight. And a night that didn't end till 3am, has meant a slightly delicate head today! A late breakfast and a walk in Steveston has been the order of the day. For any fans of the show "Once Upon A Time", Steveston is the location for the filming - so we ate in Granny's Diner in Storybrooke.
Or more mundanely it was the Cannery Cafe.
And to sign off for today, we spent our New Years Eve Eve with my friend Michelle, her son Alex and his girlfriend, Alanna. Alex, Alanna and her twin sister Brianne stayed with us in the summer and we not only enjoyed their company, but also their music (Alanna & Brianne that is). Together the twins are Fionn, and I determined to give them a plug here. Please listen to them on Spotify or You Tube. They are good. I'm hoping they will one day come to perform in the Great Escape Festival in Brighton. (And if everyone we have invited to stay turns up in the same year we are going to need a bigger house!)
All for now, a lazy New Year's Day has rather let me ramble on! As always thanks to friends who have made us so welcome here. You know who you are, John, Nancy, Mich, Cari, Bob & Sally. We have only one night left before flying home tomorrow night.
Given that we went to bed last night 11 hours after our roughly normal bedtime in the UK, the jet lag is going to be brutal!
A few pics of the last couple of days. Hopefully a (brief) blog tomorrow to end yet another amazing trip!
Arctic geese on their way south
Cute
The Coastal Mountains from Steveston
Nancy enjoying the fire at midnight (and grinning maniacally for the camera!)
John & Rudy doing likewise
Spotting Vancouver Island (?)
From Siberia to Steveston. Good mates! (John and I met in Irkutsk, on the Trans-Siberia Railway, almost 20 years ago.