Wednesday 31st December

Personally I cannot really complain –though that didn’t stop me.  I was on my last full year of working just three days a week, and it was difficult.  One restaurant closed and at exactly the same time a long-serving member of staff left the other one I was working for.  This lady, who of course I did not fully appreciate at the time, used to, amongst other tasks, pay the suppliers.  I would give her a weekly allowance of ‘x’ thousands and she would choose who to pay.  As making payments electronically is a responsible job the boss did not want to give this to her replacement and instead I was given the job, as well as all supplier statement reconciliations; the new girl is not at all Accounts oriented.  It was a nightmare from day one, over 150 suppliers, many delivering daily and all clamouring for payment.  Also there was a lot to do closing the Accounts for the now-sold other Restaurant.  On top of this I was given a new Restaurant to look after – it ended up me working at least four days a week, but only being paid for three.  Anyway I threw my toys out of the pram and got some help – eventually.

We had a good year in France again, though trying to juggle my increased workload and flying back and forth in the summer was hard.  Mind you lots of good food eaten and some new friends made too.

Politically the big story was UKIP.  Though just how big a story it will end up being is anyone’s guess – though mine is that they will actually win very few seats.  The SNP have done very well in Scotland, but whether these two newish popular parties will truly break the mould is hard to say.  The big disappointment has really been Ed Milliband, who never seems to quite connect – he needs to relax and be himself a bit more.

News stories have been dominated by WAR.  Ukraine, Gaza, Syria and Iraq.  And all the smaller forgotten little wars raging too.  And our politicians seem helpless, the UN emasculated, like rabbits frozen in the headlights of the oncoming Goliath, all our leaders can do is slingshot a few verbal pebbles.  Other news – two planes missing and a third shot down, storms and floods and a few famous people dying – as you get older the names resonate more, many were from my own generation or just the one before and with each loss a part of us goes too.

2015 – is the year of the General Election.  Lots will be forecast and written about but I expect it to be more a damp squib than a firework.  So, goodbye 2014 – not much about it will be remembered for long.