It's the time of year again for the annual update, which will be shorter than updates in previous years. Firstly, I hope that all of my readers have had a good year. For me, 2023 turned out not to be the best. At the end of last year, I mentioned that I was overworked, but this year has increased ten times at least. However, I managed to look after myself throughout the year to undo the years of damage but not as much as I had wanted to and with the momentum that I started out with due to work. However, progress is still being made and I endeavour to complete it by the summer. Because the past several years had not gone to plan, I went into 2023 without many expectations so that I would not be disappointed. I'm glad I did not have high expectations as I would have been greatly disappointed.
In 2023, I had hoped to travel, but only work travel was achieved. I hoped to spend time with friends and family. I spent a lot of time with friends this year, but I did not get to see family. There were some good times; there were also challenging times. Below is a review on what I got up to in 2023, and I will finish with some hopes for 2024.
January: Similar to last year, January was spent settling into a new project as I was put onto a new project in the autumn of the previous year. I spent January in many meetings. I tried to put in a balance of personal and work life so that I would not burn out. I started to look after myself both physically and mentally and did a really good job of it this month. I also spent time with some new friends and an old one.
I met up with an old friend that I have known for almost fifteen years who also likes history, and we both went to the 878AD Winchester Immersive Experience. The experience begins in an immersive way with actors and interactive exhibits related to Winchester in the time of the Vikings and then continued on an app with gamification and different quests while exploring the city.
Because I was focused on work, I did not have a lot of time to venture out to do anything else exciting except for the annual Canary Wharf Winter Lights. I actually had to delay my planned visit to its final day due to the workload, and there may have also been a tube strike. When I did go to Winter Lights, it was with a friend who also wanted to go. I had never seen Winter Lights so busy with long queues to see some of the installations, which I felt did take away from the event this year.
February: In early February, I maintained a relatively good balance on personal and work life. In the middle of the month, I went to Munich for work for three weeks. I had previously been to the city as a tourist only a few years ago, but it was a chance to connect with colleagues and clients. When I got to Munich, I was bombarded with work and only got to do sight-seeing during the weekends. I visited a few museums that I had not been to before (such as Munich Residenz Museum, Munich Science Museum, and Munich City Museum), the Englisch Gardens, and tried a couple of different restaurants.
At the end of the month on the Sunday, I had a day trip via train to Salzburg in Austria from Munich. It had snowed overnight in Germany and Austria. Salzburg was relatively quiet as most places are shut on Sundays. I managed to get a nice meal, bought some chocolates, saw the exterior of Mozart's birthplace, and went to the main attraction, which is Salzburg Castle (Hohensalzburg Fortress) at the top of a hill.
I took the funicular railway up to the fortress/castle, and there are amazing views over Salzburg from the top. It started to snow a lot when I got to the top of the hill, and the view with the white city was pretty. I explored the castle museums and the state rooms. Salzburg itself is quite small and easy to see in one day. After the visit to the fortress, I had lunch in an Italian restaurant before getting the train back.
Pancake Day fell in February this year, but I missed it although there was a Shrove Tuesday event in Munich centre, but I was working on the day and did not get to attend.
March: I was still in Munich until early March and enjoyed a few days of spring-like weather. On my last day in Munich, I roamed around the market. I saw the Easter displays and spring flowers at the market, which brought some joy for spring's and summer's arrival. You can read more about the Munich trip here: Late Winter in Munich.
Once I returned home, work took over my life completely. This is the reason why I have neglected my blog and nearly everything else in my private life. I did almost nothing besides work. However, I did manage to see a group of ex-colleagues for the first time since the pandemic this month, and I also saw my friends from Dorset when they visited me. We had lunch at a nice Italian restaurant and walked to the Lido. I like to try to have something to look forward to every month, but that really did not happen this March.
April: April was also busy with work, but I did celebrate a friend's birthday. We went out for a couple of meals and brunch and also a live music tribute to Elton John at Home Bar in Ickenham. I also wanted to start to get out to enjoy life without any of the leftover mess from the pandemic. Life is now back to normal without restrictions. I visited Ham House in London as I had never been inside it as it was shut during the pandemic years. Also with the time spent stuck at home over winter and decent weather, I enjoy getting out to explore.
May: May had a few celebrations, including a very big coronation event (London Celebrates the Coronation of King Charles). My street had a street party, and everyone got together to bring some fun. We opted for the street to be closed. Unfortunately, we had a lot of rain on the day, but we all made the most of it and had a good time. Only last year we celebrated the Platinum Jubilee of the Queen and had a street party then as well. This event did not feel quite as grand, but that may be down to being over-worked and not really getting time for any build-up and preparations of the event.
A week or two after the coronation, a few neighbours and I got together in the middle of the month to watch the Eurovision Song Contest. Instead of fancy dress, I wrote down the names of countries (or regions) on pieces of paper, and the person who drew that region from a box had to buy some food or drink from the region. I also got a few more bits as I drew Germany.
Lastly, the annual Chelsea Flower Show returned. I did not attend the actual event, but I did the Chelsea in Bloom for the second year in a row (Chelsea in Bloom 2023: Flowers on Film). This year's theme was "Flowers on Film". I visited with a friend. During our long walk to see the floral displays, we had a break and went to Peggy Porschen's at Chelsea in Bloom to enjoy a cupcake and drink. I love the detail put into the cakes.
June: June is my birthday month. At the start of the month, I was treated to Greatest Night of the Jazz Age immersive theatre. It is set in the 1930s during prohibition in a New York club. Music and performance was part of the entertainment, and I had a delicious meal while I watched the story unfold. The food is American-inspired, and I was actually really impressed with the event and the food quality.
I did not have a high profile birthday this year as June is a busy month, but I did have brunch and a few drinks with a couple of friends. I also celebrated another friend's birthday at the end of June, and we had Drinks and Lunch at Bar Italia in Uxbridge. We did not have too late of a night on both occassions.
I also took a day off of work for my birthday. The weather was beautiful, and I visited a few National Trust properties. First, I visited Woolbeding Gardens and listened to the tour guide about the history of the location. I had a wander around the gardens and saw the Glasshouse (pictured below) open up, which was a treat because it is not seen too often. I also walked to the ornamental pleasure gardens around a lake. After this, I visited Uppark, which is mainly known for a mansion, and then I visited Petworth to see the Elmer scultpure trail. I visited the large mansion at Petworth and pleasure gardens. There's a lot of grounds here, but the Elmer sculptures were located at the pleasure gardens and near the house, so I did not do too long of a walk.
There were a few warm days at the end of the month, and I went into the City of London to see the Morph Sculpture trail. The Morph sculptures were all around the City and South Bank area, so I had a nice and long walk in the sun.
July: July was also not eventful except for one long weekend in the middle of the month. I took a couple of days off work and visited the Leeds area as there were a number of attractions to visit here, and I had a hotel voucher to use. I visited several National Trust and English Heritage properties in the area (including on the way to and from), and these include: Lyddington Bede House (Rutland), Hardcastle Crags and Gibson Mill (West Yorkshire), Kirby Hall (Northamptonshire), Mr. Straw's House (Nottinghamshire), Kirkby Muxloe Castle (Leicestershire), The Workhouse and Infirmary (Nottinghamshire), Gawthorpe Hall (Lancashire), Pontefract Castle (West Yorkshire), and East Riddlesden Hall (West Yorkshire).
Mr. Straw's House was a real treat, and this property can only be visited by guided tour only. The volunteers were very good in explaining the house, the family, and the history. The house was owned by a grocer family, and when the grocer died, his sons left everything as it was. All of the rooms appear to be standing in time since the 1930s, and all the rooms were filled with the possessions of the family and their grocery. There's a nice collection of cacti (pictured above) at the end of the garden. The family also imported tea and other products and made their own tea blends, which was what grocers could do in those days.
I also visited Gawthorpe Hall (pictured above), which is a fantastic museum with some local history with history of the family members who lived there. It also contains a collection of textiles. East Riddlesden Hall (pictured below) was another gem. The volunteers were also very knowledgeable, and I learned a lot about the property and its history.
In Leeds, I visited the We're Going On A Bear Hunt Sculpture Trail. I did not see all of the sculptures, but I saw a good number of them. I had a wonderful meal at Chaophraya Thai Restaurant in Leeds, although the service was unbearably slow. I had the golden elephant cocktail, which was delicious, and the food was good too. On another night, I had a really good Indian meal.
While in the area, I also visited Kirkstall Abbey House Museum - Leeds Victorian Museum and Kirkstall Abbey. The abbey is ruins only, but they host community events here and allow the ruins of the abbey to be part of the modern day community and events. The museum is across the road from the abbey, and it contains a Victorian reconstructed street.
Lastly, I visited Yorkshire Sculpture Park. I've been wanting to visit this attraction for a few years. There are so many sculptures to see, and it would be easy to spend a day here. Unfortunately, I did not have a full day, and the day I visited had sunshine for about an hour before the skies opened up and the rain came down. The sculpture park has exhibitions that change during the year, so there is always something new to see.
August: Near the beginning of August, I had some time off and spent a week at Centre Parcs Whinfell Forest in the Lake District. I saw some red squirrels and participated in some activities. I did geocache, spa, archery, and a few other activities. The weather was not great, but I made the most of it and enjoyed nature.
While in the Lake District, I visited a few attractions in the area. I visited Brougham Castle, Lowther Castle, Penrith Castle, Shap Abbey, and Sizergh Castle. Sizergh Castle (pictured below) is a fortified house on a very old estate. Visitors could explore the interior rooms and also have a wander around the grounds, and it is a nice property to visit because it has a mixture of gardens, walks, and a museum.
Brougham Castle (pictured below) is ruins of a castle that can be walked around, and the tower can be climbed for some views. There are some nice views of the castle, but the information panels need to be replaced as they are no longer readable.
After the Lake District, I ventured into County Durham and stayed for a couple nights at an amazing bed and breakfast with a hot tub: The Gables Pod Camping. I visited Bishop's Auckland Castle during my visit here and went to Stainsby Mill on the way home. The main attraction that I have been wanting to visit for a few years was Kynren, and outdoor Performance of the History of England. The story was the history of England, and it went through the ages of various reenactments and historical figures - Elizabeth II, Victoria, Shakespeare, Henry VIII, the Romans, the Vikings, King Arthur, and so on. There were horses and parades and even a steam train. The show ended with a fireworks finale.
Later in the month, a neighbour and I went to the exhibition 'Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own' at Sotherby's. This coincided with an auction of the musician's personal possessions, and it was popular because of the singer's worldwide profile.
The same weekend in late August, I visited The Big Dog Art Trail in Swindon to look at the balloon dog sculptures across the city, and these were spread over a large area but some had been damaged and removed. In July and August, I also made visits to Covent Garden to see Tusk Gorilla Trail Sculptures at Covent Garden.
September: I was not able to get up to too much at all this year, but after work one evening, I went to explore Bartholomew's Fair Reimagined - 'Follow Me Into' Light Projections. A new re-imagining of the historical and famous Bartholomew's Fair was held, and there were a lot of cultural and art performances over a couple weeks in late August and early September. I saw the light projections, which were targeted to be educational about some of London's famous throughout the ages.
Also, Frieze Sculpture in Regent's Park returned for the year. I visited the sculptures in Regent's Park at the end of the month. This year had a good mixture of different sculptures and styles.
We had some warm days in September, and there were some al fresco dining on the new garden furniture, a bingo night, drinks evenings, reading and relaxing in the sunshine, walking around the lido, and attempting to be as content as possible. My mental health has not been in a great place this year with everything going on. September is always my favourite month, but I felt really worn down and burnt out.
October: October started with a couple of warm days, and I went into London with a couple of friends. We had drinks at LSQ Rooftop Leicester Square and saw some views over London before heading down into the square itself for more drinks. While in Leicester Square, I bumped into a very old friend that I have known since the year 1999. We had some drinks with my friends before heading back. It was such a fun day.
At the end of the month, a friend and I went to have Halloween Dinner and Drinks at Arens in Ruislip as we both really like Halloween. We had some food and the themed Halloween cocktails. While we were enjoying this, different actors in scary costumes were wandering around and interacting with the guests. Actual Halloween day was a few days later.
November: I did a few things this month, although it was a busy one. This year for Guy Fawkes, a friend purchased VIP tickets for us to attend the annual Rugby Club fireworks display (Guy Fawkes Day Fireworks). I always love the fireworks displays, and it was good to go with a group of friends this time.
Also in November, Diwali (Happy Diwali 2023) was a little late this year, and I made some Indian dishes and was invited to a Diwali party. I also attended the Country Living Christmas Fair 2023 as Luxury VIP ticket holder, which granted me a luxury hamper and bottomless Prosecco. I enjoyed a day of shopping.
At the end of the month on Thanksgiving Day, I took the day off and went to Bath to visit the Christmas market (Return Visit to Bath's Christmas Markets). I enjoyed a day of wandering around the market and some of Bath's shops. It was nice to return to a city where I'd previously had a life. I also visited No.1 Royal Crescent in Bath museum. For lunch, I had Afternoon Tea at The Mad Hatter's Tea Party in Bath, which was really filling and very delicious. In the evening, we went to meet friends at Harvester and had a Happy Thanksgiving meal.
The day after Thanksgiving, I also had another day off and went to a couple National Trust properties to see them decorated for Christmas and then went to a light trail. I visited Uppark House and Gardens (West Sussex), Nutcracker Christmas at Nymans (West Sussex), and Petworth. In addition to the house being decorated for Christmas at Nynams, there was an outdoor Nutcracker trail, and the theme for the house was Nutcracker.
In the evening, I visited the first and only light trail that I managed to do this year: Leonardslee Illuminated 2023. There were moons and Earths installed on lakes in the gardens, glowing fountains, and illuminated trees.
December: December was also fairly uneventful despite the usual annual visit into London to see the Christmas lights. I have never seen London as busy as it was. I always enjoy seeing London decorated for the festive season: London Christmas Lights and Decorations 2023.
I went with a friend to see the Christmas lights in the middle of the month as well, and we also had pre-walking drinks and light snacks at the very festive SushiSamba in Covent Garden.
This year for the festive afternoon tea with my friends, we went to The Dorchester (Festive Afternoon Tea at The Dorchester).
And lastly, I enjoyed a festive meal and exchanged some gifts with friends at Reis Grill and Bar in Ruislip. We had cocktails and then went on to have a few more drinks too before Christmas.
That makes 2023 a wrap up. I have been extremely over-worked this year, but I need to remember to reclaim my time and set the boundaries so that next year is a success. My mental health took a beating this year due to exhaustion. On another note, the year started out well with looking after my health, and I need to keep going this year to achieve the final goals. I do not want to jinx it as it just does not seem to happen, but I also hope to travel and make up for a lot of lost time. Like last year, I am trying to keep an open kind as to what 2024 will bring but will attempt to focus on me this year and make my goals a reality.
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