Seasons Greetings 2021

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I can imagine 2021 has been another challenging year for most people and I hope you have found a way to make some sense of it all. At the start of the year we sadly lost my dad to cancer. I wrote a blog about my dad and did a video recording for his memorial service. It has been powerful for me to revisit what I wrote and said and continue to take inspiration from dad. My heart goes out to anyone who has not been able to connect in person with a loved one in the final stages of their life as I can see that is one of the hardest parts of living through a pandemic.

We are now into our fourth year of living in Australia and are enjoying and embracing our life in Tamworth. It is my first time being in Australia for an Australian Ashes and the banter is high! I am writing this just after the second test and a bit deflated by the England performance but fingers crossed we can up our game in the third test. Australia is very much proving to be a country of extreme weathers. After experiencing a drought for much of our time the last few months have brought a high volume of rain. The only real effect to my life is having lots of tennis sessions 'washed out'. Many people in our state of New South Wales have experienced major flooding and I wish the best to anyone who has been affected. 

Travel and social activities have been limited this year but we did mange to make a trip to Brisbane to celebrate my father-in-law's 70th birthday, visited to a friend who lives on the coast in Gosford, and had a family weekend staying in a converted railway carriage in Dungog. The pandemic has changed life so much I have really appreciated each chance we have had to have a change of scene and spend time with family and friends. 

Frankie will be five early next year and brings lots of joy to our lives. It was great recently to go to her day-care Christmas party and see her playing with her friends and singing Christmas songs. She is going to have another year of day-care and then will be starting school in 2023. She has tried lots of activities in 2021, including gymnastics, athletics and tennis. For two weeks during lockdown I was her teacher and it was great fun exploring lots of different activities. She loves books and we have been working our way through the Roald Dahl back catalogue. Her favourite one has been 'The Twits', which was her grandad's favourite too. 

Work wise I have had another fun year of tennis coaching and also kept my part-time job going with Coles Supermarket. It is an exciting time for the tennis programme as the main facility we use is due to be completely upgraded. The club is situated towards the top of a hillside area with hill-tops on one side and panoramic views of the city on the other. Definitely one the most picturesque places I have worked and also gives me some great hill climbs everyday as I cycle to work! Should look amazing after the upgrade. 

Learning wise this year I have read several life changing books that have made me look at things in the different ways. Many of the books I have come across from listening to interviews on a podcast called Life Lesson: From Sport and Beyond. Here are my top three and the changes they have lead to in my life. 

1) Breath by James Nestor. Sounds a simple thing but most of us do not breath effectively, which can affect us in lots of areas of our life. I am now much more aware of my breathing and try as much as possible to breath deeply in and out of my nose. 

2) Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. Made me realise how addicted I had become to looking at social media and sports information on my phone. I have now removed all social media and sports apps from my phone and given myself a maximum of 10 minutes a day to look at on my PC. I have also stopped 'Liking' and commenting on any social media posts (I message a person privately if they have tried to engage with me personally). I have also taken off all notifications on all the messaging services I use on my phone and just check them periodically. 

3) Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg. Simple and straight forward ideas on how to create new habits. I have five new habits I am working on at the moment, including one to help me be a more mindful eater.

I hope you and your family are safe and well wherever you are reading this blog. Have a fantastic festive season. 

😀🎄🎅🤶


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