Well, that’s 2008 finished. For many folks it’s not been a good one and I suspect that they are glad to put it behind them.

Beyond the impact of the credit crunch, the Russians and Georgians scrapping and the inevitable Christmas kickoff between Israel and Hamas, 2008 did have a few highlights. The election of Barrack Obama heralded the end of the Bush era and there’s not many of us outside the US who are sorry to see THAT happen.

Closer to home, the UK Olympic team performed amazingly well at the Beijing Olympics and Terry Pratchett was knighted in the honours list.

For me, 2008 has had a few memorable highlights; The Hyde Park gig in July was pretty good and an off-the-cuff trip to the Hawk Conservancy proved to be a grand day out. I also managed to get away for a long weekend with my two best pals; a few beers and lots of laughs is always a prescription for happiness. It’s also been a pretty good year for work and for the first time in a few years, I’ve found my skills to be in unusually high demand.

I’m not sure what 2009 will bring us, and I get the feeling it will be a landmark year for many people, myself included.

Here’s hoping it will prove to be memorable for all the right reasons…

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