That Was The Year That Was: 2008

As the present year nears its end, it's that time to go through the thrills and spills of 2008, as seen on this blog:

January

I began the year extolling the advantages of celebrating it in another time zone - Eastern European Time being 2 hours ahead of UK time, and noting the passing of the Cyprus Pound as they entered the Eurozone. The transition over the next few weeks was painless, though they only got the Pound in 1960, so some of the older people there still think in Shillings...

February

The seemingly endless Presidential campaigns did actually come to an end when Dimitris Christofias was elected President of Cyprus. He's since entered into direct negotiations with the Turkish Cypriot leader on the reunification of the island - although it doesn't seem to be going smoothly. Here's hoping for progress in 2009.

March

I got a laptop, which was faulty and was quickly replaced by the one that Bee brilliantly christened "The Silver Surfer". I also converted my desktop machine to Linux, though it was another two months before my flat became a Microsoft Free Zone.

April

This month saw the beginning of Wordy Wednesday, which was partly an attempt to complement Jean Knee's "Wordless Wednesday", and partly a poor imitation of Tracy's rambling style. I've pretty much managed every week since, using timed posts on the odd occasion when I've not been around. It's great because it gives my blogging week some structure, and I think helps keep me regular (with my posts, that is).

May

Instead of attempting to travel on a Bank Holiday, I spent the time off writing a blog post about the pointlessness of going anywhere on such an occasion. Which was all very well, but what the hell am I going to write about next year?

June

I bought a new rugged mobile phone. I think I've used it only a handful of times in the last six months. And I've not dropped it on concrete yet. The best thing about it is that it has a more advanced display, so I've been able to put a picture of Aimilia Kenevezou as its wallpaper.

July

I did have a near miss with the phone, though, when I left it in a hotel in Scotland. A much bigger problem was the fact that I also lost my keys on the journey home. Looking back, I'm slightly ashamed that I got so stressed about this, but not being able to get into your home is somewhat disconcerting.

August

Not content with a trip to Scotland, I went abroad again this month, spending a family day in Wales. I hardly ever see my sister, so this was a really special event. And, I actually remembered to take my camera and get some photos I could post up!

September

I had a go at writing a horoscope. Although my predictions were frighteningly accurate, I decided not to give up the day job after all. I think in hindsight that this was a good move, as it would have been terrible of me to put all of those charlatan psychics out of work in the current economic situation.

October

The supermarkets started to get tough on the issue of reusable bags. I have to say that it's rare nowadays that I forget to take mine.

November

My old piano broke down, and was replaced almost straight away by a new one. Just in time for my annual tradition of playing Christmas carols. The other aspect of this tradition is that I don't get any better at playing them from one year to the next.

December

I participated in Bee's Secret Santa, and had fun faking up a picture, though looking at all of the flaws in it, I wish I was better at that sort of thing.

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The absolutely best thing about this year, though, has been those of you who have been good enough to read and comment on my idiotic ravings. Because without you I wouldn't still be doing this.