Ice and Lemons

My lemon tree has lemons and there are snow patterns on the window in the back porch. Somehow this sums up the whole of 2022. Nothing has quite gone to plan. Some of these things have been good, some not so good. None, fingers crossed because the year hasn’t ended yet, have been too terrible, but most have entailed a change of mindset, finding a way to make lemonade out of bitter lemons.

The family party is a case in point. It happens every year on bank holiday Sunday in August and with exceptions for lockdowns we’ve been meeting up for decades. This year, for a number of reasons we had to cancel, but…

Mike was having problems with his hip so it was unlikely we could have gone.

We were also giving Jonathan, who is an honorary member of the family, a lift to and from the party. Since he doesn’t drive us not being able to take him would have caused a number of problems. As it was he did come to stay and although we missed seeing everyone else, the three of us had a great time together. I will always remember sitting in the garden with a bottle of bubbles to celebrate.

Christmas is another family occasion which will be different for us this year. Again due to waiting for Mike’s operation, we won’t be driving down Bristol, so it will be just the two of us.

But…we’ll have our special Christmas Eve meal together. We’ll FaceTime the family. Mike will be more comfortable in his own home and we’ll eat and drink when and what we want.

On Christmas Day instead of driving home, we can get up as late as we like to open our stocking presents. We’ll FaceTime with my brother and sister-in-law who will be having their first Christmas without grown up kids and with Jonathan and Ginger the cat.

It won’t be the same as usual. It will be different, but if 2022 has taught me one thing it’s the importance of being flexible, to have numerous plans A B and C and to keep making that lemonade.  

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