What Did 2021 Have in Store for Us?
2021 has been a roller coaster of a year, to say the least, for many people. It doesn't take a lot to realise that everyone has had their own fair share of trials, tribulations and successes over the last twelve months and I thought I'd share with you some the things we've been through over the course of the year.
But to keep things light-hearted, I thought I'd include some of the better things that have happened in 2021 as opposed to the bad and the ugly. Don't get me wrong, we have had to face many problems and stresses and there have been some equally unhappy times but I'd rather leave those things behind and move on to another fresh year. So with that in mind, let's get into what 2021 had in store for us :)
I bought my first car
I passed my test last year, first time, and so I needed a little runaround in order to get from A to B, so I bought a little Vauxhall Adam. It's a three-door with some decent boot space and it's ever-so-easy to park. It's also really nippy so I can zip up and down the motorway in no time at all (doing the speed limit of course). Even though, technically, I bought the car in December 2020, it was pretty much New Year anyway so I've added it to the list of things that happened this year, for the archives really.
I wrote a blog post dedicated specifically to introducing you guys to my new car. I go into more detail about it, including how old it is, the exact model and even its engine size (which everyone is surprised by). Feel free to read about my little car here.
Seeing in 2021 with a national winter lockdown
As we can probably all remember, winter 2021 was the lockdown we all saw coming at one point or another and it was such a shame that the year was brought in on such a low note, but it's a part of history and just another thing that happened in 2021. But despite being house-bound, except to go to the shops for food or medicine, it did bring with it some fun, happy times. I don't think I've ever spent as much time with my boyfriend as I did then and that was a hugely positive experience for us - honestly!
It also snowed that winter so it was lovely to see all the children in our (then) neighbourhood out on the streets playing with their siblings and building snowmen etc. It's not often that the UK gets thick, heavy snow so it was really quite enjoyable when it eventually happened. More so because we didn't have to go out in it haha.
Winter lockdown also meant that we had a tonne of Christmas food leftover so we gorged ourselves silly on Heroes and Celebrations till June and even had a Christmas pudding that we didn't eat until April, so that gives you an idea of how much food we had to get through but nothing was wasted so all was good!
Celebrating my 26th birthday on the doorstep
When I turned 26 in March, I celebrating it during lockdown, but the restrictions had eased to the point where we could see people outside only but not in the back garden. So my parents came round to our place and they sang happy birthday to me on the doorstep (in front of all the neighbours) and then we drank tea and ate cake, also on the doorstep.
They stayed for about half an hour, when everyone started to get cold, then they went home again, but it was nice to see their faces, even if we couldn't get close to each other. Let me tell you, I'll be remembering that birthday for a long time to come, even though it was the second time I spent my birthday in a national lockdown, haha.
I actually blogged about the entire day, so if you're interested in seeing how it started and what happened after my parents left, then you can take a look at that blog post here.
Two Covid vaccinations (waiting for a third)
I got both Covid vaccinations this year, the first one in June and the other at the back end of August. I know that now, we need Covid boosters, but I can't get one until after the new year. So I will be having my booster, just not this side of the year, unfortunately.
After the first vaccination, I just felt very tired and that was it but after the second one, I was quite a lot worse in terms of side effects, but I got over it after two or three days so there were no problems there! I'm hoping that my booster jab will be equally mild in terms of side effects - fingers crossed!
Spending a weekend in Devon
Back in July, my extended family held an outdoor party to celebrate two big birthdays and we stayed in a near by pub. Before the party in the late afternoon, we went for a beach walk which was lovely and we even had time to go and check out the near by lakes and canals and also to spot some wildlife in and around the area.
After the walk, we all went back to the pub to get changed and then we headed back out to make it to the party in time. It was quite a warm, sunny day, but the night was clear so dusk bought in cooler temperatures towards the end of the party - that was our cue to get back to the pub for a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, the weather the next day was terrible - it rained pretty much all day. So that made it difficult to hit the road because no one really wanted to go out or drive in it, but needs must!
I wrote all about our weekend in Devon, so if you'd like to see what else what got up to over the course of those two days, then take a look at that here.
Moving out of rented accommodation
We finally managed to free ourselves from renting this year. We had only been in the renting game for a year, thankfully, but it was a miserable experience from start to finish. The agency we went through were an absolute nightmare to deal with and we were treated almost as if we were dirt on the bottom of their shoes.
Even getting our deposit back was like pulling teeth (although we did, eventually, get all of it back), but we're just so glad and relieved that it's all over and done with and we can just forget all about that place and move on. I won't get into the negative experiences we've had because of the letting agent, mainly because this blog post would be never-ending, but trust me, it wasn't nice - let's just leave it as that!
Buying our own house
This ties into the previous point, but we finally became homeowners this year. We had been saving for a deposit for a while and it finally all slotted into place this year when we found a house we liked. Although the whole process took about five months, it was both the most stressful and the best thing we've done so far and I wouldn't look back now.
I wrote a blog post about our experience and also gave a little more information about the house we bought. So if you'd like to read that then you can take a look at that here.
Starting living room renovations
We had been meaning to renovate the living room since we moved in. It was wallpapered and it was done quite badly so we were itching to rip it all off. But little did we know that there were about five or six different layers of wallpaper on there and the last layer had been painted over so it was exceptionally difficult to remove with a scraper. We didn't want to use a steamer as we were told that it could damage the plaster underneath, so it just took time, patience and perseverance to remove it in the end - oh, and a damp cloth.
As you can see from the pictures below, the wallpaper took off some layers of paint and even a significant amount of plaster, which we filled in and rubbed down ourselves to give a flat finish. We were so happy to get rid of the wallpaper and have the walls back to how they should be. Although the photo at the end of this section looks like it's nearly done, it isn't.
The ceiling needs to be rectified as that was also lined with paper and it's not in the best condition, the floor needs replacing and we're also wanting to re-tile the hearth on the fireplace. The room also needs new skirting boards and we're wanting to put coving up as well and that's before we paint the walls the colours we've chosen. But the colour choice will remain a mystery for you guys until the reveal blog post so keep your eyes peeled :)
Getting a brand new sofa
I don't have any pictures of the sofa we have chosen, but what I can say is that it's beige, seats five people and the arms are basically cushions. We cannot wait for it to come as we'll finally be able to accommodate for more than two people visiting. We just wanted to make sure that everyone had a comfy seat to relax in when they came by and we finally found the sofa that was right for us. I'll probably reveal it to you when it arrives (which won't be till February as it's made-to-order).
Celebrating five years with Tom
In November this year Tom and I celebrated five years being together and that was a special day. Tom had some flowers sent to the house for me and we then went out to Brown's in Nottingham for a slap-up, three course meal. I wrote about the day in this blog post, if you're interested in seeing what we ate and how we spent the rest of the day/night.
I gave blood for the 12th time
In December I gave blood for the 12th time. I must admit though, I hadn't given blood for about three years prior to this, so I wasn't a regular donor at the time, but now everything is getting a bit better with the Covid situation, and a few more venues have opened up near us now as well, I'll make a point of booking regular appointments from now on.
Spending New Year in Wales
It was touch and go for a while about whether or not we could actually go to Wales but we eventually got the go-ahead and, on this day (30th November) we're travelling to my brother's house as you read this. I'm adding this as a notable point in the year because we weren't actually sure if it was going to happen or not, so it's with utter happiness that we're able to go and I wanted to remind myself of that years down the line. It just reinforces the fact that we shouldn't take our family or friends for granted and that simply being in their presence is enough to have a jolly good time and that's what I'll be hanging on to forever.
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I hope you enjoyed this blog post! Let me know what 2021 had in store for you and/or what you achieved or were proud of this year and I'll see you again very soon :)
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