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Happy Points of 2022

Writer's picture: Fiona ParkerFiona Parker

Updated: Jan 12, 2023



For years now I've written three happy points a day. Not that they're always happy. And not that they're always three. But they're consistent at least. And I enjoy the time to stop and remember the day. Just as it's happened and in retrospect too.


So today I've spent a nostalgic few hours reading through the happy points of 2022 in all their colour, ordinariness, sadness and delight. And picked out some of them to give a sweeping view of the year.....


January

Su 2nd - Blackpool Promenade. Seafront fair ride going wrong. Zen-like panic suspended mid-air. Restorative coffee afterwards.


Th 6th - Starting work with YFC and it not feeling like work.

Thoughts about walking to Liverpool in May.


Su 9th - Winter walk by the Humber with my rugged beloved.


M 10th - Buying 2 hot water bottles and 2 peg bags (for socks and knickers storage) in the Dunelm sale.


M 24th - Covid isolation with Gav in Skeffling.

Stewing apples on the hob whilst flocks of geese honked overhead and murmurated across the Humber.


February

Debbie's ordination day - May 2019

S 12th - Sad news. Debbie’s end of life care now in place xx


M 14th - WhatsApp message: Debbie died @ 9.12am today ☹


T 15th - Buying a wonky rough and smooth mug from Sainsburys. A reminder of Debbie.


Th 17th - Drawing pigs and penguins with Filipino Mum and daughter @ YFC Breakfast Club.


Driving to caravan without caravan key.

Gav bursting a pipe at work and treading on his glasses in the deluge.

Running out of gas in the van.

Tyre blowing out en route to sort gas.

Gav changing tyre in the dark by the side of a busy road.

Too late to get gas. Driving to park-up place in withering silence.


F 18th - The van rock and rolling in the B&Q carpark whilst storm Eunice did her worst.

Refuge in McDonalds with Rhianna and Gav.


S 19th - Parking ticket!! From the Aldi carpark people. Oh what a joyous week.


F 25th - Cutting my hair. More dramatically than intended.


M 28th - Connect 4 with Cody at Breakfast Club.


March

W 9th - Debbie’s funeral. A full house. Bagpipes, real and funny eulogies, Monty Python as she was carried out.


T 15th - Girl at Breakfast Club: “Do you brush your hair?”


W 16th - Taking Rhianna to see a school production of “Les Misérables”. Realising I was 18 when I first saw it, now sitting next to an 18 year old Rhianna.


Su 20th - Caravan Parks open again 😊 Weekend at Withernsea Sands. Chilly sunny walk along the clifftop.


W 23rd - Orts (women’s sewing collective). Talking about the fashion show we’re doing for Caravan of Love in May. The landscape in ourselves being revealed. Waaaaaa! Sense of being about to go on a v public skinny dip together.


April

W 6th - Last Breakfast Club! Cards and flowers presented to me by Cody xx


T 12th - Gav sorting the water and electrics in the van. We’re now properly off-grid!


S 16th - Deciding to do the walk. The Irrepressible Pilgrimage! From Liverpool to Hull, end of May/early June.


W 27th Orts – Fashion show wobbles and courage pep-talks. Me: owning my curves and not feeling fat.


May

F 6th - Caravan of Love Cabaret :-)

Writing a poem 20 mins before.

Reading said poem: “Let us be free.” Went down better than expected.

Mad dancing with the women of Orts in all our glory and glad-rags.


Su 15th - Brecon Beacons – waking up to views of mountains and sheep.

Walk up Pen y Fan. Knackering. But we did it!


S 28th - Leaving Liverpool Cathedral with Shirley and Gav. The start of the Irrepressible Pilgrimage!!


Su 29th - Tiredy giggly moment nearing end of 18 mile walk. From the outskirts of Liverpool through Widnes and into Warrington.


June

F 3rd - Best 2 miles of walk so far. Woodhead Pass across the Pennines. Wilderness, cows, sheep and kestrels.


S 4th - Morning celebrations at the 100 mile point with Gav and a bottle of Cava. Giggly, giddy, slightly meandering walk thereafter.


Su 5th - Day off. Cosy in the van whilst it rained all day. 😊


Th 9th - Loving the space and skies and beauty of Saltmarshe and beyond. Reminded me of Essex. Felt at home and at peace.

First sighting of the Humber Bridge!


F 10th - Last solitary walk. Reassuring some skittish sheep: “I come in peace!”

Closer views of the Humber Bridge.


S 11th - Walking the last bit – North Ferriby to Hull Minster – in good company: Christine, Liane and Gav.

Celebratory pub lunch with Gav and Christine and WhatsApp wahooooos with Shirley.


Th 23rd - Seeing a woman in the Beverley Lidl carpark reversing over her friend’s shopping.


July

F 1st - Driving to North Wales! Arriving in Anglesey @ midnight. Parking up by the sea.


S 2nd - Meandering up the right side of Anglesey.


Su 3rd - Meandering down the left side of Anglesey.


M 4th - Driving through Snowdonia.


Arriving in Borth and meeting up with M&D, Alec, Ferdy & Felix for our postponed Caravan Christmas.


W 6th - Christmas Day! Watching everyone open their stockings.

Alec’s homemade chopping boards.

Claire’s prosecco.

Alec’s turkey kebabs.


Th 7th - Boxing Day. Swimming in the sea. All of us. JOY!!


S 9th - Just me and Gav now. Quick foray in Machynlleth for Elsan Blue and Covid tests.

Parked up by Fairbourne beach. 2x unsuccessful walks to chippy.


M 11th - Bala Lake, Snowdonia. Steam train full of Welsh schoolchildren singing. A delight!

Quick dip before the Off.


Th 14th - Paull Nature Reserve. Tea from leftovers and pina coladas using the last of the holiday rum.


M 19th - Hottest day of year/century so far. 39 degrees.

Sudden urge to do my tax return.


Su 24th - Bumping into G&K @ Chowder Ness having just nipped out the van in my nightie.


W 27th - Last Orts for the summer. L&S v high energy so quietly sat and sorted felt bundles.


F 29th - A frustrating day moving around, fighting off flies and wasps.

Offer from D&L to house-sit their place in Scotland after Greenbelt/August Bank Holiday. Tempting but decided to decline in the end.


August

M 1st - Finishing sewing the William Morris curtains, now all hung and resplendent in the van.


Su 14th - Charity shop mooch in Driffield. Pair of jeans for Gav. Finding £20 in a pocket!

Phone call from M&D. Margaret Drax has died ☹


W 24th - The van nearly catching fire en route to Margaret’s funeral. Calling out the fire brigade. All good now.


The kindness of the Drax family in the midst of their own stress and grief.


F 26th - Greenbelt festival. Bumping into Stephen and Rachel from Cambodia days by the showers.


S 27th - Another day of random reunions and joyful catch-ups in the Tiny Tea Tent and Jesus Arms.


M 29th - Morning phone call from Wend. Asking if we could come and help her with the property she’s suddenly found herself responsible for in The Cotswolds.


T 30th - Staggering back to the van at 3am after a hoot in Jesus Arms.

Slow departure from Greenbelt. Finally gone by midday.


W 31st - Wend’s place. Clearing apples whilst Gav drove the mower and cut all the lawns.

Finishing the weeding. A sweaty job. Appreciation of why Gav gets through so many T-shirts.

Coffee with Wend later. OK for us to stay for the winter and bring Lucille. Glad to be in a position to get up and go so quickly. Plan to be back in a fortnight.


September

Su 4th - Back in Yorkshire. Chinese by the River Hull.


W 7th - Smashing the patriarchy at Orts. Great time. Chats, tears, laughs, (wo)mantras on lolly sticks.


Th 8th - The Queen is dead! Long live the King.

Beers with Ben, a fellow van dweller.



S 17th - Rosie and Luis’s 40th Anniversary doo. A bitter sweet eve of celebrations and see you laters.


Su 18th - Lunch with Tia and Rhianna. KFC then a rammed Asda. HUGS xx


M 19th - The Off!! Driving down a quiet M62, bits of the Queen’s funeral on the radio. Me in the van, Gav in the Terios towing Lucille. Arriving at Wend’s all in tact.


T 20th - Walking round the grounds with Gav feeling slightly, “So how did we get here??”


W 21st - Mooch round Banbury. Finding the doctors, Methodist church, Lidl and the learning disabilities place (Style Acre) where there’s potential work.


S 24th - Chat with Wend. A case of playing it by ear as to future plans and their unfolding.


T 27th - Unexpected/expected row with a nicotine deprived Gav. Day 4 without fags.


Th 29th - Drama at the Range carpark in Banbury. Woman driving through barrier and slinging it into the road.


October

W 5th - Phone call from Style Acre, the learning disabilities place. The possibility of a job…


S 8th - Finishing weeding round the pond. The pond now revealed 😊


M 10th - Drive to Aldi by the light of a stunning full moon.



T 11th - Telephone interview with Style Acre. Seemed to go well.


W 12th - Visit to Style Acre in Banbury. Email later on. I’ve got the job!! Start in 2 weeks 😊


F 21st - Autumnal drive to Abergavenny. Charity shop mooch. Bara brith from the market.


S 22nd - Breakfast at Crickhowell. Seeing Tanya from the woodwork prog on Channel 4.

Llanelli - Bryony’s 50th doo. Felt like a school reunion. Catching up with folk I’ve not seen in decades.


T 25th - Gav’s got Covid ☹


W 26th - First day at Style Acre.


Th 27th - I’ve got Covid ☹


November

T 1st - Still v Covidly positive. Postponing this week’s shifts til next week.

Embracing the prospect of a Covid birthday and Anniversary, tomorrow and Thursday.


S 5th - Fireworks in the valley, looking out from Lucille.


Su 6th - Brunch and delayed celebrations with M&D at the Herb Centre café near Banbury.


Th 10th - First proper shift at Style Acre. Moment of joy whilst out bowling with a group and then passing a busking accordian player on the way back and dancing with Sam.


F 11th - Two minute silence at work. Poignant and funny. Sam trying to keep quiet.


December

S 3rd - East Cowes, Isle of Wight – swimming in the sea with Mum and friends. Was dreading it but not as cold as expected. Good laff.


M 5th - Dyeing Mum’s hair. The blonde bombshell is back

Jaunt to Quarr Abbey with Gav, just in time for Sext.


F 9th - Back at Wend’s. Driving in the sun through the Cotswolds seeing thick frost on the ground. Beautiful.


M 12th - Gav setting up a Youtube channel and getting 4k hits in the first few hours - short films of birds feeding at a bird table. Audience largely from India, Russia, Uzbekistan, Indonesia and Malaysia.


S 17th - Kindness of The Battery Man in Banbury town centre after a hard-pressed few days at work.


W 21st - Christmas Day equivalent with Tia & Rhianna (arrived last night). Pressies at breakfast,

Wetherspoons lunch, hotdog tea, firepit, sparklers and hot choc later on. Fab day xx


S 24th - Pressies and cards from folk at work 😊


Su 25th - Wend’s magnificent Christmas dinner with Gav sous chef-ing and me, pigs-in-blanketing.

Arriving at work too early. Got shift time wrong! Good chat and laffs with Evie though. So all good.


M 26th - Sunny muddy Boxing Day walk with Gav. Best chat in ages. Musing about future possibilities.


F 30th - Arriving at Alec’s near midnight. Late night jolly til 3am. Felt young again!


S 31st - Mooch round Minehead.

Roast beef, banoffee custard pie, bagpipes and tipples.



If you've read this far, well done and happy new year!!! Here's to many more happy/memorable points for all of us in 2023.


In celebration of the rough and the smooth and with much love,


Me and Mr P xx



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