The Year Just Gone

I've just been looking back over 2006.

Personally a good year in all started with a new job last January after a three-month lay-off due to illness and an operation. In Febuary on our Uncle Jack's 85th birthday two distant cousins came over from New Zealand. The 'Kiwis' have certainly had an impact on us this year. Also the very same day we had a visit from Ray Winstone at our house. In March I went to Rome, in April I found Cheadle Town and the "don't dive" philosophy was born. May was spent on jury service. June was a whole month of classical music performances including concerts, festivals and our daughter's recital. July was so hot I nearly melted on the golf course or whilst riding my bike around town. August saw me in London for The Producers. In September I hardly stayed still: I misssed too many football games with two trips to Dublin, London, Edinburgh and The Lakes. In October I was best man at a Dublin wedding and in Novemebr Beatles' 'LOVE' came out. By december I was shattered and found it hard to sleep with a five-test Ashes series to watch through the night. At work the endless stream of 16 year-old homeless children never stopped: on average one a day.

Internationally the picture was even more depressing:
IRAQ: What started in 2003 as a supposedly straightforward drive to topple Saddam Hussain deteriorated during 2006 into a dismayingly complex and savage struggle, with Iraqis by the thousands killed in sectarian reprisal attacks and the US military death toll nearing 3,000.

DISASTER IN DARFUR: Violence worsened in Sudan's Darfur region, where fighting between rebels and government forces has killed more than 200,000 people. The United Nations approved a 20,000-strong peacekeeping force, but Sudan blocked its deployment.

MIDEAST FIGHTING: Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah militia fought a month long war in the summer; more than 900 people were killed and much of southern Lebanon was battered. Lebanon's Western-backed government emerged more embattled than ever, while Hezbollah claimed increased popular support.

AIRLINER PLOT: British authorities said they narrowly thwarted a terrorist plot to bomb several jets over the Atlantic. The disclosure led to tough new restrictions on the contents of carry-on luggage.

NUCLEAR STANDOFFS: The United States and its allies were frustrated in their efforts to rein in nuclear programs in North Korea and Iran. North Korea tested a nuclear bomb in October, and Iran - despite a threat of sanctions - pushed ahead with plans to bring its first nuclear power plant on line in late 2007.

SADDAM CONVICTED: Saddam Hussain was convicted in the slaying of 148 Shi'ite Muslims, including children, following an assassination attempt against him in 1982. He was sentenced to death by hanging, but proceedings against him continued on genocide charges stemming from a chemical attack on Kurds in 1987. Then he was hung.

Finally, my favourite footballer story - apart from the fact that Ashley Cole sold less than 5,000 copies of his autobiography - was this story about Wayne Rooney:
Footballers aren’t known for their intelligence and a confused Wayne Rooney cemented the stereotype of the dozy sportsman once and for all. Rooney went bananas when his fiancée Coleen got a text message from someone called Sam. He demanded to know who this Sam was, but he had mistaken the word Sam for what was actually 5am – the time the text was sent.