2017 has been a bitter sweet year where I pretty much battened down the hatches and did my utmost to do the best I could for my beautiful friend Mr Hicks as he became increasingly in need of support and understanding. But as I’ve looked back through this year’s photos, I’ve been reminded how much easier that job was made by all the fabulous people I have in my life…
January – I started a Knit and Sip group in our local hotel where we our up share our ups and downs as well as our knitting.
February – Our great niece’s christening….
March – No one significant event, but lots of fun mucking about with my two very best friends..
April – We made a trip up north to celebrate our friends 25th wedding anniversary and took the opportunity to catch up with other friends and family too…
May – More mucking about, parties and local visiting…
June – Our fabulous great nephew brought his lovely mum and dad to visit us.
July – Lovely holiday in Cornwall…
![20170715_124232[9267]](https://thecreativitycauldron.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/20170715_1242329267.jpg?w=380&h=214 "20170715_124232[9267]")
….and Lovely eldest returned to from 6 months travelling…
August – devastated to be told that Mr Hicks cancer was advancing fast and he probably had about two months left…
September – Mixed emotions…
So happy to see our totally awesome friends (and next door neighbours) get married…
Heartbroken when Mr Hicks had a massive stroke and we had to say goodbye..
October – Several sets of fabulous friends came to visit
November – A long weekend up country to see my brother, some friends and Lovely Littlest
…then off for ten days for a tour of the Netherlands, a weekend with Lovely Eldest, and a stop in Bruge…
December – Lots of partying, starting with our great nephew’s first birthday party then Christmas parties and get togethers…
Unquestioningly the message 2017 gave me was that most the important things in life are love and friendship, and it certainly reminded me how lucky I am to have so many wonderful friends near and far.
Thank you to everyone I’ve shared good times with this year and to all those who’ve supported me through the difficult ones. That includes all you guys whose comments have lifted me through the darker days, have encouraged, advised and cheered me on, have shared the fun and made me laugh. Sometimes even the smallest word makes a huge difference. Thank you. Wishing you all an amazing 2018!
There was so much good in your year, wasn’t there? It is good to look back like this, or it would be too easy to focus on the one overwhelming sad thing. It was nice to see all those pictures of him being happy in all those puddles and rivers and water he so loved.
I couldn’t help but notice the lack of mentioning CAKE!!!
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Absolutely. Good to recognise there was a lot of non-canine related happiness and that there was so much positive in our last few months together – so much positive in even the worst bits. Of course I’d have him back in a flash and of course he’d have had a 100% healthy life, if I could have arranged it. But, of course, life doesn’t work like that.
Cake? Did I have cake last year?
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Of course those things would be true if you could make them so! But you gave him the very best life he could gave had.
And I did hear a rumor that your part of the world was filled with cake!
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Ha ha! Yes, Devon is made entirely from cake 😉
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Lol i must visit there. 😉
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🙂
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Such a special relationship like the one you had with Mr. Hicks will be sorely missed but he obviously enriched your life beyond measure and that will never leave you.
I hope you got that lovely photograph of you and him framed as you said you would.
Here’s to lots of happiness with your family and friends in the year to come.
x x
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Thank you. I haven’t yet – it was just so manic once I came out of my stupor post him leaving. But it’s in the plan along with the one of him looking regal on the beach and I’m going to do him a book too.
Wishing you lots of happiness with your family and friends too and sending love and strength to you as you make your way through the coming months xx
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Wishing you the happiest of the New Year.
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Thank you and to you!
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Sorry for your loss of Mr. Hicks. Looks like your year was full of love and life. Here’s to a wonderful 2018. Cheers.
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Thanks Ruth. Wishing you a fabulous 2018 🙂
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What a wonderful summary of your last twelve months. Thanks so much for sharing!
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Thank you.
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A wonderful post that shows a wonderful year. I hope that 2018 will bring lots of fun times and maybe even another doggy friend oneday too. Xx
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Thanks Sharon. Wishing you a fabulous 2018 too.
As someone who likes to adopt secondhand dogs, I’m sure that even if I don’t go looking, the right dog will find me at the right time xx
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You are right family and friends are so important. I loved seeing Mr Hicks again and the muddy puddles, you gave him a wonderful life. Thank you for sharing your memories with us. A bitter sweet year.
All the very best for 2018.
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Thank you for being there for me to share them with. Wishing you the very best for 2018 too xx
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Lovely whistle-stop tour of your year and lovely to get another glimpse of Mr Hicks on your blog – he is missed by us as well:)
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Aw! thank you. I do miss him so much.
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