Wanderings Lately :: December 2018

I hardly ever write a wanderings in December post, mostly because by the time it's the end of the year I have put together a long beefy one with a round up of everything that year which obviously includes December.

No matter how much I intend to be more chilled out in December, it's never really possible because I also want to catch up with friends before heading home for Christmas. This year I had a full week booked off before our office closure. My December has really felt like a break because of it, and I've still had plenty of time for those catch ups but not felt so burned out because I can lie in the following morning.

December was nicely full of festive cheer. On this, the last day of the year, I'm spending the day keeping up those traditions made since my awful New Year in 2011; making resolutions, looking back over the year at all that's been achieved and setting my intentions and predictions for where I'll be at the end of 2019.

Friends

Uni girls catch up in Windsor, secret santa, red wine, tacos and Anita's friendly cat. Always a fantastic time with these girls; can hardly believe it's 12 years since we all met. Some friendships come and go, and others move from dressing up as Army girls on nights out, through babies and weddings to civilised evenings with a glass of red. 

Vilnius

Mum and I carried on our yearly Christmas market expedition, this time heading to Lithuania. Vilnius was very festive, the decorations and lights made the city a nice place to wander around and we had a big snow storm on the first day. The Christmas market was actually fairly small, but we spend time in a few of the city museums learning a little about the city and country. An interesting place that's been controlled by so many nearby powers, and is now enjoying some independence and opportunity to establish it's own long held but muted personality.

Christmas Traditions

Some things happen every year at Christmas; work Christmas party, housemate raclette dinner, my homemade dessert and my mum jazzing up a christmas pudding. Others this year were possibly a one off but still added some festive cheer; ice skating and dinner at the Tower of London/St Katherine's Dock and a visit to St John's Church in Epping.