The Year with a Convenient Birthday at the End

 I'm sure it won't come as any surprise when I tell you that I've been somewhat slack with regards to blogging this year - both posting here, and reading all of yours.  And the Host hasn't been much better, either.

 Hey!

 Well, isn't it true?

 Yes.  I suppose so.  Except for June and November.

 Anyway, June and November aside, we've pretty much given up on our annual "Year of..." extravaganza, and instead focused on one very important award that always features towards the end of said extravaganza.  And that award is, the Most Inconvenient Birthday Award. 

 Only this year, it's the Most Convenient as it's saved us from exploding with frustration and exhaustion in an attempt to pack two or three days worth of work into just a couple of hours!

 And so, we'd like to present this golden, hazelnutty, chocolatey award to, none other than Savvy!

 

✮ ✮ ✮

 

 

What Witchface and the Host have conveniently forgotten, is that most of the work around here is undertaken by us, the SubConsciousnesses.

Yes, we'd already put together a good chunk of the aforementioned Extravaganza, so rather than see it go to waste, we've tacked it on the end here.

We even employed the services of MirrorMe to pad this out a bit, but, well...

Let's just say that what happened in the Mirror World isn't necessarily exactly what happened here. 

Or even over the Cusp!

Quite.  Anyway, here's just a smidgen of some of the year's goings on:

January

 

Star Trek : Set Phasers to Stunning - Jon.

 

 

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itareggolB : After months without rain in Devon, Ms Scarlet is thrilled to begin the season by purchasing a pair of delicate, strappy sandels for everyday wear.  Her wellies, neglected in the boot of the Landrover, become home to a pair of nesting mice.

 

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FIG : Maidenly and chaste as ever, Mistress Maddie is overcome with distress upon opening the drapes and discovering her delivery from the candy shop had been left on the lawn.  And to make matters worse, most of the wrappers had come off the king-sized portions of smooth, dark chocolate!

tnevE : The Very Mistress, clad only in Crocs and strategically surrounded by a retinue of nubile, young men, causes an international incident on her 18th birthday when she replaces Sticky Vicky in Benidorm.

April

 

Music : The "choon" (and video) of the year - at least in my opinion - has to be Steps 25 Revisited Mix of "Deeper Shade of Blue"!

May

 

Quote : "My Grandma had a device, shaped like a mushroom, for darning socks.  She kept it in the drawer of her bedside table *purses lips*" ~ Mitzi

 

Crush : "Sometimes being cute is enough" at Peenee's.  And being handsome.  So very, very handsome.  Sighhhhhh... 

 

Event : Ms Scarlet stepped up and covered daily blogging for ten days (10DBC) while Jon was on holiday!  And to the surprise of everyone, Savvy took over where Ms Scarlet left off!!

 

Quote : "... she was decantering cava into her portable drinking bottle, I didn’t say anything, how could I with my knickers full of Nesquik drinking chocolate sachets." ~ Mitzi at Ms Scarlet's.

Crush : Here's another example of a lovely head (and torso).  If that's not enough for you, the rest is on show in early May at Peenee's.

 

Event : Despite being replete with flying, rubber, octopus-sucker bathmats, giant microfiche readers, and headscarves, there were too many cowpats to undertake our pension-related adventure Over the Cusp.

 

June

 

Quote : "We did Barnsley a couple of years ago, Carmen made contact with someone on Grindr who wanted a BJ in the indoor market toilets. I went shopping." ~ Mitzi on the draws of Barnsley.

Art : One of my American acquaintances shows up in a book at Melanie's.

Event : After some light goading, the 10DBC spread to this very blog!

 

Quote : "Did someone mention CAKE?" ~ Who else but The Very Mistress!

July

 

Technology : In a tale of historical fiction, AI transforms Carmen into a cunning thief.  No one is taken in by this utterly unbelievable turn of events.

August

Music : I can't believe it took me 17 years to discover that Sophie Ellis-Bextor covered "Duel", one of my favourite songs!

September

 

TFGES : There was a Freakin Green Elf Shorts update from Rimpy Rimpington

Bloggerati : After spending 2023 dithering, Dinahmow moves from Wordpress to Blogger.

Music : Since discovering Kim Wilde's "Trail of Destruction" in early September, it has rivalled Sophie E-B's "Duel" for my most listened to song this year!

October

 

Event : Terrifying Triffidery stalked the streets on Hallowe'en.

November

 

Event : The 14th annual Infomaniac Garden Photos Event took place to much rejoicing!

 

TFGES : The Freakin' Green Elf Shorts conscripted Rimpy and used him to spread their filth and pestilence on a tour of the USA.

 

Game : Where's Norma?  Has Mago spotted Norma in Mitzi's photo of Cartagena?

Bloggerati : After 15 years, Cookie closed up the Doing Hard Times at Shaker Heights shop.  Fortunately, Withering Heights had already been established and took up the slack!

December

 

Quote : "TFGES have seen bigger holes but this is the most magnificent." ~ The Very Mistress at Rimpy's (click the link to see the full magnificence - including Rimpy himself!)

Ms Nations : Abigale Von Crossword Toulouse!!

Crush : Manual labour has never looked so enticing (at peenee's). 

itareggolB : After her debut short story enables The Guardian to sell 50 bazillion copies, Ms Scarlet becomes the world's most influential (and richest) person.  The prestige and power doesn't immediately go to her head however, but in one grand, sweeping gesture she does bring an early end to the Endless Winter of 2021 - 2027 by bestowing fairy lights upon the entire country.

Except Barrow-in-Furness where, she says, they can "do one".

and Corgis by Norma (of course)

Well, that's it from us this year.

We'll see you in 2025 which, we hope, will be rather more wondrous and peaceful than this this one's been.

Happy New Year!

And Happy birthday, Savvy!