New Year’s Day thoughts. .

 So, here we are, 2025 already. At some point yesterday I commented that we are 1/4 of the way through the 21st century. But that is not strictly true until the end of this year. However, the fact remains that we seem to be steaming through the century. 

I didn’t sit up to see the New Year in but I did hear the large number of fireworks that were set off at midnight despite the torrential rain. Briefly i was tempted to get out of bed and look out of the skylight windows to see them but, well, I’ve seen fireworks before and I was very cosy in my bed. I rather admire those who braved the elements to set off those fireworks though.

When I woke up this morning I realised that the rain that had been pounding the house all night - and not just our house by the number of New Year’s Eve celebrations that were reported cancelled - had stopped, if only temporarily. And so I decided to start the new year with a run round the village as usual. It has to be said that the prospect of going out in the pouring rain had been putting me off. Recently an old friend confessed that he regularly seeks excuses NOT to run but always feels better once he is up and running. I quite understand! 

My usual route takes me past one former millpond to a point where there is a ford, where the rough road down the hillside crosses the small tributary that feeds eventually into the River Tame in the village. Water was flowing down parallel to the stream 

and the ford was overflowing on either side. 

Following the path alongside the stream, I could see that the usually almost invisible stream was full to bursting, indeed had burst its banks in more than one place. 

As I approached the second millpond, it was obvious that there was no way through. The path was completely overwhelmed and I had to backtrack, take a side path onto a housing estate and onto the lane down into the village proper.

There the River Tame was doing its best to overflow.

And someone told me that one of roads from here to Dobcross (one goes up the hill to Dobcross centre and down to Diggle while the other relatively new road, appropriately named Delph New Road, follows the valley) was flooded and indeed had lost some of its tarmac surface. No doubt there will be flooded houses too! Fingers crossed, we seem to be safe and dry! 

Now for a story of two seven year old boys. One is a train enthusiast and over the last year has been taken by his father on train journeys to every official city in England, 55 apparently, with other railway-related visits to museums and engine sheds and such along the way. I suspect his father was indulging his own passion for trains. Maybe he had been a trainspotter in his youth. Here’s a link to an article about it. 

And here’s a link to the story of the other seven year old. This one received an off-road scrambler motorbike for Christmas. Someone reported to the police that a bike was being ridden erratically in their area. The police were a bit surprised to find it was driven by a small boy, out and about on his own on his Christmas present! I suppose we might admire his spirit of adventure. Maybe his father too was indulging how own passion, this time for motorbikes.

And finally, coming back down to earth with a bump, here’s a link to one woman’s account of her life in Gaza, where bad things are still happening. 

Happy New Year!

Life goes ln. Stay safe and well, everyone!