Saying goodbye to 2022 part I

New Year's Eve happened in two parts this year! There had been some juggling of plans. My colleague Katrien had suggested a social on the 28th, but I had said I couldn't make that as I was supposed to only fly back on the 27th, and would not have had the result of my compulsory PCR test. And that meant I wouldn't be allowed to see anyone yet. And I had suggested Guy and Kate would come over in the Christmas holiday period and catch up with their old cat again. They had suggested the 31st as Kate wouldn't be working then. And I thought it would be great to spend the last day of the year of them. But then suddenly I wouldn't travel to the Netherlands, so I wouldn't have to self-isolate, so I could go and visit Katrien on the 28th. When I told her that, she spontaneously suggested we do New Year's Eve instead. But that's where Guy and Kate were! Katrien then decided to go back to the 28th, and we would have an alternative New Year's Eve on that date. And that's how things turned out.

The 28th was nice. We were the same company that had been chocolate fondueing months earlier, but now with Katrien's family added. I don't get to see her bloke very often. And the children were initially a bit intimidated so they preferred those parts of the house we weren't in. That suited me fine! And even though it wasn't really New Year's Eve, Katrien had brought the bubbles out. And that was followed by endless rounds of snacks. And a full meal. And loads of drinks! As I was a designated driver, I didn't drink anything other than alcohol-free beer after the bubbles. I really drank an unfeasible amount of the stuff. But these days, they make really good stuff! With Katrien being Belgian, there was a lot of alcohol-free Leffe. But not anymore at the end of the night. 

We did a lot of catching up. And Katrien's daughter kept bringing us drawings she had made. I got a really good one, with my house on it! Not that I would have known it was my house, or any house really, if she wouldn't have explained it, but it was still a very good drawing.

We actually made it until past midnight! It had been a good night. It was still 2021, but we already had a good goodbye to the past year under our belts…