The year that was

2009 was full of ups and downs for me, well us really. It started with our best housemates moving out and the less than desireable ones moving in. Altough at first they were not a problem for anybody.

Soon after came the back injury that plagued the first half of a troubled cricket season. We had been promoted from the previous year and were clearly not good enough to be playing in the top league in Sussex. The sciatica also meant I couldn't sit at the desk at work for a couple of weeks.

With the sciatica subsiding and my form on the pitch starting to turn around, we had our first win for the season which we celebrated in fine fashion. It was the highlight of our season and probably for some of the guys in the team who don't have much in their lives besides cricket, the highlight of their year.

After the high of a victory, a couple of weeks later I sustained a broken hand whilst playing. Evidently, cricket balls can do some damage to bones if they hit them wrong. I fractured the outside of my hand in 4 places and it was off to see the surgeon. The surgeon basically left the decision to operate and repair it up to me so I decided it wasn't worth it.

A trip to Sweden in July/August recharged the batteries, although it also marked the end of my job at the bank due to cutbacks. I figured though at the time that it wasn't really a big deal and that I would get another job pretty quickly once I got back to England. (I was pretty wrong there)

With the pressure mounting on finding another job, I was financially forced to go back to playing cricket even when my hand was not fully recovered. It made the last few games at the club a chore as I couldn't enjoy the games like I used to because I felt restricted. PLaying cricket one-handed, not that easy or that fun.

A friend from Australia arrived to live in Brighton in September, which was really good for my state of mind. I was a little homesick and having Ports there, and his mate from his band once I met him made it a lot better. The last few months there would have been unbearable had I not had the boys to catch up for a coffee (and a cigarette) with.

We had another highlight in November when Sofie's visa to Australia was approved, and this came as a bit of a shock to us. Normally the process is a lot longer than we experienced, but we were very prepared and sent in everything and more that they required. With the previous luck that we had during the year it was a massive shock. But a welcomed one.

After leaving Brighton in December, a white Christmas followed when celbrating it in Sweden. It has been enjoyable here, albeit a little mad with the new puppy, but I wouldn't change it for the world. New Years brought The Fugitive on TV followed by midnight fireworks in -9 cold.

Next stop, home in mid-January.