*As the title suggests I have written this on a phone in the middle of A&E, so please don’t look too closely at spelling and grammar!!*

Woah. I was all ready to write an inspirational post – all about looking forwards and not backwards and decided to leave the writing of this post until this morning … Now I’m sat in A&E. Hospital has a good way of slamming you back to reality – I had a wonderful Christmas and lead up and now I feel like the holiday is definitely over. I’m sat in a very crammed department where (as always) the staff are working their hardest. We’ve been here four hours, which is a very long time and I’m hoping to come home today, but as always with these things you can never be sure.

Up until this moment I have enjoyed the holidays emensely. I’ve been down to Manchester to see Billy Elliot. It was incredible. I saw the miners strike from a very human  perspective, something that my general education has not done. Its very easy to read something in a textbook and it be depicted as an inconvenience not an important stance about peoples lives. Billy Elliot has become my new favourite musical.

I’ve also reconnected with so many friends over the last week. Its great that the holidays allow us to set aside revision (well, for a couple of days) and relax. It was like clickling us all back together. We’ve exchanged Christmas presents and caught up like proper adults. I’ve relished the stories of burnt food, laundry, unruly flat mates, late evenings in the library and nights out that have lasted into the small hours.

We had a nice little Christmas day at home, Christmas dinner was completely not an issue. This year I felt mildly sad, but not utterly sad like I was grieving as I had the previous year. The only thing we could change about it would be me being downstairs long enough to watch all of the evening Christmas telly, as at the moment my feed means that I need to be in bed a lot of the time. I was absolutely spoilt present wise. There is nothing more I could have asked for. I am very thankful for everyone’s injinuity  when it came to buying the girl who can’t eat or drink. I had everything from stationary to home decorations. I’ve only ever had one slightly unthoughtful gift, which was a box of fudge last year.

Boxing day was also a  highlight. Every year we invite my grandparents to come up and we exchange presents. I was incredibly spoilt – receiving a gorgeous notebook (to rival any paperblanks), a dainty little bee necklace and luxiourious smellies amongst other things. We also had a Brexit debate that threatened to split the household Hodgson/ Williamson… Although it didn’t ruin the day and we managed to put our differences aside. While our annual Boxing Day buffet commenced I sat, chatted and knitted everything was fine. I didn’t mind one bit!

I’ve just finished reading “The good Immigrant” by a whole host of different authors. Off the top of my head I think it is 22 BAME (Black, Asian or Minority ethnic) authors who were relaying their experiences in the UK. Every single essay has changed my perception on something. Think you are well informed? I challenge you to read this and surprise yourself. Everything from the issues of cultural appropriation, “yellow face” and the huge lack of diversity in the acting world.

I don’t really have any new years resolutions – so many that I wish I could make are way beyond my control! I want to do loads of proper teenagery stuff. I would like to read more books this next year – as I have now been diagnosed with Irlen syndrome and now have the glasses to correct this. I hope to be devouring them soon.

See you next year!