Okay, so it's a little late. Three days with no internet connection will do that for you though.....
Still, fixed now (I hope!).
It's been quite the year and one that's hard to sum up.
Firstly, I finally bit the bullet and bought my own place. Having my own house has certainly meant free time has somewhat become non-existent!! Didn't think I'd ever take to
an interest in gardening.... but gotta keep them looking good :-) It is pretty good having my own little placeeven with all the cooking and cleaning requirements.
Training has gone well now that my previous wrist injury is all a-okay. Strength wise, personal bests are regularly being broken and the movements are feeling good. Especially now that we have an ex-NZ weightlifting coach running an olympic lifting class once per week. Has made so much difference for one so tall and lanky like myself. Fitness, well that's another story. Too many colds due to a number of reasons.... a year of funny weather being one of them.
Work, well that's a bit of a different story. It's good and again, plenty of opportunity has come my way this year, but with a price.
The installation, validation and commissioning of a line in a standalone site was quite a bit of work!! Particularly when you're in one of the most critical positions for the site..... it's manager! We're not the biggest company, but big enough for support functions to help out. Even with that though, it has been a full on year. Christmas being my first chance for a break of more than a couple of days. So... being switched on at almost all times, some long hours / weeks and a number of challenges have kept stress levels high. As it is, I'm back to work tomorrow with another busy year ahead.
It's pretty rare to be involved in commissioning a new line / operation in NZ. I've now been involved in two and, as much as it is a good challenge, I don't think it is a long term thing!
Oh, and a restructure halfway through the year also added a little unneeded stress. That was alleviated a little with a direct appointment to one of the new roles though.
So basically a new house and being pretty shattered from work, has meant no painting has happened. The last time I finished something was
posted here... I have managed to pick up a paint brush over the Christmas break to finish of a few more Bolt Action figures which I have enjoyed. Pictures to come soon.
Gaming wise, things took a bit of a dive with a few life changes across the group. But, it picked up a little after finally passing the initiation to
join the Friday night crew :-) Unfortunately training does make Friday's difficult for me timewise, but I've managed to get a few games in. Fingers crossed the new local club that is trying to get started finds a suitable venue early this year.....
Photography, well looking back at my posts, that seems to be the one hobby that has resulted in a fairly steady stream of posts. And with a bit more variety that just birds and planes!! :-) These two in particular being more memorable ones....
here and
here. 2017 will see a heap of awesome aircraft photos though, so get ready! I'm looking forward to these events immensely -
I'm sure there will be plenty more photo outings and gaming posts in 2017. I'm keen to try to get back into the habit of regular painting. In particular, I really want to get my Saga forces (Vikings & Anglo-Danes) painted since that is a common Friday night game. So, if there is going to be any NY resolution, then that would be it. I may even play in a comp again this year with one of the big national tournaments being played at a school just down the road later in the year.
Oh, there will be more Crossfit posts. No doubt about that :-)
I hope everyone had a great New Years. Overall a busy year, but still plenty of time for good beer & great mates.
Happy New Year all and have a great 2017.
Thanks for reading.
