With Christmas approaching fast things are about to get really hectic, so now is a good time to get a bit reflective and look at some of more notable things I've done this year.

I marginally escaped killing myself
Back in the spring I turned up at Leeds Bradford airport with plenty of time to spare before my early morning flight to Belfast. I'd turned up without my wallet though, and so rather foolishly sped back home to go pick it up. In my haste I ended up lost on a narrow nameless back road, feeling certain I'd miss my flight and that my day would be pissed up against the wall.

All of a sudden, a junction appeared. Not only that, but the rest of the road up to the junction (and the ominous-looking dry stone wall beyond it) was an iced-over flood. Driving far too quickly, there wasn't much I could do other than hit the breaks and pray. The car spun all over the place and I somehow managed to end up facing the road I'd just come down. How I avoided driving straight into the wall I will never know - as a result of the shock, my recollection of events is less than crystal clear. I did manage to compose myself though, and in the end I got on the flight twenty minutes before take-off.

I did Glastonbury
The highlight of my year. Being at Glastonbury is special, and it has such a positive effect on me that takes a long time to fade. I wrote all about my experience at this year's festival, so I'll not go over it all again here. [more]

I got fit and lost some weight
In June I bought a bike. The first time I tried riding it I had to get off and enjoy a short lie down on the pavement after I'd got three-quarters around the block. Determined not to retire the bike after just one go, I rejoined the gym. I got up enough fitness to start cycling around, and one Saturday I thought I'd see how far I could get to work. I made it there, and back. Within weeks I was cycling to work three or four times a week, and months later I'm fit and two stone in weight lighter. [more]

I ran a 10K road race
Late in November I took part in the Leeds Abbey Dash, a 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) run around Leeds. I didn't train enough, but I managed to get around the course in just under an hour - without stopping once. It was a very ambitious task to set myself, and having exceeded my expectations it was all the more rewarding. [more]

I hand-made 95 Christmas cards
In November I had the idea that I'd make my own Christmas cards using self-deprecating but festive photographs. I was worried the pictures would just not work and that the resulting cards would be crap, but after spending four weeks putting everything together I seem to have pulled it off. We had a great laugh taking all the pictures, too.

I took photographs
I look lots and lots of photographs. I love it. There's now well over a thousand photographs on display at pics.paulholloway.com and I still spend a lot of time looking through them. If I ever forget what fun I've had, I only have there to go.

I travelled the network
I feel like I've been everywhere this year. Earlier in the year I mapped out my network - the places around the country that I go. To you, they're just names of places. To me, they mean so much more than that. Whilst I might not have made the journey across to St. Helens as much as I'd have liked, the fact that I've travelled this network so extensively and so often this year is directly responsible for me considering this to be the best year I've had in a long old time. [more]

I did more
I did so many other things, I just don't know where to start. This year's pics show some of them. Going to Edinburgh, going camping, Rob and Liz's wedding, the trip to Dartmoor - all top. Next year has a tough act to follow.