The last day of the year and it was close to 10am when we actually got up. I am sleeping really well at the moment.

Our plan for the day involved a drive to Essex for a New Years Eve party at a hotel. After looking for somewhere to celebrate the New Year in Basingstoke we decided to go further afield and stay in a hotel overnight. I was looking for somewhere with fireworks. When we attended the Essex County ASA dinner in November we saw posters for their New Year celebration WITH FIREWORKS.

First of all, both Sue and I had things that needed to be done, so we both spent the morning in front of our computers.

The drive to Essex was fine, no traffic delays and a stop for coffee at Starbucks.

The hotel, the Park Inn in North Stifford seemed very busy when we arrived. There was a wedding party in the main ballroom.

The evening included a buffet dinner and all-inclusive bar. There were about 60 people in the room, some large groups and some couples like us. Listening to the music and watching different people dancing kept us entertained. We were very restrained both at the buffet and at the bar.

I had one very amusing incident. My digestive system was still a little unstable and I really needed to get rid of some wind. I was sitting patiently in a cubicle in the gents, when two other guys came in and were having a conversation at the urinals. One of them in particular was very fond of the F word and it occurred about 1 word in 4. Eventually, my wind arrived, loudly and explosively. The gut at the urinal stopped talking and exclaimed "What the f*** was that?". I laughed so much that I got rid of a lot more wind.

Immediately after midnight, we went out into the garden for fireworks, together with the wedding party. Considering the situation, the fireworks were really well organised and impressive. The display started almost immdiately we got outside.

When we went back to the party, a larger group invited us to join them. At the end of the night, after a few tots of whisky, I was even persuaded onto the dance floor.

One down side: I did not get much exercise and the muscles in my legs were very stiff. Getting up and the first couple of steps were really uncomfortable.