HOW fast Christmas has come around again.
The older I get, or perhaps the older my children get, the faster the year appears to go.
I’m sure most parents find that.
It is without doubt a special time, where families and friends can celebrate, hopefully in the peace and comfort of their own homes.
So, perhaps it is appropriate, before we shut on the door on the outside world, to spare a thought for others who are not so fortunate.
The bereaved parents of 20 small children, from a primary school in Connecticut; the innocent Syrians, caught between two factions in their bombed out cities, in a bloody struggle with no end in sight; or the families and friends of the scores of British servicemen and women who’ve been killed or wounded in Afghanistan.
And I’d like to pay special tribute to all those who work behind the scenes for so many causes dear to their hearts.
And, while I cannot mention everyone, I would also like to highlight the work of the many thousands of carers, often family members, who selflessly look after their loved ones without complaint or fuss.
It’s a privilege to live in a country where, in the main, we are safe, warm and fed.
That’s surely a gift, too, and was hard fought for by those who came before us.
“Lest we forget,” immediately springs to mind.
And, on that note, I was touched and grateful that Weymouth and Portland Borough Council will allow the Normandy veterans to lead the march past on Armed Forces day in 2014.
It was requested by Mr Whalley, now in his nineties, and from Stoke on Trent, who enthralled me with his recollection of that dreadful day over a beer following this year’s parade.
So, a happy story to end with.
It only leaves me to wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas.