We closed 2011 by celebrating Christmas in Kenya with two of our children and their families, followed by the celebration of New Year 2012 in Botswana. While we have felt busier after retirement, the biggest pleasure has been the flexibility to spend time with our grandchildren. So very true that, grandchildren give us a second chance to do things better because they bring out the best in us.

2012 later unfolded with a visit to England where we had a two-week road trip from London to Somerset, Dorset, Plymouth, Cornwall and Bath. We visited friends we had not seen in a long time (Derek and Hazel Hudson, Kneen and Martha Charlton, Jonathan and Kate Salisbury, Tony and Trish Lett). There was lots of reminiscing over the good old Botswana days.

Following the sting from the southern England visit, we ventured into another road trip, this time to experience the midnight sun in northern Sweden. We had a beautiful drive from Sigtuna, where we live, to Lappland, down through the west coast of Norway. This turned out to be a memorable trip brightened by good weather and the 24-hour daylight.

Julia stayed busy with IMF engagements that took her to Sierra Leone and Liberia (her first visit there ever), and continued as chairperson of the Botswana-Sweden Friendship Association (BOTSFA), while Per chaired Stockholmsbild and enjoyed shooting with his camera around Stockholm and other places. A sailing trip with friends (Leyla Assaf Tengrotth, Lars Nickels and Tore Zetterberg) took him around the Stockholm archipelago. Traditional dancing with Märsta Folkdansgille (MFG) also kept him on his feet.

We closed our travel adventures with a trip to Turkey, where we had an enjoyable bus trip from Antalya to Cappadocia. A one-hour hot air balloon view over Cappadocia became the cherry on the cake.

Our house was kept warm by friends and relatives' visits, including a visit by Julia's American former colleague from the Bank of Botswana, Bob Porter, who came in August to cool off from steaming hot Kuwait.

As we write this, two of our grandchildren from Botswana, Nyaladzi and Chedu, are visiting us over Christmas. This has provided the opportunity for all our grandchildren, except one, to be together with us again.

Every year becomes more and more of a challenge as we grow older, but 2012 seems to have been exceptionally taxing. We lost friends to cancer, most of them in their prime 60s. It has been harder for their families to come to terms with the losses but, as friends, we have felt the pain. For 2013, we take Helen Keller's advice, "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us." Life has to go on……

Wishing You a Happy and Peaceful 2013