2022 in facts and figures

Google provide a map of where I’ve been in 2022. It’s been a rather more expansive year as limitations on travel have been first relaxed and then removed.

Coincidentally my car goes in for its MOT in December and in the 12 months from 8 Dec 21 to 8 Dec 22 I drove just 5786 miles. That’s just about a thousand up on last year. When I was fully active and in work it would be around about 24,000 miles each year and more recently with part time work it would have been 12,000.

In terms of UK travel though I have been to a few interesting places for the first time. These include several gardens in North and Mid Wales. the Elan Valley (also in Mid Wales) and North Norfolk. We also visited many National Trust properties and enjoyed day trips to King’s Lynn and Lavenham and a short break in Brighton. Plus a winter railway holiday in Switzerland and a return to Italy (Sorrento and the Amalfi coast) in May.

I’ve had lots of exercise, counting a total of 147 occasions during the year, that’s up on 2021 (132). It includes 75 visits to the gym, just 5 runs adding up to 22.5km, 32 on-line cardio classes and 33 face to face classes.

Fitbit tells me I did 4,074,537 steps in the year, which is well over 10,000 per day and 10% up on 2021, and that my average weight was steady in the mid 64s but has been up over 65 and below 64 during the year.

Healthwise my heart seems to have had a good year with my blood pressure ended the year at 119/61 and a resting heart rate of 52. (all reported as a 30 day moving average). I had a full blood check in September and all my lipid measures are well within the ‘healthy’ range. After my tooth extraction my teeth have been OK but the bottom left molar is threatening and I’m obsessive about using Corsodyl twice a day and brushing well to put off the day when I loose it.

Brainwise my phone tells me I’ve played Wordle 275 times, I changed my phone early in 2022 so lost a month or so’s history, with a win % of 98. Most of my losses have been days I’ve forgotten to play. My maximum streak is 76 but I’m currently at 58 so maybe a new maximum beckons in January.

Workwise I issued 19 invoices during the year and this has meant that I have delayed taking any money out of my main pension pots for another 12 months.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time taking photographs and improving what I do. Lightroom tells me I’ve saved 3816 photographs during the year and rated 89 as 5 star. That means interesting and pretty good quality. These compare with 2318 and 32 in 2021.

Prospects for 2023 are generally OK at a personal level but there’s a general level of gloom in the country and I don’t know how we’re going to get out of it. I don’t have any faith in the current leadership and any switch is the best part of two years away,