Endings
Published on 10th December 2019 
Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutesFor one reason or another, it feels as if many things are coming to an end at the moment. Clearly, we are coming to the end of a year and some would say that it also is the end of a decade, while others suggest that there is another year left in the current one. As if that is not enough, Virgin Trains no longer operate on the West Coast Mainline, so that is another change that adds an end of era feel. There is also a wider unwanted political changeover in the offing too, and that brings an even bigger ending.
For me, an ongoing work contract is coming to an end while other possibilities are being explored for 2020. That has weighed on me heavily this autumn, so I have not been out and about as much as in other years. The appetite for countryside wandering has abated for now; uncertainty is ahead of me.
Nevertheless, there have been urban visits to Bath, Oxford, Edinburgh and Sheffield, all day trips, together with several days at a conference in Amsterdam. There, the weather was inclement, but we were indoors most of the time anyway, and it was useful to meet old colleagues, catch up with what is happening in an industry and necessarily discuss opportunities for next year.
Given the current situation, I am not embarking on a mid-winter getaway this year, so the Christmas and New Year break may not see me straying far from home. Having some time for reflection and recuperation will prove useful anyway, and I hope to get out and about should the weather allow that, since it has not been all that encouraging these last few months. It is all too easy to let grey days bring wistfulness, so a new start during next year is in order. Only time will tell what that means.
