Seasonal Musings

It hasn't been a bad year, all things considered. Season Nine of Doctor Who turned out to be (for the most part) an absolute corker, and I’ve had a great deal of fun reviewing each episode. I hope the reviews have been entertaining to read.. To quote the great Billy Connolly, if you enjoyed reading them half as much as I enjoyed writing them, then I enjoyed them twice as much as you!

Sticking with Doctor Who, Big Finish have been on splendid form; Only The Monstrous (The War Doctor) and UNIT: Extinction box sets have been outstanding. Doom Coalition was stunning, and the monthly releases have, as always, been superb. The highlight, however, must surely be The Last Adventure, which saw Colin Baker get a much deserved, and long overdue, regeneration story. If you haven’t heard any of these yet, I cannot recommend them highly enough!

Tomorrow brings another Christmas episode, one which I am trying to keep an open mind about, although the trailer, and imminent return of River Song, doesn’t fill me with confidence. Still, time will tell, and I’ll have fun reviewing it, one way or another!

On a more personal subject, and for those who haven't seen my tweet, I had an appointment with my oncologist earlier this week, who confirmed my LDH, AFP and HCG levels (tumour markers) are all 100% normal, so I am now officially 34 months CANCER (and one bollock) FREE! Another two years and I will be classed as out of remission and cured!

This is a humble little blog, a mere minnow in an ocean of much larger, more accomplished fish. Less than a year ago, I was quietly pleased with the fact it had passed 2000 views. It is quite remarkable, gratifying, and incredibly humbling that it has now passed 20,000 views, in the short time I have been blogging. I cannot thank you all enough. The support I have received has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Special thanks must go to the people below, who have either written guest posts, or agreed to be interviewed for the blog. I'm incredibly grateful to each and every one of you. Likewise, to each person who has read, retweeted, shared and commented, I offer my sincere and heartfelt thanks (fuck me, this is turning into an Oscar speech!). I write purely for pleasure, but I can't deny it is immensely satisfying to know that people read, and enjoy my blog posts. Please do take the time to follow them on Twitter, and where given, have a peek at their blogs. I firmly believe that, rather than view each other as “competition”, fellow bloggers should support each other. I certainly enjoy reading all of your blogs!

And so my thanks go to…

For their Doctor Who related submissions

 

Neil Dymond-Green @neilrdg

http://neilrdg.wordpress.com/

 

Life in the Gaps @lifeinthegaps

http://life-in-the-gaps.blogspot.com/

 

Shawn Lunn @shawnlunnn2002

http://shawnlunn2002.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Will Egan @willegan95

 

Owen (The Cypher) @The__Cypher

http://cypherdeciphered.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Adil Nogdalla @Nougdalla98

thecosmichobo2.blogspot.co.uk

 

BlueCollarDrWho @bluecollardrwho

 

Jack Ryan @classicdwfan

 

ATrueDrWhoFan @atruedrwhofan

 

For his interview on his artwork;

 

Sam Bentley @SamRBentley

http://samrichardbentley.wix.com/samrichardbentley

 

For her wonderfully entertaining and uplifting “bucket list”;

Karen @KarenKts11

 

And lastly, for the open and honest interview regarding the loss of their son Layton;

Dave and Nichol @davehope80 @NicholBoys

 

There are those who will not spend Christmas with loved ones this year. Nichol and Dave face a Christmas without their little boy, my Uncle sadly passed away a week or so ago, and I know there are others who have lost friends and family members. My thoughts and condolences are with each and every one of you. I notice all of your tweets, and whilst I may not always comment, I do think of you, especially at this time of year.

I also have to make a special mention to my friend Martin, better known as @BadWilf for his extraordinary efforts in making the dreams of a sick child come true. #DrWhoDaniel has gone from strength to strength, due largely to his sterling work, which you can find out more about HERE, and the young fan, who missed a Doctor Who festival due to his hospitalisation, has had messages of support from cast and crew of Doctor Who, and even a visit from Peter Capaldi. I can honestly say, I have never been more proud to be a Doctor Who fan.

And so, to all of you, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

 

Dedicated to the memory of my dear friend John, my Uncle George & Layton Boys-Hope