I’m aware that for many people 2008 was a pretty grim year… even an annus horribilis, to coin a phrase… and no doubt people are glad to see the back of it.

To all those who have acted responsibly and still lost their livelihood as a direct result of the recession, I offer sympathy… I know how it feels to be out of work through no fault of your own… and if you are struggling to keep your home, I wish you good fortune and hope things work out for you in 2009.

I have a rather different feeling towards those who acted irresponsibly and over-extended by borrowing sums beyond their means… if you are suffering now it is a result of your own greed and you have no-one to blame but yourselves… no doubt you are hoping 2009 will see a return to better times... I hope you have learned the lesson well.

For me 2008 has not been such a bad year… in fact 2008 was a good year for me if truth be told... indeed the old year was not bad for me at all…

In 2008 I found peace for my troubled mind… retired from a career I had grown to hate… paid off the remains of my mortgage…made some wonderful new friends…

Yes I could have wished for more, but I’m not that greedy; for me 2008 was exceptional… Usky’s Annus Mirabilis… I can only hope this New Year will be as good for all of you as the Old Year was for me.