The Conspirators!

My Dear Princess and Dear Fellow,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

As you may recall, it has become a yearly tradition that we have Mo over for Hogmanay. We eat a lot of food, we watch a classic action movie and we see in the new year together.

I think I missed 2020 turning into 2021 because I was ill, but other than that we hold to these traditions.

This year was different. Same Mo, another action movie, but this time we also had Jefe and Manda. This was exciting because you need five people to play SECRET HITLER.

"But you've only got four people," said Caro. 

I looked at her quizzically.

"Oh," she said. "I forgot that I have to play too," she added grumpily.

She can be such an Eeyore sometimes. 

"I just wish we didn't play games ALL the time," she continued. "I prefer to chat."

I take her point but as we spent at least 3 hours chatting and just 1 on a game today, she can haud her wheesht.

I say all this like I am grumpy. We actually had a lovely afternoon together before everyone arrived. She took me for an ice cream and a walk by the sea, and she was pretty and funny and I love her very much. 

After our guests arrived we managed another dinner outside while listening to music and chatting, before adjourning back inside for me to figure out the rules and assign roles in the game.

It was a lot of fun. There was a lot of banging of tables and barking JA! oder NEIN! when it came time to vote. You will be disappointed to hear that the liberals were ultimately CRUSHED and that Secret Hitler was voted Chancellor in the end. 

It was MO!

He had me ASSASSINATED!

And it turns out that Caro was his fascist confederate. In today's blip you see them plotting together against the liberal majority. 

After this salutory crushing of democracy we watched "Face/Off" which stars John Travolta as Nicolas Cage. Then (because tradition) I found an old BBC Hogmanay special and we listened to bagpipe music and drank whisky as the fireworks flew above the castle (in 2021). 

I say "we" drank whisky. Caro cannot drink and Jefe took one sniff of Mo's drink and made a face like he'd stepped in something. But three of us drank whisky as the people on the BBC sang "Auld Lang Syne".

Then we watched the ball drop in Times Square in 1999. And then finally it was ACTUAL new year in Auckland. So we did the whole thing about three times in a row, actually.

So that's it. 2022 is officially kaput, much like democracy in Paraparaumu. It was not a year without grief and sadness, but there was a lot of happiness and laughs too. 

I wish you little of the former and a lot of the latter for your 2023, my lovely friends.

S.