Looking back, 2021 lockdown took a bigger toll on my year that the 2020 one did - most of the first 5 months of the year could pretty accurately be described as the "holding pattern" I predicted at the end of 2020. Domestic stuff, various crafty projects, and physical training. All kinda fine, but looking back, I think the semi-isolation and lack of bigger-ticket achievement took a bit of a toll on me.Nefarious wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 5:56 pmAll a bit predictable for 2020, given circumstances.Nefarious wrote: ↑Wed Jan 01, 2020 1:39 pmWell, some of that happened, some less so.Last year Nefarious wrote: ↑Thu Jan 03, 2019 9:17 am I really can't moan about 2018. In retrospect, it will maybe be remembered as the year when it all started to come together:
- The property count reached double figures with a nice little project in February (mean flat, but great yield, and came with a free garage). Critical mass has really helped calm my anxiety over the true long-term sustainability of my "retirement". Experience gained has also allowed me to start doing contract jobs too, which are fun, easy and give a nice bit of pocket money.
- The racing podiums started to come. Who'd've thought that it might be tricky for a couple of 30-something blokes with no experience to turn up and beat pro teams in factory-supported cars? Well, now five years in, and unlikely as it may seem, it's starting to happen.
- I finally made some proper progress with the climbing. After a couple of years stuck around the 6b level, I decided that a bigger effort was required. Helped by the best partner I've ever had, by July I was touching 7a level, which really opens up lots of exciting outdoor opportunities. Unfortunately, a couple of injuries later in the year saw things slide a bit, but even that's got a silver lining, as it's got me into pilates and a far better understanding of how my body actually works (including why MMA fighting isn't the sport for me).
- My friend got better. I've watched my good friend Barry (ex-racing team manager who I share garage space with) deteriorate in his health quite significantly over the last couple of years. Twice I've seen him taken away in ambulances with suspected heart attacks, and seen him spend long periods too tired to even make it out of his own flat - but the quacks just couldn't get to the bottom of it. In December this year, some bright spark took another look at his ECGs and realised it was an electrical problem. He had a pacemaker fitted (under local, in a morning), and was at a gym class three days later.
Plans for 2019:
Well, I'm just going to take it as it comes. Opportunities for fun and productive shit seem to be flowing quite readily at the moment. Cars, boats, and hovercraft will all undoubtedly feature and I've every intention of getting back to where I was on the climbing wall once I shake a niggling elbow issue. Will definitely do some more contract building work. I've had some interest from the hovercraft company to develop a turbocharged version of their standard engine, which would be entertaining for a few weeks if it comes off. Who knows, but bring it on
Big feature of the year was a massive contract job - bare brick renovation of am Edwardian house. 19 weeks working on it before it all went a bit sour at the end when the client ran out of money. Bit sad not to have got the "wow" moment at the end (stopped with 10 days to go), and it's never nice to leave a personal relationship on less than amicable terms, but it was ridiculously lucrative, and gained loads of new skills and experience.
Racing went pretty well this year too - 2nd place in the championship with a couple of outright wins - far better than could really have been hoped for really, and unlikely to ever be matched (if I'm honest about my true skill level!). Still, it's nice to be able to mark it up in the history books and tell the grandkids I was at least once competent.
Climbing hasn't been fantastic - I've been pretty much entirely without a decent partner - but at least I've maintained a level around the 6b+/6c mark, so maybe 2020 will be the year the 7a finally tumbles
Hovercraft and boat still has been a bit of a damp squib, TBH. After all the hype and excitement at the beginning of the year, the arctic trip is looking decreasingly likely to ever happen. Mostly because TV people are money-grabbing, lying cunts who would happily see me drown/freeze if it made for better ratings. Shame after so much effort has been expended on it, but I'm still looking forward to getting the Big Red Bastard running properly and scooting across the Firth of Forth for fish and chips.
I guess 2020 will be more of the same. Got some ideas for next season's racing, so maybe I can maintain my competitiveness. Got some vague plans around other property stuff which may or may not come to anything depending on luck and money. Need to keep on top of the fitness/activity thing, as motivation has slipped a bit in recent months. We'll just have to see how it goes...
Work-wise, not much doing on the contract front, although a couple of minor kitchen/bathroom jobs paid for this years racing. On the letting front it's been a case of damage limitation - at the beginning of first lockdown, I mentally wrote off £15k, but am now very pleased to report that, thanks to my tenants mostly being decent human beings, it was nothing like that bad. One slight annoyance was the latest purchase falling through in March, and failure to find an alternative in a rising market. Still hoping for a softening of demand in Q1 2021 to bring prices back down within reach without the need for more financing. Still, I can't really complain about rising prices with a dozen properties already in the bag.
Racing was errr...emotional. The club cancelled our season, and I kinda ended up being the custodian of single-seater racing in Scotland. Learned a lot about the politics of the game, and at least got to go racing a bit, even if mechanical misfortune kept any decent results out of reach. And then, of course, there was Colin's accident. Still remains to be seen what impact that will have on my long term future in racing.
Climbing has been a bit of an unexpected high. I really expected that months out of the game would have busted me back a couple of grades at least, but I obviously did something right during lockdown, and I returned to find my upper body strength the best its ever been, and that elusive 7a realistically within reach.
Hovercraft and boats have seen a very poor showing this year, with absolutely zero progress on either front. I think we'll be moving to get the Red Bastard sold on ASAP, but the boat should hopefully see some action this year, even if just in support of the e-boat project.
As far as goals for 2021 are concerned, its a bit difficult to know what's realistically going to be possible.
I'd like to get another flat bought ASAP, then more of the same on the work front.
I'm already in fairly hardcore training for the next assault on the climbing wall, but that's all reliant on my motivation holding up long enough to see the climbing centres open again...we'll see.
Racing-wise, it'll be another tough year fighting to keep the championship alive. Been toying with the idea of doing a couple of arrive-and-drives just to have a go at a different flavour of motorsport in preparation for my eventual retirement. Again, will just play it by ear.
Basically, the aim overall is for a holding position across the board, and if I can snaffle a couple of little wins along the way, that'd be nice.
The other big feature of the year was the renovation of the house in London. Very different from the way I'm used to working in that I wasn't there in person and was managing the project between three different contractors remotely. It was a big mistake and really should have put my crew in a van and just committed to staying down there for a month. As it was, it felt like I worked harder, was more stressed, and the project took 3 months instead of 1 and costs spiraled to about double what they should have been. Lesson learned. If you want a job doing properly....
Elsewhere around work, I had a nice 6-week contract job that paid the year's racing budget, added two new properties to the portfolio (even though my predicted softening of the market never happened), and passed the threshold where some of the property stuff needs to move into a limited company. All fairly solid progress.
Racing-wise, it's been a funny old year. I had previously been running the Formula Ford show in Scotland, but after my friend Colin's accident in November 2020, I took the very conscious decision that I didn't want to be the man in charge. Enough work had been done in 2020 that I was able to hand the whole shooting match over to the racing club with a list of promises to ensure that we got a full season of racing in 2021. My own season was fairly poor - dogged by a mystery damper problem that it took all year to identify - but somehow managed to secure 2nd place in the championship for the second time.
The biggest event of the racing year was getting involved with the Minis (thanks Scott!). I was initially a bit reluctant, but it seemed like a good idea to have a plan-b in case the Formula ford situation deteriorated. As it turns out, it's been an enormously fun and satisfying new challenge, culminating in the Race of Remembrance, which was one of the most eye-opening, intense and rewarding things I've ever been involved in. The fact that we're now a 2-car team with plans for a full season of sprint races and multiple endurance events speaks volumes. Boat and hovercraft have both now gone to make room for more racecars!
Health and fitness has, on paper, been fantastic. Being stuck in the house for so long, general adherence to a good diet and re-discovering my push bike got me to the best physical shape of my life somewhere around August/September, which I'm really pleased about. However, the lack of climbing opportunities and the ongoing absence of a decent partner has meant that all that training hasn't actually translated into any measurable results - which was the original aim of the exercise!
So, plans for 2022.
Business-wise, I'm back in growth mode. Now my daughter has her heart set of 7 years at medical school, some fairly big demands on my income are on their way, so I'm going to get my head down now to add an extra £30ish-k to the rental revenue.
Racing-wise, it's going to be busy! Full season of FF, 2/3 of a season of Modsports in the Minis, and 3-ish endurance events.
Health and fitness-wise, same as previous years - head down now for the next couple of months with a view to really getting back on the climbing horse by March/April.
And, you know, just try and be a bit happier
