It’s that time of year again folks! The time when Trevor wants us to do a joint blog. His idea this year is to choose a well-known person and select a suitable gift or gifts for them. So here we go with Trevor kicking off.

Merry Christmas Mr President! Greetings from Trev

It’s Christmas time again Donald; you know, caring, sharing and all that syrupy stuff, so I thought I’d send you a few bits and pieces to reassure you that whilst a great deal of folk may prefer to forget you, others, like me, are still capable of extending a bit of warmth at this time.

Please find enc. the lyrics to Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone”; it’s not really your thing, but maybe the wife and kids could do it as a party piece for you.

The hair thing is not working! You can’t have a permanent bad hair day Buddy, it’s just not presidential, so I’ve included a set of clippers. Do use them, less Ronald McDonald, more Ronald Reagan would be my tip. Likewise, on a personal note, a subscription to ‘Playboy’. I know you’ve had some interest in this area, ‘in the flesh’, so to speak, but the years condemn old thing, and I hope a few peeks will compensate by being more discrete and cost effective.

A mundane time is probably more achievable than a good one at your age, so I’ve tossed in a couple of golf tees. These are, as you know, to put your balls on; yours might appreciate a little rest and support. In the event that Sarah Huckabee Sanders pops in, there’s a box of extra strength tissues; if the tale of Pinocchio is to be believed, she’s sure to be having nasal problems.

And finally, for the missus, dear old Malaria, a plastic raincoat; I figure that when the brown stuff does hit the fan, she, at least has earned some protection.

Heartfelt thanks from Susan

My present isn’t for one person; it’s for a whole group of people. They are surgeons, particularly the ones who work in our public health system. These people do not enter the medical profession because their aim is to make lots of money. The force that drives them is their passionate wish to learn how to help people, how to prolong life, and how to ensure a better quality of life, for people lucky enough to come under their care.

The learning takes years and years, and for many of those years, they have very little status among others who work in hospitals, particularly more senior students and qualified doctors and surgeons.   I get the impression that they are pretty well dogsbodies for a fair few years, and work all hours of the day and night, double shifts, back-to-back shifts, often to the point of exhaustion.  When other young people are off having a good time, getting married, buying a house, medical students are studying, taking exams, accumulating larger and larger student debts, burning the midnight oil, and not in the local pub.

Most medical students these days enter a specialty after they’ve completed their medical degree.  This requires 3 or 4 more years of study. Some of them are well into their thirties, and still studying, still living with the stress of exams looming over them.  At the end, I and so many others, get the benefit of their years of learning.  I find myself on a stretcher being wheeled into an operating theatre, with a whole team of highly qualified medical people ready to look after me and make me better.  They know what’s wrong, and they know how to put it right, and they do.

So, a big thank you to all of you, and my present to you?  A big red heart, beating strong and true because of you.

 A gift for superwoman from Angela

The person I choose to give a present to is Jacinda Ardern, 40th prime minister of New Zealand since October 2017. She’s young, she’s bright, she’s idealistic, she’s on the side of the most vulnerable in society, she’s become a mother while in office, she advocates kindness and empathy between people and between nations and she’s an example to all women about what can be achieved.

Ardern became prime minister rather unexpectedly. She was a list MP for almost ten years until her election to the Mount Albert seat in the February 2017 by-election. She was unanimously elected as deputy leader of the Labour Party in March 2017 and became leader in August 2017, after Andrew Little resigned. In the general election of September 2017, the Labour Party won 46 seats (a net gain of 14), putting it behind the National Party, which won 56 seats. But after negotiations with both National and Labour, the New Zealand First party chose to enter into a minority coalition government with Labour and the Greens, with Ardern catapulted into the role of prime minister.

Ardern describes herself as both a social democrat and a progressive, aiming to combat child poverty and address the housing crisis. She is the world’s youngest female head of government, taking office at age 37. When she gave birth to a daughter in June 2018, Ardern became the world’s second elected head of government to give birth while in office.

It’s a whirlwind of a career and even if you don’t agree with her policies, you have to admire what she has achieved, all before the age of 40. It must be down to a great deal of hard work which leads me to think that the ideal present for her would be a whole day in a spa in the company of a close friend with the possibility of two or three treatments of her choice. I’d like her to have a day of pampering away from the cares of office so that she could return to the fray refreshed and revitalised.

2018 – The Year of Big Butts – Emily speaks

It’s always a bit of a challenge when Trevor throws down the gauntlet for us all to do a joint blog; and to be honest, I’ve really been struggling with choosing a gift for a famous person. Looking back over the news in the past year there are certainly plenty of celebs, politicians and wannabes that could do with a little something to improve their lives. I’m thinking dance classes for Theresa May, a brain for Donald Trump, and a modicum of talent for Cheryl Tweedy/Cole/Fernandez-Versini/Tweedy/has it got a pulse, I’ll marry it.

At our bloggers’ get together the other night – always a hoot with the most eclectic food and conversations – I found myself talking about 2018 as my annus horribilis, a term brought to modern prominence by Queen Elizabeth II in a speech in which she remarked: “1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an annus horribilis.”

While the official translation from Latin is ‘horrible year’, it doesn’t take much of a stretch to know that the old girl was saying she’d had an arse of a year. Back then, her Madge was dealing with multiple family divorces, Diana Princess of Wails, ‘Squidgygate’ and Windsor Castle catching fire. Jeeze, who knew toe sucking could be so scandalous!

Both personally and professionally, this year has been an absolute arse for me, and yet there have been many wonderful moments supplied by family and friends. This blog is just a little shout out to everyone who has been lovely to me, particularly over the last couple of months. You know who you are and I feel very lucky to have such a great, kind and supportive network.

Next year will be better, and I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all an annus mirabilis (wonderful year) in 2019. Here’s to being happy, healthy and loved.