Apologies for the recent silence. Between urgent doctors’ and hospital appointments (not for me) and the arrival of a new family member, the past couple of months have been quite busy.
New Family Member
New family member, you say? Yes! Meet Teddy!
I wasn’t looking for another cat, but the Cat Distribution System had other ideas! This poor little tuxedo kitten appeared from nowhere and moved himself into one of the hedgehog houses in the back garden (I can only assume a hedgehog wasn’t already living in there!). He wouldn’t let us near him, but he would sit on the windowsill watching Sugar & Silky.
We finally managed to catch the kitten, and after a sleepover at the vets for blood tests, etc., he came home; however, he is currently being isolated from the other two cats. He was half the weight he should be for a kitten of his age, and so we’re having to fatten him up so he’s big enough to be neutered and have more tests just to make sure he’s not carrying anything which may be detrimental to my two senior cats.
For a stray kitten, it didn’t take him long to become a cuddly cat. He’s very playful, too.
Concerts etc
I attended a total of 9 concerts in 2025, as well as a few other events throughout the year. It was a pretty full-on year! I began the year with back-to-back concerts in February – James Blunt in Manchester for his “Back to Bedlam” 20th Anniversary tour (a fantastic show to start the year!), followed by John Barrowman at my local theatre the following night.
In April, I saw Michael Ball & Alfie Boe in Manchester, and Swedish rock band Ghost a couple of weeks later at the same venue.
May was a busy month with 3 concerts in total – Gary Barlow in Wolverhampton (the best show of the year!), then a couple of weeks later, back-to-back concerts in Liverpool with Olly Murs and Bryan Adams (where we got fist bumps from Bryan!).
In June, I was back in Manchester to see Robbie Williams for my birthday (he always puts on a brilliant show!). Then in July, it was down to Cardiff to see Alice Cooper in concert (which is where we were when we heard the sad news about Ozzy Osborne’s death).
In September, I travelled down to London to see magicians Penn & Teller at The Palladium for their 50th anniversary show. Funnily enough, I actually bumped into Penn the next day while getting fish & chips, and he was lovely! The following week, I went to Birmingham to see former F1 drivers Mika Hakkinen & David Coulthard discuss their careers (I was also lucky enough to meet them).
Out & About
With the concerts & events being in various cities around the UK, I made the most of my time out & about. Four of the concerts were in Manchester, so I got to see more of the city’s street art. I also took my niece for a trip, and we visited CuppaPug – The Pug Cafe, which was a bit of a change from my cat cafe visits.
Whilst in Liverpool for a couple of concerts (and again for a trip with my niece), we ended up back at my favourite cafe there – the Cat Cafe. It’s always a joy to spend time there, despite now having 3 cats of my own.
In London, I visited the Charles Dickens Museum and The Postal Museum, as well as some wonderful stationery shops for a few treats. It was my first time there in a few years, but I’m hoping to go back again soon.
Penpals & Snail Mail
There’s nothing quite like sending and receiving snail mail. For once, I kept track of the letters, postcards and cards which I received in 2025 (and I am continuing to do that this year). In total, I received 81 letters, cards & postcards, and I sent 97. Some recipients were friends & family, others were penpals, and some were members of a Facebook group I’m in where we send each other mail every now and then.
Postage costs are getting evermore expensive, but I think it’s a worthwhile hobby.
The Garden
The garden did really well this year. There was one point in July when the heat nearly killed some of my beloved dahlias, but, thankfully, they bounced back pretty quickly once we’d had some rain.
The bees, butterflies and ladybirds seemed to have a great time in the garden, too. I love watching them flitter around the garden. I’m also still enjoying watching our feathered friends on the bird feeder camera.
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2026 is here already. I only have two concerts lined up so far, but I’m hoping to do a bit more travelling instead.
Happy New Year!
The pug cafe looks adorable! Here’s to a great year of concerts for you!
Any year that adds a new family member, especially of the canine or feline variety, is a GOOD year! I enjoyed your recap and hope to see more from you in 2026. You definitely need to have a post about Teddy meeting his siblings for the first time. With photos! (hoping that goes smoothly)
That’s a very nice – and well-rounded – year in review, Nikki! Teddy is adorable and it sounds as though he’s had a reasonably smooth transition. My brother recently adopted a once feral kitten too, although his 19 year old cat still isn’t thrilled about it…
I hope the new year brings much job and a good crop of beautiful dahlias!
Happy New Year, Nikki. Love your new arrival
Hope it’s been a wonderful beginning to 2026. May the year ahead bring your much sunshine, good health and delight!
P/S Welcome Teddy!
Hello Teddy! Well done for taking him in, especially with the cold weather we’ve had.
A good way to start off 2026 for him… and you!
A big hello to Teddy! You found your way in to a good home that will take care and love you. Good luck with your adjustments.
Great 2025 wrapup. The concerts sound great and glad you enjoyed them. Wishing you a very happy and healthy 2026.
Purring for Teddy to get nice and fat, and that he’s a healthy kitten.
The Cat Distribution System gets us every time!
Happy New Year.
What a lovely interesting post. What a busy year for you and some great concerts you saw. Sounds like an expensive visitor
I recently read an article about Charles Dickens, an extremely horrible man by all accounts.
Happy New Year and sure hope it’s a good one.
Love the kitten, such a sweet face, nice of you to take him in.
I got the feeling you enjoy concerts, so enjoy the ones that come along this year.
Take care.
9 concerts in 2025. 97 letters, postcards and cards. Dog and cat cafés. Your garden. And a homeless kitten you’re bringing back to life. All of that and more for just 2025 alone. I can only imagine what 2026 has in store for you, Nikki! You’re an inspiration. BTW, I totally still believe in snail mail!!!
What a great year you had, full of memories. Teddy is an absolute cutie – I look forward to hearing more about him.
I hope 2026 is just as good a year!
Best wishes
Ellie
Aww! Teddy is just adorable, what a lovely addition to the family! All the concerts sound fantastic, especially the Robbie Williams one!
It sounds like a really great year! Well done with your garden!
What a fun year you had visiting different cities and attending so many concerts. I think the best bit though was Teddy’s arrival, what a cutie.
You will have a friend for life with Teddy. When an outdoor cat is taken into the warmth and love of a home, they are grateful and show it. hope all goes well with the future testing. (This reminds me so much of how Gypsy came into my life — sitting in the window well of the house, with Stimpy on the other side, time being separated through vest testing. Good memories.)
You had a busy and fun filled year. I hope your hospital visits have ended with good news for your friend or family member. It’s good to see you back on blog. (Alfie Boe AND Michael Ball? I would be so in for that!)
Teddy looks a sweet little kitty and he will have the best life with you now. What a wonderful year of shows and concerts for you in 2025. I hope there are lots more fun events for you this year. I look forward to hearing about them and also the places you visit. I also love that beautiful dahlia, such a pretty colour.
Happy days to you,Nikki.
Teddy is a cute little chap! You had a fun-packed 2025, hope 2026 is good for you too.
Sounds like a good year, Nikki. All the best for 2026 xx
It’s wonderful to read about Teddy!
Happy New Year!
Teddy got lucky with you and I know it is now a more happy household. Snail-mail is always nice. I write with a fountain pen, the ultimate combination. You had a busy 2025 and I wish you all the best for a good, healthy and very creative and musical 2026.
Nine concerts in a year is amazing! Lucky you! Snail mail is wonderful, but it’s dwindling rapidly here. We received perhaps 10 Christmas cards despite sending out quite a few more.
Enjoy your cats and have a wonderful 2026!
The new family member looks such a cutie 🙂
Happy New Year and Hello Teddy, from Jessica and my tuxedo kitty called Sox
Hello Nikki, Happy New Year. Teddy is adorable, and it looks like you had a very good 2025. I hope 2026 is as successful. xx
It looks like 2025 was a very good year for you. Cheers to 2026!!