The Meerkat Muse: 31st of December, 2025
Welcome my dear meerkats, to the last Muse of 2025, which by a lucky quirk of fate, falls on the last day of the year. This is pure fortune, and it feels right, wouldn’t you agree?
It also feels right to sum up the year that was 2025, and I already know the theme that most appropriately does so.
The Year of the Trip
2025 has been all about going places. A lot of the time those places have involved London, in some shape or form, though not always. Southend was graced with my family’s presence more than once, and we even took a coach trip to Colchester Zoo (where I met one of my ancestors, as you can see!). There is certainly no denying that we crammed a lot into the past 12 months.
Believe it or not, the above pic was taken at Southend Sealife Centre. Yes, they have meerkats.
Wildlife has not been the sole motivation behind our trips, just in case you were wondering. At the start of the year my wife, daughter and I saw the macabre comedy TV show Inside No. 9 brought to life on stage in London, which proved to be an appropriately funny and creepy experience. I took a solo trip to Stevenage to reunite with some old colleagues and friends, owing to a leaving do that I received an unexpected, but very welcome, invite to. There was also an introductory trip to Westcliff with a new colleague at work, following a somewhat challenging winter period with just two of us.
Some of the trips to London were in aid of comic-con stuff, and as always, these were mixed experiences from my point of view. Amazing cosplayers, beautiful trinkets, and a sense of comradery warred with overheating, bustling, noisy crowds, and lengthy queues just to get something to eat. Still, I got to meet David Tennant whilst cosplaying as Scrooge McDuck, and I might have possibly freaked him out by showing him my Scrooge McDuck tattoo! I picked up some great pins to stick on my rucksack, adding a spark of colour to proceedings.
Can you guess which one speaks to me on a spiritual level?
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2025 has also been a year of creativity. In a bid to be more authentic, I have turned to drawing, and liberally sprinkled Meerkat Musings with some of that art. Mind you, I should probably use the term ‘art’ loosely. Still, I am proud of this, because it feels quite rewarding to put pen and pencil to paper, and bring to life the Meerkat Musings mascot, Murray. If you haven’t already guessed, he does end up suffering somewhat for the privilege of being the mascot.
This isn’t my only creative avenue. In April my second book, The Schism, was released by Jumpmaster Press. I also submitted a brand new story to them, and in December I finished the first draft of the third part of the Chon’ith Saga. On top of that, I have begun work on a new project with my brother-in-law. I am not yet Stephen King, and probably never will be, but the more material I can put out there, the more chance I have, right? Right?!
The other major creative element in 2025 has been with tattoos. I have made no secret of my appreciation of tattoos as an art form, and somehow I’ve wound up with three new ones in one year. I think that’s a personal record. I doubt I am going to settle for what I have either. I have plans to get some more, though precisely what and where are up for discussion. We shall see how my ambitions pan out, but I am very happy with all of them, for they all speak to some aspect of me.
In a lot of ways, they sum up what 2025 has been for me. It’s been a mission to be my authentic self, and to let slide negative influences. That hasn’t always been easy, and it is a work-in-progress, but that’s the goal. How might that pan out in 2026? Well, that’s tomorrow’s problem! I do know there is going to be a lot of writing involved, what with the various story projects I’m developing. I look forward to revealing more of that plan.
I almost forgot. I cannot fail to mention that during one of the trips into London (being the occasion of seeing musical Six, about the wives of Henry VIII), my wife, daughter and I experienced some rather glorious Chinese food, and it does seem like I’ve had a few good culinary experiences in 2025. This little place in China Town served up a bit more authenticity than a typical takeaway, and I would certainly seek to go back there, or to somewhere like it! Check out some pics of the adventure below.
The trip to see Six was part of a busy week, which included the Colchester Zoo trip, and also a trip to the local cinema to see a sing-a-long version of K-Pop Demon Hunters. Somewhere along the lines of all this, I wound up with covid for the third time. The result of this was an extra week off work, albeit one spent feeling icky and tired. However, recounting the experience gives me the excuse to regal you with what my working life has been like over the past 12 months.
In short, I have grown increasingly dissatisfied with my current job, and have stepped up my efforts to find something else. Thus far, nothing has panned out, but I am keeping a watchful eye on one particular location that would be of enormous interest to me. I cannot shake a malaise with my current employers. There are various elements that aggravate me, and I don’t feel I can be at my best where I am now. However, any move I make has to be the right move, I cannot make a kneejerk decision here. We shall see what 2026 delivers on the employment score.
What 2026 did deliver was a new gaming experience, with the highly-anticipated Nintendo Switch 2, which I was lucky enough to get on day one. I am hoping for some big things out of it, but thus far it’s been a case of revisiting prior classics with updated graphics and performance. The main exception to this has been Mario Kart World, which has been a mixed bag to me. It might be Nintendo’s most frustrating Mario Kart game! I remain confident of good things to come from Nintendo in 2026.
Before concluding this Muse, what of the past couple of weeks? After all, the Meerkat Muse is here to serve the purpose of recounting the last 14 days!
The build-up to Christmas was largely quite quiet, on both a personal and professional front. My daughter finished school for a couple of weeks, and we marked this occasion by going to see the hilarious Fackham Hall at the cinema. For me, it was a case of making sure the showroom was ready for the predicted and hoped-for winter sale rush. I felt a bit rundown for a few days, exhausted by early starts and lengthy days. There’s a lot of logistical work that goes into preparing for Christmas, and it can feel exhausting. Still, in a rare twist, my wife and I would not be hosts. Instead, we ventured to my parents, for the first time in 11 years.
Was the overall experience satisfying? Yes. It was tiring, as Christmas often is for adults. I can only imagine how tiring it was for my parents! Still, I don’t know when the next chance to spend Christmas up there with them will present itself, so it was important to seize this moment. There were plenty of gifts exchanged (I am now the proud owner of a large bottle of Jack Daniels), and lots of food consumed, to the detriment of my waistline. I am going to have to exercise more in 2026, and I keep telling myself I will. Whether that happens is anyone’s guess!
I also got to see my brother and his family at Christmas, which has also proven rare in recent years. It was nice to have some time with them, even if it was brief. The requirement to work the day after Boxing Day meant we couldn’t linger, which is an unfortunate consequence of working in retail. As I may have already alluded to, I aim to change my circumstances next year, though precisely how remains to be seen. For the moment, I have been able to enjoy the sort of Christmas I hadn’t had in more than a decade, and I am grateful for this.
If there is one other lesson to take from 2025, it’s about letting go. I keep saying this, and I keep trying to, but I feel like I’ve made more progress with ignoring trolls and miscreants this year. I am not so quick to jump into arguments on social media, and I do not tend to respond so often to goading and incitement. Does this represent a form of personal growth? I’d like to think so!
So, what might 2026 deliver? That’s impossible to guess. I have ambitions and plans, some of which I have already put into action, but I can’t delve too deeply into what I cannot predict. All I can offer, as I draw this final Muse of 2025 to a close, is that I won’t face it alone. I don’t think I can ask for more than that. Happy New Year to you all, and may 2026 deliver you love, peace, and satisfaction.
‘Kat Comments