Glad To See The Back of 2020

I, like many, will be glad to see the back of 2020. It’s been one of those years that has continued to surprise me in particularly new and inventive ways. This year will go down in history due to Lockdowns and Covid-19. It will forever be remembered as the year that brought nearly the whole world to a standstill.

For Every Feather it’s been a mixed year as all years tend to be. I try to remember the good things because once they are stacked up against the bad there seems a little more balance – more of a reason to keep fighting onwards.

Yes, there was Covid-19, there were Council complaints (almost an annual occurrence now), Samantha spectacularly broke her ankle, I got diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and my chronic pain finally has a name attached to it, we lost patients and pets, Dixie went across the rainbow bridge, I lost Mr Law who passed in March and who I had lived next door to since birth. I haven’t got to see my friends and loved ones nearly enough. I have seen other rescues close due to the pressures and the issues that always come hand in hand with trying to do the right thing. I left a lot of online forums because the stress of them far outweighed their usefulness. I made my circle of friends smaller.

So how about some good things: well, lockdown meant that I got to meet the lovely Griffin family who became fosterers, friends and will hopefully be embarking on the next step in Every Feather’s progress. I met Mel Greenhalgh – another fosterer who became a great friend and support. I had my first Cuckoo in – a complete highlight of this year as I had never even seen one before. I loved and lost Pickle (and although I miss the little raven every day I am glad I got to have him in my life albeit briefly). Velvet came to live with me – a raven that enjoys looking at the stars and moon almost as much as I do. I watched Samantha overcome her accident with a strength and dignity I hadn’t expected – I worried that the length of her recovery period would overwhelm her and yet she has fought to get mobile, get independent and get back to work like a Spartan. I have watched so many patients recover and fly free.

It’s definitely a year that none of us will forget in a hurry but it’s been a year I don’t want to forget. Every battle fought has shown me a strength I’d forgotten I had. Every time I’ve had to face someone who has attacked me has shown me that I have and will always be a fighter. I don’t want to give up and I really hope that everyone reading this feels the same. If you don’t, and you struggle, then drop me a message because nobody has to go through anything alone.

We can start to tentatively look forward to next year – to the Spring with the new life and the endless craziness of Baby Bird Season.

Hopefully there will be plenty of more moons to look at.