Looking back – and forward

I always pay attention to what Chinese Lunar Calendar says in general: year of Rooster – check. Fire, gold and red – check. As to the details, they are sometimes contradicting each other, so they have to be approached critically. Like, in some sources I have read that the year of Rooster is always the worst of all the years of the Cycle, with which I totally disagree.

(I thought about roosters and cycles when walking the streets of Waterford during Winterval festival)

Lets go back and see what the years of Rooster were like. I will start from 1957, for a particular reason 😉

1957

The Treaty of Rome was signed by six countries establishing European Economic Community – the future EU.  Yay for that. Soviet Union sent a dog Laika into Space. Federal Troops were sent to Arkansas to enforce anti-segregation laws. Yearly Inflation Rate USA 3.34%; UK 3.3%

1969

Richard Nixon was inaugurated. Apollo 11 astronauts took first walk on the Moon. The US had the greatest number of troops in Vietnam. To compare with turbulent 1968,  1969 seems to be quieter, but the same problems remained.

1981

Ronald Reagan was inaugurated. First flight of Space Shuttle Columbia.  Yearly Inflation Rate USA 10.35%; UK 11.9%. Margaret Thatcher’s Government began privatisation of nationalised industries that revived economy ( I think it worked).

1993

Bill Clinton was inaugurated. Islamic Fundamentalists bombed World Trade Center. Earthquakes and floods happened all over the world. The US and Soviet Union signed Start II Treaty ( bilateral reduction of nuclear warheads). The World Wide Web was born.

2005

Hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes all over the world. London bombing, terrorist attacks in India and Egypt. Natural disasters and terrorist attacks are typical features of the past decade, not only of 2005.

So, in general, the years of Rooster most definitely were not the worst years ( not the best either…) For me personally, 1981 and 1993 were both tragic, but 2005 was all right, so I see a trend of improvement 🙂

I think that we sometimes have to get off the carousel, sit back and contemplate for a minute. It helps put things into perspective and illuminate priorities. We might even re-evaluate our ‘bad years’ after all.

This Christmas tree is a part of a charity project.  It was displayed during the Winterval festival in Waterford. Soft toys remind me of a furry friend whom we lost this December.

I took this picture in May. In July my daughter wrote me that Grishnak was dying, and all family members spent some time with him saying goodbye.  Yet, he miraculously recovered after a few days, and I saw him again in August. He lived to welcome another baby in the family, but after that his health started to deteriorate again, and on December 11 he was gone.

This picture was taken in September. Now the empty box symbolises the emptiness he left behind. I didn’t realise that it would be my last picture of him.

This year I lost a relative and several former schoolmates. It was a sad year of losses for all of us as we said goodbye to David Bowie, Gene Wilder, Leonard Cohen, George Michael, Carrie Fisher (dang it, I had to edit this sentence twice before posting this blog! What a horrible year!)  and many others who were part of our life. The last, and the most painful loss that still hurts so much, is the death of beloved blogger friend, the finest Poet and amazing Human, Cynthia Jobin. Here is a link to her last poem she posted just a week before she left us. I keep coming to her blog, like an orphan – I just cannot move on.

Soon we will leave this sad year behind, and I look forward to the New Year’s arrival and the start of a new calendar. I don’t know what this year will bring, I just hope I will do my part and bring something good myself, regardless. The year of Red and Gold Fire Rooster – it will be spectacular if nothing else 🙂 But I do hope it is also kind and gentle on all of us – please, no rooster fights!

Happy New Year to all!

Thank you for your friendship, and for your wonderful blogs that made my 2016 a better year!

rooster

There are links from my previous Christmas – New Year posts:

https://inesemjphotography.com/category/happy-new-year/ https://inesemjphotography.com/2014/12/13/year-is-running-out/ https://inesemjphotography.com/2014/12/06/christmas-story/ https://inesemjphotography.com/category/christmas/

www.inesemjphotography.com

181 comments

  2. Pingback: Sunday Post – 1st January 2017 | Brainfluff

  3. Hum, I’d heard that Tiger years were the worst. (guess who was born in a year of the Tiger) 1969 I remember as being a year of many changes. The other years you cited as well – busy but not necessarily bad. Let’s hope it’s a good year for all you roosters as I am married to one!

    1. Thank you Jan! I too was surprised, and couldn’t agree with that. In general, these years were OK. I was also surprised to learn that if it is your year, don’t expect any luck. And guess who is a Rooster 😉 But! One Chinese expert advises to buy your Rooster red underwear to attract good luck. I find this way too extreme though 😉 I decided on wearing a jade charm, following another advice from the same expert. So this is all my knowledge picked up from the internet, and we all know how trustworthy it is 🙂 Have a happy New Year!

  4. It appears we may be wise to avoid wearing the color red in order to not irritate the 2017 rooster…but we have a few months before pulling out the golden tones instead.
    Lovely pictures – enjoyed the words, too
    Wishing you miles of smiles, intriguing wanderings, and lots of wonder in the New Year! Cheers and onward with spirit, courage, and hope.

    1. Thank you for your comment! I too have read about not wearing red, but I think it was said about the real beginning of the year that is in the end of January. I also have read that we should dress smart this year. Figures 🙂
      Thank you again for your good wishes. Here’s to another amazing 365 days to come! Wishing you the very best! xx

  9. Hells bells I had trouble getting into blogs of those I follow who write more than just a 100 words! WP is playing up basically. Anyway, at last I’ve arrived and as ever it has been worth the wait. So sad about the cat. Have a wonderful New Year and beyond.

    1. Thank you so much, Mike! I hope you are doing great in the country I love. Yes, WP gave us all a lousy gift this Christmas. I will tell you what I do. I have a Word document with all the links to the blogs I am in touch with, and it is where I visit them from. I am not using the Reader.
      Wishing a Happy New Year to you and your family!

      1. A Word Document? I am PC illiterate but have the all guns blazing Word package. How does that work if I may so bold to ask? Sounds really a good idea. I am sick of the Reader an having to remember things. Other than that enjoy your night, have the greatest time…we here shall retire as soon as a tiredness takes over…likely about 10pm!

        1. I copy a Home page address of your blog and paste it in the word document. I do the same with the other blogs I interact with – about 200 addresses, 40 on each page. Then I link them to the pages by clicking on the address and then clicking on the Insert Hyperlink button, that looks like a green knot. Address becomes a link. When you want to visit the blog, you click on the address and press Control (ctrl) key. Voila, the page opens for you. It saves me so much time because i link exactly to the page I need – the blog page.

          1. Thank you so much. I will get Lord Zoolon to show me where the Insert Hyperlink is…he knows these things. This could save me so much time. Brilliant.

  12. Oh my special Inese, I wish you the best, or I am coming by to bag that rooster and take it away. I love your photos, especially the carousel and the Christmas tree of soft toys. Amazing. Sorry about Grishnak. May next year be a year of gains xxx

  16. Reblogged this on I think, I say, I do and commented:
    Today isn’t my regular re-blogging day but this post by Inese is perfect as we welcome the new year, 2017, in the next 24 hours more or less, depending on where we are in the world.

    I am hoping that 2017 for all of us is going to be a year that is a whole lot better than 2016 which has been tough to so many of us.

    Happy New Year to us all!

      1. My pleasure. 🙂 I’m glad this year is over. It’s not been good and we lost people we loved and other good people, whether we know them personally or not.

  17. What a wonderful and different end of year post as we look back yet look to the future for hope. So sorry for your loses this year. The year of the Rooster was interesting and may be have no rooster fights! For us in the US it will certainly bring changes and challenges. That Rooster thing may be true. Cheers for the New Year!

    1. I so hope you won’t have any fights regardless of the incident with Russia. My relatives live in the war zone, and I wouldn’t wish any country to be at war. Lets hope for the best xx

  18. I love this, Inese. The photographs are amazing and the write up is excellent. I hope you don’t mind me re-blogging it. I am hoping that 2017 is going to be a lot better than 2016. Happy New Year! Wishing all of us a prosperous year!

  19. It looks like there are two or more roosters in the first photograph and they seem to be getting along so I am going to take the rooster as a signal of everyone getting along. That photograph is beautiful in texture and shape-they are all in a circle. The Merry-Go-Round photographs look like a carousel of dreams and are ethereal and sparkling. ~Ginene

    1. Thank you Ginene. The rooster picture was taken some ten years ago in Bunratty Castle village, Ireland. The young roosters were keeping together in a close picturesque group. The circles of fire made me think of the cycles of years – these pictures were actually taken from my window 🙂

  20. A great compilation of the Rooster years of the past. I love when someone bring the facts into perspective. I am sorry to hear about Grishnak’s passing away. He looks like a great member of the family.

    Love your rooster pictures. I think they are quite elegant. You have made the coming rooster year looks great already!

    Happy New Year!

    1. Thank you so much! Another month, and the Rooster will arrive 🙂
      Old friend Grishnak was a tough cat. On the family website there is a page dedicated to him, and my Son-in-Law’s brothers and sisters shared their memories. They tried to be respectful, of course 🙂 I will always miss him.
      Happy and wonderful New Year to you! xx

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