The 2020 review

It is Bank Holiday Monday, that is the one before the New Year so it is usual on this blog to write a kind of review which may as well start a bit from where we were last year.

Ever since the great schism between CG/l with age play and age regression broke out on Tumblr there had been further division between purists of Child Like regression that had no place within it for being in a relationship and with some even claiming it for older teens and younger only and the more CGL/re side who did accept relationships but one in which the little was regressed and had that child-like headspace respected within it.

For good measure those of us on that side also maintained that regression was not limited in any way to your chronological age because it is about the child-like space you thoughts, feelings and emotions that you (re)enter so it didn't matter if you were seventeen or seventy as that body was just the physical form that allowed you to express your inner child.

The peace that broke out in 2019 continued even as a few tried to find the buried bones of the argument from the last gals and guys standing on the purist Chire side which was as well as how the year panned out meant we really needed age regression.

Things had started out as normal with me going with friends for fun, games, fresh air and fun at the Winter Littles Camp in a new venue we'd found having a great time even if the weather wasn't all one may of hoped for.

By little more than a month we all saw what will in future be seen as an historical announcement on Tv that informed us that things were going to be very different thanks to Covid which while being found in China we'd assumed was likely to stay around there but that wasn't to be.

That was going on as unexpectedly I was returned for a couple of weeks to the world around which my old job revolved and while doing a little investigating on foot the  best route to get there and having done that a bit of shopping in the City centre I was taken quite ill within a couple of hours for a few weeks with symptoms' that in hindsight did match Covid.

The restrictions from the announcement meant that two attempts to arrange littles camp togethers were foiled as the rules and deadlines kept changing and even our GHS Halloween Party couldn't happen.

Covid affected an aunt and a cousin both of which have recovered but a third died from complications of which of necessity meant the funeral arrangements were anything but straightforward.

I found myself taking comfort more in my more littles/middle side reading comics, watching children's tv and spending time in the fields enjoying the countryside, nature and fresh air playing even if we had to wait a good while for the playground to reopen to use the equipment.

The world-wide nature of Covid affected pretty much everything from marking VE day anniversary, the postponement of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics together with much sport  to making tv, arts performances and recording music.

While recordings were affected I did enjoy buying some new  classical Super audio cds that I did write about here and enjoyed hugely this years Folklore and Evermore albums by Taylor Swift

While it is hard to look ahead when there are continuing developments within Covid, there is reason for hoping the massive vaccination program launched in December will over time lead to a greater ability for us all to function more freely even if it is about for a while.

Christmas gone was very smol, it needed to be as impacted as even that was with presents that were for being played with such as lego or at least allowed me to enter the smaller more reassuring fun world of imagination.

As much as I can say going forward, in my own tomboyish forever schoolgirl way this next year is more likely to see me in world and mindset of her, coping through repetition and imaginary play with whatever is going one around me in much the same way as two tween girls did playing on their bikes in the wood on Christmas Eve.

To me they showed the best response to getting by in all of this and certainly not obsessing over news and groan up things. 

Christmas Day

It's been a crazy year and that of course feeds into Christmas where I'll be with my folks this year although the difference between what the rest of my family say they're going to do and what in fact they do remains.

In terms of presents as it is time to open them I think we'll kick off with "The Big Un".

I've been slowly and with Covid affecting recording and manufacturing this year, slowly building up a collection of Super Audio cds, mainly classical.

My folks bought me this new recording on Sacd, of Beethoven's Piano concertos, all five plus bonus material which will supplement my classic 1960's stereo William Kempf versions with the Berlin Philharmonic on DG.

The Beano today isn't what it was growing up although to be fair the world of children today isn't either although much of childhood remains the same so while back then I'd of had the Annual, today I have the Christmas special edition of the regular comic with the mixture of classic cartoon strips such as Dennis The Menace and newer ones that are more inclusive around sex, race and disability.

The Beano and Dandy were comics I had and more fittingly I did have this years installment in the "Classic" Beano and The Dandy themed compilations from that past they issue every year, this time looking at the work of Dudley D Watkins, one of D C Thomson's finest creators of comic book strips.

Finally as I sip my grape juice, eventually after a long delay the all time early classic Harry Nilsson Nilsson Schmilsson album issued in 1971 came out on a Super Audio cd edition with just a print run of 2,500 world wide in October.

This album, the title of which may escape you was a massive seller in that era and was the home of the #1 single Without You written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of the Welsh group Badfinger.

Now that's what I call scrumptous!

I also had some lego and money although whither the shops may be open in the New Year is another matter although I'm sure Amazon will be running.

Happy Christmas folks!

Christmas Paws Thoughts

We have but four days to go before the Main Event as different as unfortunately it will be for most of us but we are having it nontheless, scaled down because actually it matters to us to maintain faith with time honoured rituals we were introduced to as our parents and grand parents were themselves.

No One not even The Grinch or that nasty chap, Covid has any power to deny you Christmas as you make it in your hands and it lives in your heart wherever you may find yourself this year.

Just let it out and above all, be Smol, Be Little, be your Little Girl or Boy self and enjoy the magic for what it is keeping the groan up cynical thoughts and polly ticks out of our magical time.

It might not of been the Christmas we wanted, but have it, savior it and enjoy the time using whatever means at your disposal to keep connections with family and friends alive as trying as things are.

My message to you is Happy Christmas AND Make It Happen.

The Fiio X1 Mk II

We are almost ready for Christmas with appoint fixed with the Fur Cutter tomorrow to get that under way and the stuff I need for other peoples Christmas here.

I've been recently road testing a small thin digital audio player as mine are a few year old and a bit chunky.

This, the Fiio X1 mkii is thinner than my original X1 and has a different rotary encoder to move though the menus such as songs, artist, folders, albums, playback settings and system set up.

It is more positive than the original X1 but as it uses touch it can and does overshoot at times so it's often easier to use the << and >> buttons to navigate.

The output socket, micro sd card slot (it has no internal memory) and micro usb fit at the bottom of the unit.

The display is a basic 320x240 but adequate and can be turned off by one light press of the power button on the side while the output can be switched from headphones to a line out for  stereo system or portable headphone amplifier such as Fiio also make as some headphones do need more output than many devices natively can provide.

The line output has a number of built in level adjustments you can apply that can help if the output is such you can hardly turn up the volume without it being too loud which is sensible.

This handles all the major audio file formats such as Flac, Apple's Alac, Aac and the evergreen Mp3 but the one issue that there doesn't seem a cure for is sometimes it doesn't do gapless replay correct putting even a tiny space in or a click sound which may be a distraction on music that has lots of parts that segue into each other such as things by the Pink Floyd or live concerts although it isn't as bad as my old Sensa Clip+ used to be in 2010 for it.

Unfortunately there hasn't been any new software updates that may of cured that.

It's fine for playing compilations or most studio albums where it does sound very good for the money but not a first choice for prog rock or live rock concerts where its gap issues do take the edge of seamless songs.

Oh Christmas Tree

After last week's post in this crazy year I went out for a stroll only to find something familiar had returned.

In among the many Christmas decorated houses and gardens, the community Christmas Tree had come back which normally would be the focal point of carolling this weekend but that is presently out with singing in any close public setting but at least it's here.

A beacon of hope for the incoming year, something we could certainly use.