Hayley Sinclair – Skirtingroundmylife

Skirting Round My Life 2021 My Year On The Blog

As I look back on the events of 2021 I have to say that it wasn’t the year I or anyone hoped or expected it would be. These past 12 months have been a difficult year for us all and this continues to be reflected in Skirting Round My Life as it has in every blog, journal , magazine or other news outlets.

On looking at the statistics, this year has seen Skirting Round My Life on a bit of downward trajectory which I think was to be expected given the circumstances. Hopefully this will change in the next 12 months. Though that will, to a certain extent at least, depend on things opening up a bit post Covid and providing me with more opportunities to enjoy myself and post about my exciting experiences.

The first thing to say that Skirtingroundmylife gained 2, 507 views in 2020. This represented an drop of 16% from it’s 2020 total of 3,018. Though disappointed with the drop I am not in the least bit surprised as continued uncertainty from Covid19 played havoc with our lives and restrictions on what we could and couldn’t do meant opportunities for growth were very severely limited.

This lack of opportunity resulted in a very dramatic drop in the number of posts in the last twelve months as they fell by almost half from 98 to 50. It can also be said that the number of both visitors to the site and comments on posts are both down with the later dropping from 28 to 16 and likes falling by more than 60% from 83 to 36

Topics covered in the last twelve months included Acceptance, Age, Bisexuality, Childhood, Christmas, Coming Out, Ceilidhs, Concerts, Covid19, Crossdressers, Dancing , Dating, Death, Discrimination, Equality, Faith, Fashion, Friendship, Grandparents, Holidays, Lockdown, Love, Memories, Mental Health, Poetry, Relationships, Secrets, Sensuality, Sex, Sexism, Sexuality, Stereotypes, Transition, Transphobia, Visibility, Women,

2021 again saw a slight dip in my global reach as visiting nations were slightly down from 31 in 2020 to 27 last year. The top five countries were UK , USA, Ireland, Germany and Finland, with Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Guernsey, and Sweden. making up the top ten. There were also readers from countries including France, Croatia The Philippines, Denmark, Colombia, Peru, Norway, India, and Poland amongst other nations who paid this a visit

As all the statistics have now properly evaluated it is time to bring this review to its conclusion but before I do so I just want thank all my readers. Whether you subscribe to the site or read the posts on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter it doesn’t really matter, the main thing is that you read them and find them entertaining, enjoyable , thought provoking and maybe in some cases challenging. I really hope you’ll continue to do so as that’s what makes blogging so enjoyable for those us who put our opinions out there on the blogosphere for you to read. So all that remains is for me to wish you A Happy, Successful, and Peaceful New Year and I hope you’ll keep skirting round my life throughout 2022 and beyond .

Till next time

Gayle X

Skirting Round My Life 2020 My Year On The Blog

As I look back on the events of 2020 I have to say that it wasn’t the year I or anyone expected it to be. These past 12 months have been like a rollercoaster ride for us all and this has been reflected in Skirting Round My Life as it has in every blog, journal , magazine or other news outlets.

On looking at the statistics it’s been a game of swings and roundabouts as to some extent it always is in the blogging world. While there has been progress with the number of both comments reaching record levels it is offset by the fact that there was a drop in overall page views.

The first thing to say that Skirtingroundmylife gained 3, 018 views in 2020. This represented an drop of 7% from it’s 2019 total of 3,262. Though naturally disappointed with the drop I am not in the least bit surprised as the national lockdown caused by the Covid19 pandemic was bound to have some impact on the blog. Yet despite the challenging circumstances this has been a year of only slight decline with average views down to 7 views per day compared to 8 in the last two years.

This I think was due in no small part to lockdown though the fact I didn’t promote certain poems anywhere near as much as I should also contributed. This is something I will work towards improving in 2021.

That said there is one area where has been noticeable growth is in the number of posts published which rose from 88 to 98 in the last twelve months. It can also be said that the number of both visitors to the site and comments on posts are both up with the later more than doubling from 8 to 28, and likes increasing from 74 to 83

Topics covered in the last twelve months included Age, Birthdays, Bisexuality, Bullying, Childhood, Christmas, Coming Out, Ceilidhs, Concerts, Covid19, Dancing , Dating, Death, Disability, Discrimination, Equality, Family, Faith, Fashion, Gratitude, Kindness, Lockdown, Love, Lingerie, Memories, Mental Health, Poetry, Relationships, Role Models, Secrets, Social Distancing, Stereotypes, The Broga Frois, Transition, Transphobia, Transport, Visibility, and last but not least Football

2020 saw a slight dip in my global reach as visiting nations were slightly down from 34 in 2019 to 31 last year. The top five countries were UK , USA, Ireland, Canada, and Australia, With New Zealand, Spain, Turkey, Iraq, and Germany, making up the top ten. There were also readers from countries including South Africa, The Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Argentina, Norway, and much to my astonishment Guadalupe, Yes readers my words reach glamorous places.

Till next time

Gayle X

A Tale Of Two Teams (For Scott Booth)

If anyone had told me a year ago that I would call the manager of any other team than Celtic by the prefix our when talking about them I would have said they were mad. However as I hope this poem will show, history has a habit of making us look at things from a slightly different angle and the fact I have recently referred to Glasgow City Manager Scott Booth in this way shows the genuine affection in which I hold this club I’ve got to know only in the last year or so. Trust me City and Celtic are very similar in the way they were founded and that really resonated with me. Now since geography made it easier to get to City games than Celtic ones and the emotional demands of the women’s game are slightly different to that of the men’s I decided there was room in my heart for both these great clubs and it’s a decision I haven’t regretted. It is for this reason I have titled it A Tale Of Two Teams and before you ask, yes I am a massive Charles Dickens fan. I dedicate the poem to City manager Scott Booth. I hope you enjoy the read.

A Tale Of Two Teams (For Scott Booth)

If anyone had told me
that I would address a former opponent
who never wore the green and white hoops of Celtic
as one of our own
the boss or our Scott
I would have told them politely of course
that they may be ever so slightly mad
dismissed it and said it would never happen
yet now it actually has
though the man who sits in the Glasgow City manager’s seat
may never know the magnitude of this achievement his team claimed
by making my life
a tale of two teams
to be honest I never believed this day would ever dawn
but as we moved on from the buzz of the world cup
and back to the domestic campaign
I am proud that I gave
a different team my heart
in the women’s game
yet in many ways the stories
while not exactly the same
have striking similarities in formation
to give inspiration to distinct demographics
both disadvantaged in terms of access to opportunities
two strong diverse communities
who wanted to play the game their way
that’s why when I say our Scott
I don’t just mean Scott Brown
I say it with feeling for a man who I saw play
for Aberdeen and the national side
who never once let his team down
and now manages
the best women’s team in the land
you have to understand
this team is packed with inspirational players
like Hayley and Claire
young Hayley, Jo Love,
and our captain the mighty Leanne Ross
a leader both on and off the park
now all those mentioned and many more
have had the prefix our added to their names
in a way I thought could only be applied to Celtic greats
but now having taken the step
I have no regrets
in making the choice
I will raise my voice to cheer them on
and be faithful through and through to both my teams
and hold them closer to my heart
than you can ever imagine

Half Time Break (For Hayley Sinclair)

On the night we clap for our careers this poem takes what I hope is an empathetic look at those key workers who work in care homes in a job which is so often or at least was until the outbreak of Covid19 overlooked by those of us who have little or no experience of this environment in a personal or professional capacity. I was inspired to write it after reading on Glasgow City social media platforms that our midfielder Hayley Sinclair works as care provider in this field. So it was with Hayley very much in mind I attempted to walk a mile in her shoes and imagine what an average shift must be like in these challenging times both for her and those she cares for. I’ve given it the title Half Time Break I hope you enjoy the read.

Half Time Break

Time for lunch
Its been non stop this morning
keeping the residents busy.
In her half time break
she takes a moment to reflect
on the fragility of our human condition
In these troubled days
football seems light years away
she wants to get out on the pitch
play the game, the way she’s always done
For now though there are bigger fights to be won
in battles miles from the nearest stadium
Home games need good results
It’s all in a day’s work
as smiles replace medals
as rewards for a job well done
An old man chats to her during her shift
her spirits are lifted as he tells her his story
about being lifted over the gate
when Scotland beat England 3-1 at Hampden
in the days before the war.
and how his two boys
wouldn’t talk for a week
in the run up to an old firm game
or three days after
to allow tempers to cool
as no matter the score
one would always be disappointed
as she gets him a coffee he cries wishing his boys would come to the place
where memories are his only regular visitors
knowing they can’t breaks him
tears run from the eyes of a man who realises his game is almost up
and the final whistle could be blown any minute
yet social distancing limits
who he is allowed to see
he says he’s seen her play on TV
but couldn’t understand a word
the commentator was saying
he just hoped he was being nice
and praising her for having a good game
she knows this job is hard
that it’s heartbreaking to see people fade away
into shadows diminished by time
though some are still active
in body and mind
and as a woman tackles the crossword
before watching her daily diet
of news, quizzes, and soaps
the focused expression on her face reminds her to stick to her training routine
in all weathers no matter what
she loves her job though she knows
how hard it can get on occasions
a care provider she sees the humanity in others
and always respects their dignity
she has great abilities on the ball
when the playing the game
but this is as far away from fame
as you can get.
she never forgets that at work on in the colours
if you give your best you’ll be fine
realising how quickly time passes
she is all too aware
we only get one shot at glory
one chance to shoot for the stars
after which we gradually fade
from the picture
until the day when memories
are our only regular visitors
and we are grateful for their company
in the silence of empty grounds