Hello everyone; hello 2025, and hello to the new-look Nostalgia Pie!
We hope everyone had a great Christmas and new year. So weird to think that the festive season is now over. All that anticipation, rushing around, and then... gone in a flash - like the last chocolate bar in the Christmas selection box! The good news is that December will be here before we know it and the festive shenanigans will start all over again. And we can't wait!
It's also hard to believe that we're halfway through the decade. How did that happen so quickly! In another five years time - which is guaranteed to fly by - we'll be welcoming in a whole new decade. Let's hope it doesn't start as disastrously as this one did! 2024 was a year of highs and lows - as most years are. My highlights of the last year include witnessing my first ever solar eclipse. We were so lucky that it was visible in the part of the USA where we live. It was also a Magic Summer for me as I got to see New Kids on the Block in concert. A highlight for me - not so much for the man.
Furthermore we visited Bournemouth for the first time in twelve years: the beach town in Britain that could still have been our home had life turned out differently (life, in case you didn't know, often has a mind - and a life - of it's own, that's often very different to your own!) And Bournemouth so happens to be the birthplace of Nostalgia Pie. Yep it all started there! We went back with our niece and nephew who loved it. I just wish we could have also taken little Rocky - the family's first ever little kitty.
As we reflect on the year that was 2024, let's take a moment to remember the incredibly talented people we lost that year. Stars such as country legend Toby Keith, actor Ian Lavender, author Francine Pascal, and actress Janet Andrewartha and so many more. As I'm writing this, news has just broken that Linda Nolan of The Nolans has sadly passed away, and yesterday we lost comedian Tony Slattery. While many of us may not have known them personally, and only connected with them via our TV sets or pages of a magazine, their presence has been a part of our lives for so long, often going back to childhood. Just the mere mention of their name often triggers happy memories of another time for us. So it's unsurprising that many of us feel a sense of emptiness and a feeling that part of our childhood years has been lost, regardless of whether we knew them or not. It's a reminder of how much these famous faces we grew up with can impact us, even from afar.
Gone but never forgotten. May they all rest in peace...
Here's hoping that 2025 brings you all peace, good health, happiness and the best of everything.
As a new year is just getting warmed up, I'm thrilled to welcome you all to the new-look Nostalgia Pie! After more then five years, we kind of felt that we needed to take the site into a new direction. So after months of behind the scenes tinkering and twerk-, I mean, tweaking; endless cups of tea, and lots of pie (what else!) the site has undergone quite a revamp, with a fresh new look and a heap of cool features to make our followers retro experience even better!
What's New?
Sleek Design: We've completely overhauled the site's layout, which should hopefully make the site easier to navigate. We're still on the cusp of the sixties and seventies with regards to aesthetics (maybe one day we'll make it to the eighties - who knows!) but the overall design is more visually appealing. (Well, we think so anyway!)
Improved home page: One of the standout changes is our new and improved homepage, which has been designed to be more informative and user-friendly, so you can see at a glance what Nostalgia Pie is all about and what we offer.
Expanded Content: More reviews, brand new features, and ideas as to how you can totally get stuck into all that the retro fabulousness you love!
Digital Download hub: (coming soon) A members-only space where you can access digital products for free!
Emphasis on Community: One of the best things about this site - apart from the reminiscing of course - is the sense of community. We aim to make the most of bringing people together with interactive activities such as the forum; the online reading club, and other groups.
Charitable initiatives: (Coming soon) We strongly believe in giving back, so in the near-future, we'll be collaborating with charities and organizations that align with our values.
And don't forget, we'll soon be starting up our Nostalgia Pie Book Group for this year. We've picked a good selection of books, if we may say so ourselves. More details about that coming soon. And I promise - this English teacher will not be setting any homework!
I couldn’t do any of this without the support of my awesome followers, so here’s to you, the best nostalgia enthusiasts out there! Thanking each and every one of you for your continued support which is noted and much appreciated. Here's to another year that's filled with even more nostalgic escapades and retro reveries!
Happy New Year everybody!
Photos: Unsplash and Angel Noire
Blog graphics: Angel Noire
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