WELL here we are, heading towards the end of yet another year. It s this time of year like no other that makes us take stock of what we ve got and what we ve done and also start to look forward to what we re going to do. For me 2006 has been so-so. I lost

WELL here we are, heading towards the end of yet another year. It's this time of year like no other that makes us take stock of what we've got and what we've done and also start to look forward to what we're going to do.

For me 2006 has been so-so.

I lost my beloved granddad in the summer and my whole family really miss him.

Christmas in particular didn't seem the same without him this year.

He was always incredibly glad for whatever you'd got him, no matter how humble, and we missed his smiling face on December 25.

On a lighter note, I have continued to enjoy being a home owner and, as regular readers of Last Word will know, have even tested out how green my fingers really are by growing my own vegetables.

Looking forward, I expect I will succumb to the temptation on January 1 to write an unfeasibly long list of New Year's resolutions.

This is highly likely to include things that crop up every year like going to the gym more, eating more fruit and veg and trying to spend more time with family and friends.

I very much hope I'll manage the last one but I'd lay money on the other two not being overwhelming successes.

On a larger scale, I have some big hopes for 2007, but I'm not sure how positive I am that they will come to fruition.

I would really like to see some decisive and meaningful action taken on climate change, both in our country and especially in the US.

In Britain, one form this simply has to take is serious investment in public transport.

The announcement by Stagecoach just before Christmas that it is to cut bus services in this area was just awful.

This decision will effectively leave people in villages in Mid Beds stranded.

It is a thoroughly backward step as we should be having more buses, not fewer.

But the truth of the matter is people won't use the services unless they meet their needs.

We need some serious investment in quality, reliable services that will provide a viable alternative to sitting by ourselves in our cars.

Sticking to the theme of services in our local area, I would also like to see the decision made to invest in developing the acute services at Lister hospital rather than at the QEII in Welwyn Garden City.

Lister is by far the better choice, not just for the people of Stevenage but for those in North Herts and Mid Beds as well and I hope that the powers that be recognise this.

We have some interesting times ahead of us in 2007 and I hope you will continue to share them with me through The Comet and Last Word.

Happy New Year to you all!