2012 - where did it go? In the blink of an eye. For the UK, Washed away in a deluge of rain - many, many times.
Yes the summer was rubbish, yes the autumn brought even more flooding and yes, the economic gloom shows scant sign of brightening. But there were many things to celebrate. Here's our round-up of just some of the happier news stories of 2012.
Tags: Australia, Bill Gates, China, Forbidden City, London 2012, Nasa, Olympics, Paralympics, the Pope, UK