I can't quite believe it, but another year in property is almost over.

When I signed off at the end of last year I wished you all a happy, healthy 2021, "because this time it really can't be any worse". Turns out I wasn't blessed with the foresight required to predict the imminent return to lockdown and homeschooling.

Because while 2020 was a shocker packed with pandemic-related pain, 2021 has provided to be... pretty similar.

Our most popular stories of the year have been a mixed bag as ever, with posh houses right up there with bizarre and/or surprising accolades (who knew St Albans was one of the UK's coldest cities?)

News that the Wicked Lady's former home was on the market for £9.5m intrigued a lot of you, as did the impact Hong Kong buyers were having on the local market.

In these lockdown days, the one thing so many of us have craved is a change of scenery, which may go some way towards explaining the interest in one lady's experience of swapping Harpenden for Dorset.

Other changes that attracted interest included the planned conversion of the Cotswold shop to 14 flats and the news that the makers of Bear Yoyos were moving their office to St Albans.

The annual look at the previous year's priciest properties was also up there, as was St Albans and Harpenden once more being named among the UK's most expensive places to buy property.

This is the last property section of the year, and we'll be back in the paper on Thursday, January 6.

Until then, I wish you short queues for drop-in booster jabs and no further lockdowns. Surely that's not too much to ask?!