2022 Father Time & The Grim Reaper

Old Father Time walked up the pathway to the bench, the 2022 sash in his hand ready to be replaced by the one for 2023. Already seated there was the Grim Reaper and Time noticed that he had been there a while looking at the amount of cigarette butts littered around him.
'You're late' said Death as he moved his scythe to allow the old man to sit down.
'You're early' replied Time and Death shrugged 'Not so busy this year, the pandemic seems to have slowed down and not so many wars, at one point last year i thought i was going to have to take on an apprentice'.
'Less wars is a good thing i guess' said Time before adding 'not for you obviously'.   
'It's a strange one as i can normally rely on America and the UK to invade somewhere but they have both been a big disappointment this year, one has a leader who is never awake long enough to pick a fight with anyone and the other one kept changing leaders'.
'That Russian guy helped keep the numbers up i guess' said Time folding his tattered, old sash and picking up the the reapers 2022 Book of Death and flicking through it casually.   
'Big name this year was that British Queen' said death cheering up, 'there was also Mikhail Gorbachev, Shane Warne, Ray Liotta, Sidney Poiter, Kirstie Alley and  Irene Cara, Taylor Hawkins, Meat Loaf, Jerry Lee Lewis, Terry Hall so we could have a pretty good band if we wanted'.
Time nodded and sighed at the name Olivia Newton-John.
'Ah, lovely lady, i did put her off a few times but the Big Guy said i couldn't do it again' he shrugged. 'So what's new with you?'
'Mother Nature has really stamped her foot down this year' replied Time pulling the 2023 sash over his head and flattening it down against his thin chest, 'Floods, record heat temperatures, snowstorms, she really is going all out to make these humans pay for polluting her Planet'.
'It's the idiots own fault' laughed Death looking at his pocket-watch, 'a woman scorned and all that'.
'They have had enough warnings' agreed Time pushing himself up off the seat, 'Are you ready?'
'I suppose' replied Death picking up his scythe and pulling a cloth from his pocket and giving the edge a quick wipe, 'no rest for the wicked and 2023 is going to be busy, Mother Nature will make sure of that' Death said tucking his Death Book into his shroud before adding' And don't ask, no spoilers'
'Do you think things will ever change?' asked Time.
'Nah, always going to be wars and always going to be those religious types killing each other because they think their God is more loving and peaceful than the other' which made Time chuckle 'very true'.
'Same time next year then' said Time as he waved a hand and shuffled left through the door marked 2023.
Death watched him go and then walked in the opposite direction whistling the tune of (I Just) Died in Your Arms.