Three cheers this year. Brace for the year to come.
I wonder whether such blog posts are the New Year equivalent of Christmas letters. I see more and more of them this year. All healthy stuff, of course. Good for the soul. But are people getting bored of them? I hope not. As it happens I rather like both Christmas Letters and annual reviews. So,…
I’ve always had what I thought was a weird fascination with acts of remembrance. Early on I assumed I was drawn to the theatre of death. That may well have had something to do with school chapel choir: all the swishing gowns, the heads hung low, everyone striving for stoicism. It’s only recently I’ve come…
I like to spend this time of year doing a spot of auditing. Lots of lever-arch files and pointing at things with pens. It’s a measure of how I’ve come to relax and unwind in late December. The holiday helps free-up some space in my head. The process allows me to celebrate what’s been good in…
A strong along a memorial boardwalk at Snape Maltings Concert Hall in Suffolk
I’m slacking. Normally I’d have read last years New Years Eve post, made a note of the things I said I’d do and then compare it with the list of things I’ve actually done. I’ve looked forward to the process. Relished it, even. This year, I’ve left it late. Hours before the end of the…
I adore New Year. I find the opportunity to reflect irresistible. Sure, in the wrong hands there’s a risk of sliding inexorably towards self-pity. But, exercise a little self-discipline, and reflection can be really quite good for the soul. It’s even been endorsed this year by the Queen (or whoever writes her Christmas Day speech).…
As 2012 comes to an end so the inevitable opportunity to look back on the past twelve months presents itself. And, in-keeping with a post I published late in 2011, the chance to lay out a few hopes for the next twelve months is too irresistible to ignore. So, what what were the things which…
A few days ago I did something I don’t normally do. I ploughed through my blog entries, audioboos, videos and YouTube favourites to see what I could recall from this year. The process threw up some surprises – I collated them. The one which has stuck in my mind has been this chance interview with…
The sun is hot. Very hot. There’s the smallest of breezes, but the excitement from the crowd here on the South Bank more than makes up for it. The Festival Hall is the new must-go-to location in Central London. I’m sitting on concrete benches. Beside me is a lady drawing up her to-do list in…