And here we are again, at the very end of the year. And what have we learned this year? Not much that we didn’t know at the end of last year if we’re being honest, other than the NSA reads my e mails better than I do I suppose.
On a personal level, I have had four different job titles, the last one being an unpaid promotion which then turned into a paid promotion. There are scary days ahead, and stress levels off the stress-o-meter, but for now, let me just take stock and say, its been a good year. I have travelled, mostly to Denmark, but did some unpaid beer and rib tasting. I am now a certified lead auditor in ISO 9001:2008.
In health news, I have suffered a major skin infection in my leg (now cleared) and suffered a minor bout of gout! I am watching what I drink more, just a bottle of beer each day, and no more than a couple of glasses of red wine. In fact since the trip to France a few weeks ago, I have had just the one bottle of red, spread out over three days. Not that it’ll do me any harms of course. Mum just survived a lung infection. In fact she is only here as Pat called the ambulance when she saw Mum was so blue due to lack of oxygen. Nan had two heart attacks in one morning, and only just survived, and is now in a nursing home: although she is improving and things look a little brighter than they did a week ago. She might get that telegram next year after all.
As usual, photography has taken more and more of my spare time as I really got into the projects this year: Kentish churches, Kentish pubs, butterflies and orchids. The orchids were a real highlight this year, especially the safari I went on at the beginning at June. A real treat to see some of the glories of the Kentish orchids. Then there was the finding of the Musk Orchids on the third attempt, and finally finding the Autumn Lady’s Tresses. As for butterflies, there was finally getting the Duke of Burgundy, seeing and snapping a few Adonis Blues, finding the Small Blues up on Western Heights, a friendly photographer showing me where the White Admiral could be seen ( and I did see it) and then finally seeing two Long Tailed Blues up on Kingsdown Leas. All real highlights. As for churches, we found some real obscure ones, but the highlight was the day in September zipping around the Hoo Peninsular snapping the fine churches there, some with very strong Dickens connections. Then there were the two trips behind steam locomotives to York and back, the one behind Bittern was a dream realised, of course. Open house was a joy, mostly, and I have some great shots from there, and many more churches in the City ticked off my list.
As for music, we did not go to any gigs this year, I think. A first for us. And as last year, I can’t say I have any favourite singles or tracks, other than most of what Radcliffe and Maconie plays are all brilliant. Without doubt, the best track I heard this year was this one from Little Richard, which Chris Evans played back to back with Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin, which enlivened a morning drive to the Bluebell Railway.
I only bought a couple of albums this year; the new Arcade Fire on vinyl, which will take some listening to as it is spread over for sides of plastic. Must listen to it more. But without doubt the best thing we heard was the Public Service Broadcasting’s debut, which stands up to repeated plays and still sounds new and wonderful.
We went to the cinema just once, to see Gravity, which was OK, but not worth the extra to see it in 3D, most other releases we saw on demand from Sky. Must try harder next year: I mean we have not seen the new Hobbit film, and that is the first time I have missed out on one of them on its opening day.
On TV, I have watched mostly documentaries, with the two highlights being The Dark Ages: An Age of Light, which was just wonderful. So wonderful we watched it twice. And the other highlight was Tudor Monastery farm, which has only just finished, and we have a special episode tonight on BBC2.
On the radio, pretty much the same as last year: Radcliffe and Maconie, Steve Lamaq I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue, The Now Show, The Unbelievable Truth, The Infinite Monkey Cage all were unmissable.
In sport, it was a mostly disappointing year: in football, although Norwich finished in 11th place, it still felt like it was a disappointing season, with survival only obtained after two wins in the final two matches. Inbtween those two matches, City won the FA Youth Cup, which bodes well for the future. We hoped.
But, despite spending more on players during the summer than almost all managers have ever spent at the club, things have not really improved, and as the year closes we find ourselves in the middle of a relegation battle and doubts over the manager.
Football in general is obsessed with money as ever, with players on huge sums of money and ticket prices going up, yet TV money increasing by 60%. The owner of Hull City wants to change the name of the club to Hull Tigers, as City is crappy or something, the owners of Coventry have moved the club to Northampton in a dispute with the city council over the ground and finally Vincent Tan had already changed Cardiff City into playing in red and changing the badge from a bluebird to a dragon, now he wants to change the name too and sacked Malky as the owner thinks he has done no good. Its all so sad, as on none of these cases have the fans been asked, or taken into account. Thankfully, football is not a life or death matter, then.
Elsewhere, Andy Murray became the first Briton to win Wimbledon since before the war, Chris Froome won the 100th running of Le Tour de France and England won the Ashes. Again. However, England also lost the Ashes in Oz, in miserable fashion, currently having lost all four of the tests so far, and little hope of a different result in the final game. In the Prem, Manchester United won the title, but that tempered with the news that Sir Alex Ferguson announcing his retirement just before the end of the season, and David Moyes replacing him from Everton. Since then, all has not been well at Old Trafford, but things are picking up for them as they try to chase down Arsenal and Man Citeh at the top. Although money talks still, Swansea won the League Cup beating Bradford City and then Wigan won the FA Cup to enter European competition for the first time. I did not watch the Tour this year, just not enough time, but I did keep up to date via Twitter and the radio. A second Brit winning it in two years is really something to be celebrated. Neither did I watch any Wimbledon, a combination of work, orchids and butterflies was the reason, but he did well to cope with the pressure and a nation’s hopes to lift the trophy.
The government has continued the war against the sick, the disabled, the singe parents and the unemployed, whilst the Tory press urges them on to even more savage cuts. Sometime I wonder how we got ourselves into this mess with Tory boy and his cronies, and then I remember Bliar and Brown. Oh yes, you have a lot to answer to.
Tomorrow I will bring you my hopes and predictions for the new year…..
3 comments:
Can see why your glass is half-full, Ian :-)
Have a great 2014 - keep posting!
Ian, and I was there for every word of every 226 of those blogs! Make for excellent night shift reading at work.
Thanks for reading, guys.
Not sure what the year will bring, but there is promise of travel to Sweden, Germany and Spain with work, as well as the usual stuff you have come to expect.
We can see green shoots in the garden and in churchyards, it might not feel like it, but spring is a few weeks away.
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