Last year was hard to get out and explore interesting things and places. But (thanks to having such a supportive/forgiving wife) I managed to complete the Works of Art challenge. This year I’m going to push my luck even further. I’ll see how I get on.

29 Folk Traditions and British Rituals
My grandad was a morris dancer. To the members of Lassington Oak, he was the accordionist, the foreman, and more often than not, the squire too. I knew him as Grampy. When I was much younger, we went to see him dance at solstices,  wassails, and other traditional festivals across the cotswolds. But when he died, we stopped. With this challenge, I’m going to attempt to revisit that world – and see 29 traditional folk festivals, rituals and customs across the UK.

29 Hot Sauces
I get through a lot of sriracha. Whenever a meal needs spicing up, I use it. And I put it on plenty of meals that don’t need it too. This year I want to change it up a bit. Try some new hot sauces. They won’t all be blistering heat – I’m not challenging myself to try the hottest sauce. But it’ll hopefully help me escape the repetition of the flying goose.

29 Salads
I was going to do another booze related challenge, because I enjoyed the 26 cocktails challenge so much. But I figure I’m probably going to have my fill of foaming jugs of ale at the folk festivals. So instead, I’m going to attempt something relatively healthy and make 29 salads (from various different chefs and recipe books).

Not a bumper year for these challenges, especially when compared to 2017. In fact, I only managed to complete one of them: 28 works of art. (Little wonder – we had a delightful little sprog in October, and it knocked us for six.) But it was a goodie. Herbs and Roald Dahl books will have to wait a little while. They’re still something I want to tick off.

Here are my top five from the works of art:

Like every year before, here are the 28 photos that best sum up the year.

#28.
Piece: Taddei Tondo
Artist: Michelangelo
About: I’d planned to write about a near flawless replica of the Last Supper for my final piece. It’s at the RA, and its quite a spectacle – painted just a few years after Leonardo died. But it didn’t sit right with me having a replica on this list. Luckily, the neighbouring display case holds the Taddei Tonda, the only marble sculpture by Michelangelo in Great Britain. Not a bad substitution! On the left hand side stands an infant figure representing John the Baptist. He’s showing Christ a goldfinch, symbolising his impending crucifixion. Christ is pulling away – some think in fear, others believe its a playful move. To my eye, it certainly looks like fear. It was marvellous to be able to get so up close to it. The piece was left unfinished, allowing the viewer to see the chisel marks of Michelangelo – its breathtaking.