Thoughts on 2018:
The Big Stuff:
This was a year of finding our footing again. It took a while, but we’re now pretty settled into parenthood. I took three months off work to look after the sprog. I can’t say I did anywhere near as a good as job as Soph did, but hey – we survived. We went on a few short trips away as a family, and I took a few trips away with friends too. Work was less climactic than last year, but I got to spend a lot of time with some good clients on some exciting projects. I spent some time acting as trustee for Depaul UK but found I didn’t have much time for my own side projects.

The Small Stuff:
Played squash most weeks, until it got too cold in December. Lots and lots and lots of walks to Starbucks in Mile End, in the hope sprog would fall asleep en route. Plenty of fuck-ups. Plenty of melt-downs. No music gigs, one comedy gig, a couple of films – but what to expect with a 1 year old. The first of (hopefully) many BBQs at our new home. Dry January and Dry October, with a holiday-ish run up to Christmas.

Travel:

Quote for the year:
“Dad seems to be coping okay. No parental concern.”

Books read: 20
Best three books:Number of photos taken: 9825
Number of songs starred on Spotify: 72

Most listened to track: A Beautiful Spring Day – George Bruns
Series watched: Seinfeld, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, House of Cards S6, The Staircase, Narcos S3, The Crown S2, Bodyguard, The Informer

Album of the Year: 11 Nursery Rhymes – Nursery Rhymes 123
Film of the Year: The Darkest Hour

Pub Quizzes Partaken: 1
Pub Quizzes Won: 0
Trips to the doctor: 0
Trips to the dentist: 2
Trips to the vet: 1

Museums visited: 13 (including the V&A Museum of Childhood many times…)
New Year’s Resolutions:
Dry February. Find more time for writing. Find more time for side projects. Sort out the garden and host more BBQs. Matcha over coffee.

#15.
Custom: The Lighting of the St Paul’s Christmas Trees
About: A special annual service in which the crib is blessed and the Christmas trees are lit. It’s hard to find anything concrete about its history – but it’s not as old as you’d expect. In fact, even as late as the 1930s, one writer states that the chapter of St Paul’s felt uncomfortable introducing the Christmas tree lights ‘innovation’.

#16.
Custom: The Ceremony of the Keys
About: It’s said to be the oldest military ceremony in the world, performed nightly for 700 years. At 9.53pm, a 7 minute long, faultlessly choreographed tradition takes place, as the Yeoman Warders and Queens Guard lock up the tower for the night. Tickets to watch it are free, but they go 12 months in advanced. Nonetheless, on the night I saw it (the 21st December) 40 people didn’t show up – so the ten of us that made it were treated to a private tour of the tower and the guard room by the very generous beefeater, Moira.

#17.
Custom: The Boxing Day Mummers Play
About: Mummers plays are one of the oldest surviving traditions of the British Christmas. This one, performed outside Gloucester Cathedral on Boxing day, has been going for about half a century. It follows the traditional structure – two characters engaging in combat, revived by a quack doctor. Several Morris sides also perform (including my Grampy’s old side – Lassington Oak).