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So, how’s 2016 been for you?

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I ask you this every December (I think this is the 8th year I’ve asked, blimey). Did you have a good year? Globally, we can probably agree that it’s been an unprecedented stinker. But personally? I’d love to know. I’ll tell you about my year in the comments.

Hannah x

1

Comments

  1. It’s certainly been a challenging one. Some of the more memorable moments…

    CRAP STUFF:

    I had to take someone to court. After two hearings, I got the result I was hoping for, but the whole process was horrendously unpleasant and stressful.

    SPLENDID STUFF:

    One of my children was diagnosed with a developmental condition. Why is this splendid? Because it was a huge relief. I’d always felt that I didn’t quite understand something about her, and that I was missing something fundamental. Now I know, suddenly everything makes sense. And she’s much happier too, finally understanding why she feels so different from other people. It’s been a surprisingly positive experience.

    I had to step in and play Santa at my kids’ school (Santa’s wife went into labour and the proper replacement Santa was an hour away). It was the most wonderful privilege, and happily, none of the children sussed that Santa had boobs.

    ON BALANCE:
    I wouldn’t want to relive certain parts of this year, but I come to the end of 2016 feeling both more determined (got another legal battle in progress) and contented than I ever have.

    Hope 2016 has been kind to you.

  2. Oh Gordon Bennett – what a year.
    On a work level, I’ve been very busy which is good because the GLW left her job in March and won’t start a new one till (hopefully) January. If I hadn’t had probably my best ever year of working for myself we would have gone under. Still nasty tax bill to come (if anyone cares, the government is making it really tough for small businesses – fine if you are a megacorp, but small business is about to be stiffed).
    Girl child is being assessed for Asperbergers/autism, at her request, just so that she has a definition of why she is who she is. 5 sessions of CBT had amazing impact. On plus side her academic scores are going up way faster than her school can deal with (she is silent in class, obvs) and being reserve for England was rather bittersweet (close but no cigar).
    Boy child has suddenly decided to behave in school, and academic scores also rocketing now he is no longer perpetually in trouble. Their ice-hockey team was second in everything this year (also close but no cigar).

    Then GLW has been poorly, had a gaslighting mad boss that she needed to get away from (and it has taken 9 months to really recover from). And we are on the fringes of a criminal investigation that might go to court if the perp lives long enough. How bittersweet is that?

    Meanwhile we have friends who are barely getting by, and a country that appears to have gone horribly wrong and intolerant. Brexit continues to make me ask what country I am living in, and what my neighbours, friends and family are thinking. Trump makes me seriously worried. My local MP is spectacularly rancid (fond of filibustering if you are interested) and involvement in local politics feels Sisyphusian.

    Oh and the first great love of my life killed herself. That sort of year.

    Good stuff – I still appear to have a functioning marriage, no major family illnesses, Liverpool seem to have a good attack (if no functioning defence), there is a new Star Wars movie to watch, and 2017 is only about 10 days away. 2017 is the year we fight back.

    Sorry for the moan. Hope everyone had a good 2016 (apart from all the dead pop stars obvs) and an even better 2017. Bring it on.

  3. West Cornwall is a lot different to East London.
    I genuinely find it very tiring saying “hello” to everyone; thinking about walking the long way round to avoid having to do it.
    Bizarrely, been to more films/gigs/galleries than I ever did in London. There’s far less to do, but I do far more.

    Elsewhere:
    BAD – the E.U. stuff has been disastrous and, worse, immeasurably dull; we’ve moved from Obama to Trump; and, if I never hear the words “David” and “Bowie” again, I won’t be complaining.
    GOOD – Leicester City. Fantastic.

  5. The Good:
    Still love my job in education.
    Our kids are doing well at school.
    Our daughter is developing into a talented pianist all off her own bat.
    Mr andielou’s lumpy bollocks are due to cysts & not the Big C- hurrah!
    My dear, departed Dad has now got his own memorial plaque so we have a place to go to sit & think about him.

    The Bad:
    My sister-in-law died alone after years of suffering schizophrenia.
    I fell over after a party, wearing stupid shoes, & got a horrific shiner which lasted over 6 frigging weeks.
    Lost my overtime hours at work so bringing home less money.
    And, it has to be said, the global shittery of this godforsaken year has impacted upon my life in manifold ways. The state of things fills me with despair.

    Merry Christmas!

  6. Not had a bad one really. Everyone is healthy and in the main happy, allowing for the natural ebb and flow of life. Work has been mega busy which is nice financially but rough on doing much else. I have a plan to be semi retired in about a year and a half so the more work the better is the plan for the moment. Wife and boy are doing fine, and we had our first child free week away for 12 years in the summer which was lovely. Of course we missed him…. I find it hard to get depressed about the wider world these days. What will be will be, and me worrying about it isn’t going to change much. Made a couple of CDs which people seemed to like, had a lovely guitar custom made as a mega treat when a particularly gruelling contract renewed (there has to be an upside) and I await delivery of a Pencilsqueezer with bated breath. Looking forward to a break over Christmas too!

    http://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i449/charlieboy14/Mobile%20Uploads/P1050972_zpsn0l7drrh.jpg

  7. Bad:
    The world, the world. You know. If it was up to me I would never look at or listen to any news media ever again. You don’t have to, do yer? Unfortunately every day has to start with the Today programme and its cavalcade of c***s. Even Chris Evans couldn’t get my day off to a worse start.

    At work, my manager proved herself not only stupid and weird, but demonstrably incompetent and a liar. Following a restructure necessitated by various people leaving because of her, she was given a new job and a pay rise. She then had the nerve to moan about going into a new tax band…
    I am largely insulated from this in my day-to-day work, but some of the good, smart people I work with are not and get belittled and shat on by morons. I would hope that in 2017 the chickens will come home to roost. But they won’t, and anyway it’s Christmas so I’ll just hope that my manager gets visited by three spirits.
    But I still have a job, despite being demonstrably rubbish at it. As with my health I continue to get away with it. Lucky bastard.

    Good:
    I remain strangely indestructible. I continue to impersonate a fish, a pig and a sloth simultaneously. My heart keeps beating. I even had it checked – fine. I won’t need glasses for another two years. Even my teeth are fine. The world’s not fair.

    Mrs M’s health improved slightly and certainly didn’t get any worse. A series of all clears – great. She continues to delight and (more importantly) forgive me.

    We had a fantastic summer of various stays with friends all over the country. Sunsets. Trees. Beaches. Dogs. Cats. Castles. Hysterical rambling drunken discussions long into the night. Yisssssss.

    We made a number of significant improvements to the house, the most important of which for me was having some decent speakers for the first time in 16 years. Quality of life improved – check! Right on time I got a windfall of lovely old vinly in the summer. Yay!

    We have persuaded my parents – Mere Moose specifically – to move closer to us after years of badgering. Why do they have to move? Well this is where they’re from, and I can’t move because of the aforementioned job. They irritate the living crap out of me but I love them and want them close and safe.

    The future: City of culture!

  8. World events have tried to make me unhappy consistently throughout the year, but friends, art and love have kept things sweet for me personally. I heard, seen, read, whatever enough truly wonderful things to confirm a general faith in humanity and a birthday trip to Venice was so fantastic that we’ll repeat the experiment next year when I’ll be 50 (I know. I don’t know that happened either. I’d demand a recount if I didn’t think I’d be wasting everyone’s precious time).

    Lots of other travel this year but in the UK, including trips to Manchester where the Lights daughter has fallen in love with the city as a student, Edinburgh just the other week, multiple stays in London (which is u usual as we only live a short train ride away in Essex), and lots of midlands towns around Warwick which I had either never visited or not seen for years. I and those closest to me are in good health and reasonably stable financially, which makes us a whole lot better off than many.

    My job is insecure, but I don’t think I have had a single year in my working life when I wasn’t in a cost citing, money scrimping environment, so there’s no change there, and The Lights father is almost certainly in his declining years but can still more or less look after himself at home which is as much as we can hope for. I could probably have written all of this last year and it would have been just as true. If I can do the same next year I’ll consider myself a lucky man.

  9. I earnestly answered what I think was the first of Hannah’s questions back in the day. God that was a miserable time. Stuck in a dreadful marriage, redundant in just about every sense of the word. Staying alive just so as not to f-up my kids. And not daring to show a smidgen of weakness, in case it was used against me in the inevitable divorce I was trying to build the strength to face.

    By contrast, this has been one of the best years ever for me. I’ve been working on a fairly large creative project for a couple of years and set myself a deadline at the beginning of the year. As the end approaches, I’m over 90% of the way there, which makes up for the previous year, which was largely wasted waiting on a collaborator. Divorce behind me, the ex met someone else, which significantly improved things between us. I gave up a doomed relationship with someone even more challenging than me (the suicide attempt was a bit of a red flag) and spent the last half year in a reasonably stable relationship with possibly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.

    So excuse the smugfest. If the creative endeavor fails, I’m facing complete penury. But I haven’t had to worry about that this year. I’ve got all of next year to have doors slammed in my face, manuscripts rejected and music poo-pooed. I can’t wait!

    Oh, and like a couple of others here, one of my children has had a diagnosis which may help resolve some of the issues she has. Who knew a difficult birth could cause so many apparently unrelated problems. Fingers crossed for her, but as with others, we’re at least relieved we may have found a cause.

  10. I am not as interesting or articulate as most of the good folk of our parish, but here goes.

    Some major life events have happened in 2016 & like most other posters (& no doubt readers/lurkers) some have been good & some not so good.

    Now, I genuinely don’t know if what I am about to type/say is good or bad, but since I lost my job in 2014 money has been very tight & I decided to sell my house in west Cumbria, move down to the Wirral & start renting again. I have to confess that I have lots of negative feelings/emotions about it, including (but not exclusively) shame, embarassment, guilt, – all negative emotions which have done no good to my sense of self worth.

    And yet, this decision/move has led to me coming off of Prozac for the first time in years, & an overall feeling of being less agitated/tightly wound (more chilled) which can only be a good thing.

    My health is a mixture of contradicting symptoms conditions. I am genuinely feeling much better overall, but am slowly but surely losing control of my Type 1/ insulin controlled diabetes. Being overweight, diabetic & 60 isn’t something that suggests longevity. As ever, I am hoping for a new start/ new me in the new year, but experience suggests that my good intentions will last as long as they always do (Not very long…)

    Positive stuff.

    The lovely Carol & I are really settled in our new home & have both got jobs close by. Most of my working life I have been involved in the making & distribution of electricity (18 years in the power industry & before that 25 years in the Royal Navy finishing as a Chief Petty Officer electrical Artificer & my last seagoing job was in charge of the electrical generating section of an aircraft carrier – great job & happy days. Now I am on a zero hours contract (minimum wage natch) cleaning/ security/ bin man. But guess what – I am contentedly happy, no stress, working less than a ten minute walk from my front door doing something that brings in some money (although significantly less than I have been on for the last 30+ years).

    My relationship with my eldest son seems to have turned into what I always wanted it to be & Tom & I are easily the best we have been with each other since his Mum suddenly died tragically young (just past her 39th birthday) nearly 16 years ago.

    Life continues, & along the way my life has been a combination of incredible highs & terrible lows. 2016 has continued in much the same way, but without extremes in either direction.

    I have had better years, but I have had far, far worse. I think I would have to call 2016 a B- I have never really enjoyed new year celebrations/partying, & by nature/nurture I am a bit of a miserable pessimist, but I am hoping that if I can get a tighter grip on my diabetes, then next year will have a slight upward curve – heres hoping.

    Can I finally finish the rambling. incoherent post by wishing all onboard this rather splendid ship of ours a wonderful christmas & I hope 2017 brings for you what you wish for you & yours.

    Best wishes,

    Peace & Love,

    Les (JTB)

  11. Bad:
    All sorts of stupid health stuff that isn’t worth detailing. It’s all commensurate with 50-odd years of idleness and over-indulgence. The realisation that we are not immortal was probably overdue in my case, as are the lifestyle changes that I’ve had to make. Mostly, being ill is just boring.

    Good:
    I refuse to join in the general despair at the state of the world. This year’s crisis has been a long time coming. Sometimes, when things are very bad, any change is good. Many people wanted change before Brexit and Trump and now, even though many of us feel we have gone off in the wrong direction, at least we are moving. Working on the fringes of politics I’ve seen the change in Westminster this year. We have barely competent ministers and no functioning opposition to hold them to account. If ever there was a moment for a ‘different kind of politics’, this is it, and it’s encouraging that a lot of previously disengaged people have finally become involved in shaping their own future. Mostly on false promises, but hey, that’s social media for you.

    Work-wise, I’ve been involved in two really inspiring projects, one to get unsold food from shops to food banks, and another to provide meals to infant school pupils during holidays. Nether should be necessary, but they are. I’m at the legislative/logistical end and the hard work is done at the other end, mostly by volunteers. It’s corporations and communities working together to do the job of government, and I think it might be what we have to do from now on.

    Also good, I think I spotted a thread on the Afterword the other day that wasn’t a list. Perhaps the Trainspotting virus (U.Tuberculosis) is finally dying out… 😉

  13. Every year I read this thread and feel as if I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.

    I seem to have stumbled into a fairly prolonged period of happiness and good fortune; everyone is well (bar my grandmother, whose slide into dementia is a painful but long running part of all our lives), the kids are lovely, my marriage is very happy indeed, I work a job I enjoy, want for very little (albeit, I’m a man of simple tastes) and I don’t stress about too much.

    The only downsides have been that we are still getting too little sleep, and still being pulled in about a million different directions, but I think that’s probably just a consequence of the demands of kids/careers at this particular stage of life. Everything is a balancing act, there aren’t enough hours in the day but if that’s your biggest problem you’re a lucky man.

    I was able to do some volunteering at a homeless shelter, which always means a lot to me and I’ll hopefully get to do more of going forward. I also got to do a lot of running and surfing, and I probably played as much football this year as I have at any other point in my life, most of it against people half my age. I’ve come to realise that time with my family, lots of exercise and good books are really the key to the whole shebang. The football, in particular, I’m enjoying while it lasts.

    At work, I’ve taken on some extra responsibility and now find myself managing a small team of people, which I enjoy – it’s something lawyers aren’t generally very good at, but ive been fortunate in having some fine people to learn from over the years. In the summer I considered moving jobs – I’ve been at my current place 6 years now, and I was offered the opportunity to do something a little more exciting, demanding and high risk. In the end, I decided to stay for the time being – the current gig is providing a work life balance I won’t get anywhere else, good money, nice people, interesting work and travel in an industry I really like. Excitement and challenge will have to wait a little longer. For now, being able to do the morning school run remains the top priority.

    I’ve a feeling 2017 will be a more turbulent year, one way or another. We’re having some fairly major building work done, which will necessitate moving in with my parents for a few months (thankfully, my other half gets on with them very well), and it’s hard not to feel that there are storm clouds on the horizon when you read the papers. I’ve spent a bit of time these last few months thinking about all those people in the 1920s just going about their lives, unaware that they were headed for history’s most colossal meat grinder. I hope we can balance our need for change with protecting what order and stability we have. It’s a lot easier to destroy than it is to build.

    I do find myself worrying about the future much more than I used to. I honestly never thought I would be this happy and I suppose I wonder how long I can honestly get away with it – life will only give so long before it begins to take away.

    I want to wish everyone on the Blog an exceedingly happy Christmas and good luck for the year ahead, particularly those who are going through tough times.

    Peace and love to all of you.

    BL

  14. I achieved a few personal things after drifting for many years, bought a property, sorted out a long standing complex US tax issue and got a healthy refund, then bought a car and applied for Canadian citizenship, more interested in this after Brexit. Still single, but that’s OK, enjoying every moment with my daughter, and getting on much better with the ex. Spent too much money on records, started looking for a new job. Wales got to semis of Euros, now that I didn’t expect! Also didn’t expect to take up running and manage 10km without stopping after a few months. As the temperature yesterday was -26 aim for next few months is to do fitness stuff inside.

  15. Nothing to complain about. Health is generally okay (although I had to do my first stool sample this year, which was a treat), wife is beautiful, kind, sweet and still seems to like me, and our daughter is lively, sparky and smart.
    Work is secure for the first time in a while, but I’m getting a bit bored of it. Fancy a change, but not sure what to. Would like to get something moving on this in early 2017, or another year will go by, but I’m not sure the Stones circa 1972 are recruiting. I reckon I’d enjoy that.

    Globally – it’s difficult to see anything improving next year, isn’t it? Seems whatever aspect of the world you look at, it’s in a mess. It will take some great leadership to navigate the next couple of years, and I’m not at all sure anyone in the West can offer it. But there will still be books and records, that’ll keep me going.

  16. A dull ache of a year characterised by periods of resigned calm before deep plunges into bottomless black despair. A couple of touch and go suicidal moments earlier in the year but that particular feeling of utter hopelessness seems to have waned. It prompted me to seek the aid of my GP which was not entirely productive but after a thorough medical it turns out that I am in rude good health physically at least.
    Financially I continue to live hand to mouth. Surviving on money I raise from the sale of my work and the £46 a week I receive from a small pension. It’s tough going and very stressful from time to time but I’m still here and at least I am surviving by using what small talent I have and living a life on my own terms. I am grateful for that.
    What I am most grateful for however is the continued affection and kindness of my friends both near and far. Many have visited me during the passage of the year and have lifted my spirits immeasurably. Many have phoned me or written which again has helped enormously. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your many acts of kindness and your unstinting generosity of spirit.
    I am told that coping with bereavement gets easier. It hasn’t for me. I have learned a lot about myself and I have developed some coping strategies but it is still very raw and I believe it always will be.
    I have volunteered to help out at a local hospice this Christmas Morning. Just sitting with people listening to them and maybe reading to them if they wish. The afternoon will be mine to do what I want with. I fully intend to be exceedingly drunk by bedtime.

    I send you all seasonal best wishes and hope you all enjoy a peaceful holiday.

    Wassail!

    • Rude good health? Put your clothes back on and come inside!

      I tend to disappear at times out of a need for invisibility. My daft friends, family & dogs keep me sane. I will emerge blinking in the sunlight if it ever returns. Have I ever mentioned I hate winter?

  17. Hi all, after 10 very happy years back with my ex wife she, in October, unexpectedly dropped a bombshell and left me for someone else. The worst part was she assumed that the kids would be OK with this and when they confronted her all hell broke loose. All the way through I’ve tried to maintain a dignified silence and supported the kids whilst trying to advise them on how to repair the relationship with their mum. They are variously at college/Uni/ own business so the added pressure of this has been really difficult for them but I’m so proud on how mature and composed they have all been and their unwavering support has been the rock I’ve been anchored to.

    The upside is my eldest daughter is due to give birth any day now and I can’t wait for the newest member of the clan to arrive. 2017 brings my 50th birthday and the past few months have put my life into sharp focus and I’ve finally realised that procrastination is really death by tiny increments. It’s time I stopped making plans of things I want to do and achieve and start to bring these things to fruition.

    Here’s to 2017 and I hope we all find the inner peace we seek and deserve.

  18. My sympathies to all those who have had difficulties this year. I won’t comment on world events; you’ve all said it better than me.

    Here goes:

    The good:

    My son continues to be a source of delight and frustration, in equal measure. We chunter away like an old married couple, which seems to suit us. He has discovered a love of books yet nothing surpasses his XBox obsession.

    I have had possibly the best health year ever; thank you, Big Pharma (and weightlifting). I now sleep until about 5.30: not unbroken, but I no longer feel like I am going insane.

    I finished yet another course and probably have some kind of record in useless degrees.

    I quit my job! This is both good and bad. I continue to do tutoring, which brings in pocket money but not much else.

    We moved, and bought a doer-upper which also continues to be equal parts delight and frustration (as well as a money pit). But for the first time ever I don’t live in what looks like a student house.

    Reading: I’ve read more than I have for a few years. Sofa + book = respite.

    The bad:

    Quitting my job was a very good thing to do, but I am lost in a fog of mostly domestic tasks, with yet more courses to keep the brain cells going. Thoughts of resurrecting any kind of ‘career’ are largely up the Swanee but I seem peculiarly undisturbed by this.

    Music: I have largely been absent from here, mainly due to pressures of life, but also because I have listened to very little music despite having received an awful lot of new stuff. My backlog is about two years’ worth of listening. Hope to be here more in 2017.

    My Mum: my Mum has stomach cancer, and has to have a heart bypass before they can operate on that. We try to remain optimistic but it doesn’t look good.

    So a very mixed year.

    Happy Christmas and all the best for 2017. I have missed this place.

  20. The Bad Stuff
    My younger sister found out that her husband has been physically assaulting their 3 boys, he was arrested and is now serving an eight month prison sentence for ABH, she’s dreading his release next month. She’s always been the black sheep of the family but my relationship with her has always been good and thankfully I’ve been able to help her through it and I dare say January will bring it’s own issues.

    On four occasions this year I’ve woken up to terrible news that has left me numb, hearing of the death of David Bowie, the Brexit result, Trump’s victory and then hearing of the death of my all time musical hero Leonard Cohen.

    The Good Stuff
    It’s been another good year for me, cycling has made me fitter, the few links I retained with my old company have now been severed and I am officially retired. Me and the GLW have bought an old place to renovate and 2017 will primarily be taken up with that!

    Football has been barmy with my beloved Barnsley FC going from the worst I’ve ever seen them round about this time last year to two Wembley victories and promotion to the Championship, this made up for the woeful England performances in the Euro 2016 finals, after all it’s club before country every time.

    I hope 2017 will be kind to all.

    • We have an amateur band which puts on a couple of shows at the local folk club each year. On Thursday past it was our Winter Set….Mele Kalikimaka, Sweet Bells, Jacobstowe Wassail, In Dulce Jubilo….you get the drift.

      A week before the concert, one of the blokes decided it would be nice to have a tribute to David Bowie and Leonard Cohen….typical, no time to practise. They turned out not too badly actually. Here’s Leonard’s ‘Dance Me To The End Of Love’.

      https://youtu.be/36jik4eP82E

  21. Good:

    It has been the best year of my working life. I was made redundant towards the end of last year and worried if I’d ever find another job as good as I had ever again. Well, I was lucky to find a better one, and could end up being quite wealthy if all goes to plan. Also, my son has taken up football and is a bit of a natural. It’s been a joy watching him and his mates play.

    Bad:

    Faced a marital crisis (documented elsewhere) which I just about managed to avert. Basically I fought like hell to keep things together because I couldn’t bear to be separated from my children. I’m getting on ok with my wife now but my perspective on life, love and marriage have definitely altered forever.

    I wish everyone on the blog a wonderful Christmas and prosperous new year.

  22. Good

    I am currently five months into Babygeddon 2. The eldest child adores his little sister. The little sister is smitten by her big brother. She sleeps better than he did, so we are just about functioning as normal.

    Bad

    The birth was tricky. No details to be shared here but the care my wife received was not good, and reliving it to the hospital is not something we are looking forward. A week after my wife got out she was back in, when Sprocklet 2 caught viral meningitis. That’s not the evil type (you’re thinking of bacterial meningitis) but when you are a week old it’s bloody awful enough. Then, a week after that, the eldest was hospitalized with a major chest infection. For five weeks I was in and out of hospital it seemed like.

    Trump, Brexit, Prince, Cohen, Wood and EVERYONE ELSE, coupled with the continual existence of Bono, Murdoch and co you all knew about.

    Professionally I am in the doldrums. I am in demand but going nowhere else. And so I am getting extremely antsy. A bit of a first world problem I know, but until relatively recently I was quite the golden boy and my shine is definately tarnished. Not quite sure how to fix this…

    So overall, the HUGE peak of child number 2 appearing was something like a life saver in what has been a phenomenally shit year.

  23. 2016…

    I was made redundant from my job in March but with a good package that gave me 3-6 months to find a new role.

    I secured a new job in July and have had 4 great months doing it…much more fulfilling than the previous job albeit with a 25% salary decrease but a much better work/life balance.. I am happy!

    My two kids still to develop and amaze me. I might have a future sports star in my daughter but we need to focus her on a sport.

  24. Reading through the posts above, most of my life seems like it is filled with first world problems in comparison with those of others, and I am suitably grateful for that. Globally it has indeed been an infinitely depressing year, and it’s hard not to be affected by the general awfulness of the hellbound handcart we find ourselves in. But even though misery loves company, let’s not dwell.

    I hit 55 this year and for the first time genuinely considered chucking the job I hate and opting for the penury of early retirement. I work with a boss who blames first and asks questions later, and even though a change of location beckons, a change of boss isn’t on the cards. It affects my home life, makes me miserable to live with, and makes me dread Mondays from the moment I finish work on a Friday.

    I need to lose weight and was full of good intentions this year, but ongoing problems with hip arthritis and plantar fasciitis (which ruined two holidays) means I haven’t been able to do any exercise. My NHS health check beckons and I’m nervous of the possible results so have been foolishly avoiding it. Mrs Bungliemutt has been plagued with minor health problems which have been made worse by all occurring at the same time. She has been for further tests today and received an all clear, much to our collective relief.

    I continue to spend far too much money on music, books and films, and the floorboards continue to creak under the weight of them all. I splashed out on new hi fi separates this year and have been amazed at the difference, and how enjoyable some of my music collection has become again. After much badgering and ridicule I gave in to the inevitable and acquired my first smartphone. Having scorned them for many years, I now realise I wouldn’t be without the damn thing. Coupled with the tablet with which I am typing this, I feel I have finally joined the 21st century.

    Mrs Bungliemutt and I got engaged in October last year, and although we haven’t set a date yet (no rush, we’ve been together 12 years already), I am happily sporting my engagement ring and am more settled and contented on a personal level than I have ever been.

    I’d like to wish everyone on here a happy and peaceful Christmas, particularly those who have had a tough time of it in the last 12 months. The AW has been a constant pleasure and companion throughout the year, and it’s a shame we have lost a few of our more entertaining contributors like @Rob-C and @h-p-saucecraft whose contributions frequently made me laugh out loud.

    Happy Christmas and a gentler 2017 to one and all.

  25. The year started with losing one of my biggest customers (I’m freelance), and then them coming back to me in the autumn – accept no substitute; Grey really is that good. In March, I was diagnosed with bowel cancer; search for ‘Flexible Sygmoidoscopy” on this site, if you want more. Three months of the year were in stasis, waiting for results and then surgery. The prognosis is good, and I’m pretty much back to where I was pre-surgery. I’d urge anyone invited to an FS screening (or ‘Pooh Sticks’) to do it; I had no symptoms of what I had, and the outcome could have been very different if I hadn’t gone for the screening.

    I have nothing but the highest praise for anyone who works in Oncology at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, especially my surgeons, and also the lovely nurse who sees me every three months; two minutes physical check-up, and as much talk about how I am as I need.

    At the risk of sounding completely cringey, this site has been a huge help to me this year. Might only be talking bollocks and posting show-off photoshop nonsense on my part, but I love it here.

  26. It has been, on balance, great.

    Work has been really hard, but I have a great team and we’ve come together really well.
    A great trip to the UK in May for Mum’s 70th, which meant time with kid bruv.

    And Sharon accepted my proposal last night. So I end the year as a fiance.

  27. Bad:
    Loads. Brexit, Trump, my workplace getting steadily worse and run by incompetent bullies, my Mum’s worsening mental health, My Dad’s worsening physical health, my band going on hiatus after one of us got seriously ill, Bowie and Prince, having to cancel a trip across the Atlantic due to lack of funds, it goes on.

    Good:
    Having a kind and understanding wife who puts up with my moods, the occasional burst of creativity, and a fantastic week in northern France in the September heatwave. Bandmate getting better.

    Neither good nor bad:
    Being given the choice by evil boss to take a pay increase and work in a slimmed down office, directly reporting to them, or take redundancy. I took the latter, as did nearly all my team. The freelance world awaits in 2017 – scary, but it beats working for vile robots.

  28. What’s with all the awful bosses in the world? I have one too, I’m lucky enough to not have to interact with him IRL except for one hour each week, but there’s no escaping the emails and the crap decisions…never any thanks or encouragment, always complaints and whining about how much we’re costing him – which is a joke as he doesn’t pay anyone a penny more than he can legally get away with, and that’s not much at all.
    I wish I could do something else, but I’m not in a position to do that. Still, I love my colleagues and the hours I work, but I’m terrified of getting ill again, I can’t afford to. And my shoulder’s been getting worse again this last month, and that’s making me nervous.

    I’ve been extremely tired this year. I had to force myself to do things, the fun stuff as well. I’m not sure why, but I suspect that some medication I had to take was to blame, because I’ve perked up steadily after I stopped taking it. Going back to an almost vegetarian diet helped as well.
    Hopefully in 2017 I’ll have the energy to do all of the stuff I barely had the energy to plan this year!
    But for the most part I can’t complain. My dad got really ill and it was touch and go, but thankfully I just happened to be with him on that particular day and could call an ambulance, and once the acute crisis was over he had a small procedure done that got him back in top shape again. So we could all celebrate his 90th birthday this autumn!
    Mum is a mere 85, and also in great health and spirit, seeing them both it’s difficult to imagine that they’re not going to go on forever, because they’re so youthful. Fingers crossed we get to keep them around for quite a few years more!

    I’m looking forward to becoming 50 in 2017, and having a big birthday bash for once.
    Merry Christmas to all Afterworders, and a much better 2017 to all of us!

    View post on imgur.com

    • I certainly hope you have much better health and well-being in 2017, Loki. And I hope you and yours can fight off all those rampaging wolves, bears and trolls over Christmas. Lock those wood cabin doors, keep the fires stoked with logs and keep the druids near!

      • I’ll do that, Colin, good advice!
        I have a pot of spiced spirits on the stove at all times that I drink around the clock to ward off any evil ghouls and the dreaded Walrus King whose army has invaded the city.
        And, as you can see in the photo; the trolls are easily fooled if you dress up as a tomte when you do go out!
        Stay safe yourself; don’t let the waregoblins bite you!

    • I’ve worked for some terrible bosses in my time, so I sympathise. At the moment I’m lucky enough to have a great boss. Leads by example, generous with praise, constructive with criticism, admits to his own mistakes, sticks up for his team and generally makes you feel 10 feet tall. As a result, me and my colleagues would run through the proverbial brick wall for him. It’s the only way to get the best out of people in my opinion.

  30. Good & bad: I had a small lump come up on the top of my head over the course of a week which turned out to be cancerous – nothing new as I’ve had seven ops over the last 2 1/2 years. The difference this time was that I went off to work on my final job of this year with my life on hold once again, wondering If it would lead to something else. I spent every quiet moment and a few sleepless nights going over every permutation: If the worst came to the worst, I’d have a second major operation and have to cancel a lot of work which means no money as I’m self employed. It also brought back, as it always does, the eighteen month period where I lost my sister and parents and was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma a few months later.
    I had a road to Damascus moment one sleepless night when I finally admitted to myself that I’d not faced up to any of this stuff and that I was well on the way to a breakdown. I called my wife and told her that I was going to call Cruse and MacMillan as I felt (and still feel) that I’m slowly falling and I need help to stop myself. She was relieved as I’d shut myself off and she didn’t know how to reach me. Despite the financial implications, I’ve cancelled some of my work next year while I start to sort myself out.
    I’ve had the lump removed and got a letter from the NHS today saying that I’m clear again until the next time.
    Apart from that, watching the world go mad has been pretty depressing.

    On the plus side, I’ve been to Japan, South America three times for work and we spent some of my share of my parents’ estate (forty five grand – about forty grand more than I’ve ever had before) on holidays to Norway, Madagascar and the Scottish Highlands – all were brilliant. We have a huge trip to South America, including Antarctica and the Falklands next year and we can resume planning now that I’ve got the all clear again. I’ve also decided to quit long – haul work (but not holidays as long as we have a bit of money and our health).

  31. It’s been an interesting year. Thankfully, no personal tragedies (although there are still 14 days left). We moved countries, again. In January, the possibility of moving to New York was mooted. After a lot of faffing around, it finally happened in the summer. In many ways, things are the same as they ever were – I go to work, kids go to school, etc. But now we do it in this rather wonderful city, where we are never bored and even just standing on a street corner, watching the world go by, can be fascinating. It’s horrifically expensive, of course, and there are annoyances. Winter has just started, and we are not used to that after two and a half years in Kenya. But watching my son experience snow for the first time this morning, building his first snowman and having a snowball fight with me, makes it worthwhile. Hopefully 2017 will let us stay here.

  32. A curate’s egg of a year – aren’t they all?

    In the big world things look to be getting ever darker, but closer to home – Belfast – the unfurling RHI scandal offers light relief as we enter 2017. Anyone unfamiliar with it should get on the BBC for a full run down of how inept our governors really can be.

    At home, conversely all is good, with all children proving moments of pride and pleasure.
    At work, it’s amazing how the appointment of one individual into a position of power can cause so much misery, but thankfully a revered colleague received news this week that a long running disciplinary case has no foundation and hopefully justice in the form of a grievance case will be forthcoming next year.
    Bring it on

    • I thought about mentioning it here Salty, but it’s really too depressing isn’t it? Basically, the NI regional govt giving a load of farmers hundreds of millions in public money to burn – literally. It’s all on various threads on the BBC News site (go to the dark corner near the bottom of the page labelled ‘Northern Ireland’). Hopefully there WILL be a public enquiry and some individual WILL get hung out to dry. NI politicians – useless and/or corrupt and generally all maxed out on expenses. It wouldn’t be tolerated in any other part of the UK. Hopefully this is one noses-in-the-trough scandal too far.

  33. Whirlwind year and all I can think is lucky bastard; got married again and it’s great, why was I frightened? (A: the first 2?), got my first tattoo and, a month ago, told my partners at work I was leaving when I hit 60 next year, after 30 odd years. Next week I tell the staff and, hardest of all, the patients. I will pick up (and have) the odd session locally, rather than the commute to Brum. Can’t wait.

  34. Bad: My mum died. As I arrived at the hospice she was surrounded by friends and family who all took the moment to slope off for a coffee or whatever. I then got the overwhelming feeling she was about to go so for ten minutes I sat and held her hand and told her everything I needed to say and then as I finished she slipped away.

    Good: My second full year clean and sober, I have the love of a wonderful woman who I don’t give enough to in return and I got back into scuba diving after a ten year break. My son continues to make me proud in so many ways and I visited Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Cyprus, India, Nepal and Sweden. Meanwhile I continue to be overpaid for an easy job.

  35. Like any year, it’s been good and bad, but mainly just middling.

    Bad:

    The EU referendum vote for Brexit.

    Trump and all the chaos and uncertainty him becoming president of the US means for us all.

    Another year of over-work with diminishing returns, which leaves me concerned about how 2017 will pan out. I need to spread the burden somehow, but being the boss in a very small firm is not easy and there have been a few setbacks to overcome. The eventual departure of a poorly performing and disruptive member of staff came as a blessed relief but also at a considerable cost, seeing as we’d had to pay a job agency a massive fee to find her, only to find her performance was shockingly inept and she eventually resigned after 8 months. We’d got to the point where we were having to start disclipinary proceedings. When she resigned, the whole team breathed a collective sigh of relief. Other than that, I am coming to the conclusion that everything in this modern world takes twice as long to complete as it used to. This certainly seems to be true in the world of commercial property.

    My parents are ageing (both in their late 70s and both have health issues). My Dad is the current concern. At least the CT scan revealed no malignancy, but he still has no diagnosis for his tiredness and breathlessness.

    Good:

    Time spent with friends: We’ve hung out with @pencilsqueezer a couple of times this year, seen quite a bit of @el_toro and Mrs El Toro, been to gigs with @Steve_T (2 x Ryley Walker and an amazing Lucinda Williams gig) and spent a great weekend at End of the Road with Paul Waring. We went to EOTR because Sofia Genders generously invited Heather and me to the festival, after we employed her as a temp at our office last year. It’s weird how some things happen. Subsequent to that, we have assisted Sofia and Sam (ex Tunng) to crowdfund Sam’s next album release (see the noticeboard on this site for the Dorothy Project details).

    We did a little road trip in August, calling in on friends in Clevedon, Bristol and Lampeter and the weather was glorious.

    We re-visited the Gascon village of Bassoues in SW France back in May and received a very warm welcome. Such a beautiful place.

    Simple pleasures: Walking in the Peak District, growing veg, drinking beer, discovering new music, messing around on Facebook, etc.

    Having our @pencilsqueezer painting – Garden of Silver Pools used as a Quintessence album cover.

    Visiting Amsterdam and spending a couple of weeks in splendid isolation in Portugal.

  36. 2015 was a really tough year and 2016 has been a whole lot better. I’m lucky enough to do a job and be in a business that I really care about and which gives me a lot of job satisfaction. It’s tough, and there have certainly been bad days, but as long as they are outnumbered by the good ones as they have been this year I’ll settle for that.

    Mrs BB and I marked thirty years of marriage this year – had a great week walking in Austria, a weekend in Amsterdam and a number of just good days and evenings out – walking in the hills, drinks or meals out, enjoying each other’s company. And above, all we’ve been enjoying how our daughters have done. Thing with kids is they grow up but it doesn’t stop you worrying about them. One daughter has completed her first year as a teacher. Seeing the insane amount of work she has to do and pressure she’s under has given me a new appreciation of how undervalued and exploited our teachers are these days. No wonder so many leave the profession and get burnt out. But she’s doing brilliantly and will be great as long as she wants to do it. And our other daughter who was having some real health issues has come on leaps and bounds this year and is in a whole other place than she was twelve months ago. It’s lovely to see and we’re proud as can be of both of them.

    The one cloud on the landscape, and it’s a big one, is the health of my mother and father in law. Both have become very frail and increasingly not able to look after themselves properly. They live 250 miles from us which makes it even harder. We hope for better health for them next year but it doesn’t look likely.

    Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year for all As ever, I’ve really enjoyed being on the site over the last twelve months.

    • Sorry to hear about your Mother and Father-In-Law, can I suggest that you investigate getting a power of attorney for either or both. We’ve done this for my Mum and it has made the last few months a lot easier after she had to go into a home.

      Hope you don’t mind the suggestion.

      Have a lovely Christmas.

      • Don’t mind at all lp, appreciate the advice. In fact Mrs BB and her sister got this sorted earlier this year in a brilliant and prescient piece of of pre-planning.

        My late Dad did the same when he was healthy – set it up for me and my siblings. It’s great advice for anyone – like your will, get this set up when you can because, as you say, it doesn’t have help when things get horrible.

  37. It’s been a good year for me in that I’ve survived it.

    The Good:
    I managed to keep my job in journalism while many of my colleagues got the push or left to do something with more security (and a living wage). Spent my 25th year of being married to a beautiful woman who I becomes even more attractive with each passing year. Youngest son graduated from high school and did well enough in his exams to get into his preferred course. Managed to get two trips in to the remote part of Tibet that I’m writing a book about. I live in Sydney and so win the lottery every year when it comes to swimming and having warm sand between my toes.

    The Bad:
    Lost a close colleague to pancreatic cancer. Gone in eight weeks. Still haven’t adjusted to it. My older son is living an aimless, unemployed life since dropping out of college, albeit a less self destructive lifestyle than in previous years. And for us as a family this year has been a money nightmare. Hit by a lot of unexpected bills and financial losses, we are struggling to make ends meet and just one step away from being losing our home and being in the bankruptcy courts. Meanwhile at work I am expected to do the jobs of two other sacked people as well as my own. The job I used to love is now often dumbed down, frustrating and fickle.

    Having said all that, there’s been a lot of great music and culture that I’ve discovered through the Afterword, which has helped to keep me interested and motivated. When things get really bad I think of that line from the Young Ones (the TV series): “Only music can save us now”.

  39. Largely average and unremarkable.

    PERSONAL: Pleased that nieces and nephews are developing into good adults, the eldest graduated well (he would have done even better if he had actually worked), niece happy with new boyfriend and doing well at uni, the youngest got his A levels and enjoying Manchester uni. Some unpleasant news on the health front with close friend and cousin diagnosed with cancer. They are both dealing with it with great fortitude but I do fear for them both. They are far too young.

    WORK: Next year could well be interesting and finances are likely to be very tight. I wish I could find something more challenging, but seemingly potential employers have collectively decided that being 55+ means I must be senile.

    As to the rest, there’s bugger all I can do about the state of the world and have largely given up listening to or reading the news because I get too flaming angry, and there’s quite enough of that about already. I have a roof over my head, a few quid in the bank and my health is o.k for now.

    Best to be thankful for what I have rather than moan about what I don’t have.

    My best wishes to all those on this site who are going through problems, and happy Christmas to all.

  40. THE GOOD. Health is as good as it been for years, no ops or trips to A+E again this year! Still in a wonderful marriage (28 years) still in reasonably enjoyable job (27 years). Had a couple of wonderful weeks holiday in the middle of nowhere in Lincolnshire, which totally recharged our batteries.

    THE BAD Things with my Mum came to a head and she has had to move into a home after 9 nightmare months of falls, not eating, not taking meds and overnight adventures in the local countryside. The NHS, Social Services, Police and Neighbours have been incredible. Living 250 miles away has been very difficult, I think we know every pothole and bump on the A1 as we have been up there so many times. The good thing is she is looking physically better than she has for ages, but her memory has pretty much disappeared. When we visited last week she didn’t remember me but did know my wife! Dementia is a C**T!

    This place has been one of the things that kept me going this year, many thanks to the wonderful people behind the scenes.

    Merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years to everybody

  41. Incidents to which Police were called: 2
    Court appearances: 6
    Interviews with Social Services: 2
    Sessions with Domestic Violence advocate: 3
    Number of times wife has seen seven year old son since March: 0
    number of CDs bought: 2 – second hand, for son.
    number of CDs sold: 200+

    Positives:
    I have my son.
    Just about managing (JAM) though may have to sell up next year.
    3 years cancer free – move to annual scans now.
    Had a nice week in Cornwall
    My work colleagues are amazing and have kept me going
    I am back in touch with the love of my life after 37 years!

    Merry Christmas

  42. Bad: I was made redundant at the end of March, and was out of work for 3 months. Luckily savings, networking and the support of my family got me through this. It was the single most terrifying part of my life. I had constant feelings of failure as a husband and father. A very grim time.
    An unplanned chimney repair that happened during said unemployment. Added to the mix of stress.

    Good – I landed a position, on a contract basis, in July and I’m still here and have just had my contract extended. It took long hours and work life balance tipped very heavily in the former than the latter. But I have a job, many others in my industry have been out of work for 12mths +

    The real shining light for me has been my wife and 2 kids. My wife has been a rock for me, and the fact that our marriage is very strong after this year means we are doing something right. My kids have been great (despite some behavioural issues with my son that we are getting to the bottom of), they were very understanding when I was out of work (they even suggested some jobs for me, my daughter thought I should work in a nail salon, and my son thought I could be President…readers, I got neither, but you can always dream).
    My son just got his yellow belt in taekwondo at the weekend and the look of excitement and joy on his face (he worked really hard for it) really put a lump in my throat. I am normally a sensitive person, but there’s just something about being a parent and this year that really makes me have to fight back the emotions.

    So, 2016 can do one.
    I’m going to embrace 2017 with all my might.

  43. Bad: Work difficulties (fortunately improved by quitting and getting a much nicer job). I’m pretty sure my marriage is on its last legs, but to be honest struggle to regret that too much. It feels like time. The fallout will need careful planning and management but I trust my wife and myself to act in the best interests of the kids and put ourselves a distant second. It’ll be awful, but no more awful than living a dead life, which is what my marriage has meant for many years now.

    Good: My kids. The aforementioned better job. My friends. Without those things I might’ve struggled a bit to wonder what the point is.

  44. Pros:
    No surgical procedures this year, not even an “up periscope”.
    New meds seem to be slowly bringing Crohns under control. For the first time in years I feel I have control of my body, and not it of me.
    Healthy weight & look for the first time in decades.
    New therapy sessions seem to be bringing stress-related Crohns flare-ups under control and making me a happier person.
    Catalyst in resurrecting my village summer fete, which was excellent. It rained, obvs – what do expect in June?
    Engineered a couple of excellent gigs and recording sessions.
    Replaced my aging hi-fi separates with newer, better, ones.
    Moved sideways from high-stress design job into support/quality role.
    Wife and kids all healthy and still prepared to put up with me.

    Cons:
    Lost several months progress to previous meds, which my liver rejected.
    Discovered (on expensive Spanish summer holiday) new meds make me hypersensitive to sunlight – had to stay indoors/in shade during daylight hours.
    New meds make me fall asleep early with little/no prompting. So evening gigs still some way off.
    My two gig pals had back surgery & a house move, so we only did two gigs.
    No money left to replace slowly-collapsing car (see ‘new hi-fi’ above).

    All round, an improvement on last year.

    • never mind anything else on this thread, this is the news that made me cheer –

      ‘Replaced my aging hi-fi separates with newer, better, ones’

      There’s a tee shirt in that for sure.

  45. Thank you for asking Hannah.

    Generally all good in the Paws household and much better than 2015 from a stress point of view, that’s for sure. I now work in a team I really like and even though the work is very tough at times, we all mainly enjoy being around one another, which helps us get through some difficult stuff at times.

    Every morning I wake up next to the most beautiful, smart, lovely lady, who I’ve been married to now for nearly 8 years. No idea why she’s with me, but it makes me smile that she is in the same postcode as me. Mini-Paws is going strength to strength at school, and she makes me smile and feel exasperated in equal measure. If it wasn’t for our hamster I’m pretty sure I’d be bottom of the pecking order in our home- I’m quite happy about this. Our house needs constant attention, but feels more like a home every year. In 18 years we may own it outright 🙂

    In music, I’ve finally got spotify to work in my car. This makes me very happy, although I suspect that I shall continue to buy far too many CDs than I have space for.

    And finally… I started reading (and writing a little ) on this website. I’m not much cop at writing or reviewing, but I learn a lot from other people and I do rather like it here. Thanks again.

  46. Hello all,

    Made a decision to stay off social media about 12 months ago. Finally weakened in the summer, and have been FBing and Twittering a bit. However, it did buy me a bit more time for reading and writing. Felt better for it. Probably need to renew that resolution soon.

    My 2016 has been completely alright. My son passed his GCSEs, and is now doing A-levels. My missus qualified as a primary teacher in the summer, and started her first job in September, which is demanding, but good. I changed year groups after six years with Year 5s & am now enjoying teaching a mixed Year 2 / Year 3 class. Fun!

    I have been writing, and completed a second children’s book, which is now being rejected by literary agents countrywide at this very moment.

    Will start studying part time for an MA in Education in Sept, so am looking forward to that.

    Anyhow, take care all. Happy Xmas and New Year, and hope you all have a peaceful and prosperous 2017.

    Ad x

  47. This is one of those threads where I read every post the whole way through. Bloody hell, the things some of us have had to deal with. My condolences and best wishes to all.

    I’ve had another brilliant year personally, although saddened by the loss of so many musicians, David Bowie, Keith Emerson and Leon Russell especially. And just baffled/furious/devastated by idiocies like Brexit, Trump and the Australian government, especially their treatment of asylum seekers.

    Mrs M and I became empty-nesters in June, our son finally completed his degree and moved overseas, so we’re now living a different kind of life and as from tomorrow making our house (either fully or parts thereof) available on Air B’nB.

    I visited the UK in June, to see our youngest daughter and meet her husband (combo marriage of love and convenience, her visa is now extended for another 2 1/2 years), and then went to Germany to go to Zappanale (reviewed on the site back then) and also visit our son three weeks after he’d left home! I also took the opportunity to visit the cottage in Fen Ditton (Cambridge) where my family lived in 1959. Still the same as I remembered inside (I’d seen the outside on Google maps), and the current owner is a lovely retired hairdresser who had a salon in Mayfair in the 60s. Would love to have talked to him a bit more but he had that English reserve that we colonials are a little fearful of.

    Released my 3rd album in 3 years, well it was a re-release actually, but same amount of work to get it out there. Did a staggering 3 gigs with my band, 50% more than last year.

    Highlight of the year was undoubtedly not only meeting Garth Hudson but having the honour of being his “understudy” for the Last Waltz 40th anniversary concerts in NZ.

    And now at the end of 10 gigs in 9 days with old mates in NZ, looking forward to Christmas with my Mum, who is heading for 91 in a couple of months.

      • I was supposed to only play on a few songs if he got tired (he’s 79 and bent over and very frail but still plays exquisitely). In the end I did just about the whole show, and he played the organ intro to Chest Fever plus long piano intros to It Makes No Difference and The Weight (both sung by his wife Sister Maud Hudson).

        • “he played the organ intro to Chest Fever”

          aka The Genetic Method – terrific stuff!

          I’m actually surprised to hear he is that old – I didn’t realise he had a few years on the rest of The Band.

    • Where can I buy your CDs in the UK mate, without paying an absolutely humungous amount of spondulicks, just cos they are from the other side of the spherical rocky and watery thing?

      • You can get the solo piano album as a download here

        https://peterdasent.bandcamp.com/releases

        Putting the rest up on Bandcamp is top of the list for Things To Do In 2017.

        If you’d prefer “physical product”, my wife and oldest daughter will be visiting youngest daughter in April and I’ll send a bagful with them so there’ll just be postage from London to wherever in the UK.

  48. Compared to the many traumas and concerns of others here, I have had a totally uneventful year, in a good way, though I feel a bit guilty saying so when others are having tough times. I suppose, small comfort though it may be, we all have good times and bad times, and the bad ones don’t last forever.

    I was pleasantly surprised to find that I earned more last tax year than I ever did in a salaried job, and will do so again this tax year. It’s not a fortune, but it’s a bonus – my chief desire in leaving 10 years of public sector employment at Christmas 2011 was not money-related, it was just to get away from a crushing feeling of pointlessness and working in a hierarchy of mediocrity and with too many b*****ds. Everything I’ve done since feels like it at least has a point to it, and contributes something to the world – and to my sense of purpose.

    Academic proofreading is about half of what I do these days, after focusing on a run of three books 2012-15. If anyone’s interested, I emerged from the shadows of offering this service anonymously via an agency recently by offering my own service: http://www.belfastproofreading.com

    I enjoyed a few labour of love music projects in 2016 – curating (as the phrase seems to be these days) the Quintessence archive 2CD ‘Spirits From Another Time’ for Hux early in the year, with the splendid Pencilsqueezer donating its cover art. I was involved in various ways with several other archive CD and vinyl releases on various labels, including updating a previous CD note for the stunning Earth Vinyl revamp of Bert Jansch’s ‘Avocet’. Another that comes to mind was the 2CD Dave Swarbrick ‘It Suits Me Well’ set on Cherry Red – I enjoyed trawling through vintage music mags to piece together the tale of Swarb’s parallel career as a solo artist in the twilight years (!) of Fairport Convention in the 70s. There were two or three magazine pieces as well – including the surprise re-emergence of a 20-year old piece on Anne Briggs in the current ‘Mojo 60s’ – which, like the releases, tend to be a combination of labour of love and remuneration.

    Currently, I’m working on a Mike Westbrook ‘Record Collector’ piece, to which I’ve probably invested far too much time and resources, in terms of sourcing rarities and vintage print material, vis a vis the fee involved. One ends up compiling huge chronologies, BBC sessionographies, release minutiae, collections of vintage interviews and reviews, etc., before even interviewing the principal – and then wondering how to filter it into 4,000 words. Oh well…

    I’m delighted to be involved in a few forthcoming Westbrook/British jazz projects on various labels – look out for Mike Westbrook ‘Live’ (1972, expanded) on Hux and ‘Marching Song’ (1969, expanded) on RPM around March next year. I can’t mention the others yet – although Mike Gibbs will certainly be involved in two.

    I’m also currently working on a limited-run self-published revised/expanded edition of the e-book bonus chapters/appendices from my 2014 John McLaughlin book. There’s around 100,000 words of material and at least two of the chapters (on JMcL’s early adventures with Big Pete Deuchar and the Tony Meehan Combo) are being very substantially added to/revised at present, along with interviews being done for a couple of additional chapters.

    I was delighted that people seemed to like a mostly instrumental album I released early in 2016. There’ll be another circa March 2016. A bit like Mousey’s tale (pun intended) it’s a rerelease – and has taken a load of time to create! I’ve added 16 mins of newly recorded content reuniting the original players (plus guests), and it will have totally refreshed packaging plus, being an Arctic-themed concept, fold-out vintage Arctic maps.

    And finally, I’ve been involved as a kind of executive producer with an exciting local blues trio on their debut album (after 7 years on the road in somewhere between pro and semi-pro fashion, but not outside of Ireland). I’m not involved musically in any way, but I’ve been able to offer a lot in terms of contacts with guest players, studio, distribution, PR, strategy, etc – with the goal of expanding out of Ireland – and not least encouragement. Sometimes bands/artists can graft away under their own steam and seem to be getting somewhere but actually end up going round in circles or burning out. Never underestimate the value of just giving encouragement to people and, if appropriate, advice.

    I guess the above might read like one of those annoying round-robin letters that distant relatives send, telling you how great they are and how fabulous their life has been. I hope not – it’s a glimpse at a decent, fulfilling year with a few things planned for early 2017. If there’s a downside, my capital resources are not currently enough to see through my planned projects, but I’m hopeful they will be. Publishing things like books and music (if there’s a strong element of self-funding involved) are a mixture of labour or love and a throw of the dice in commercial terms. As lots here will surely agree!

    • A very Merry Yule to you, Colin. My long-awaited copy of Rude Awakening finally showed up this morning, all the way from America, so I’m having an Andy Irvine fest before the wife insists that I break out the Fahey Christmas discs!

      • That’s almost an oxymoron – John Fahey Christmas discs! ‘Dance of Solemnity for the Inhabitants of the Lapland Grotto’, ‘Santa on the Battlefield’, ‘The Transfiguration of Blind Jack Frost’… hearty singalongs, one and all…

      • And as you’ve now drawn my attention to it, I can only thank you and wish you warm pleasantries of the season! I must have missed that thread. Anything that has ‘new’ in the title doesn’t really include me! I should warn you that a new 79 minute disc will be appearing in the Spring. More of the same, really…

  49. My 2016 Is different today as to how it would have been if the question was asked last week.

    On the positive side have seen great gigs, bought loads of great music and eaten at some great restaurants. Work continues to provide some stimulus and pays me a good living. Could do without Health and Safety and corporate nonsense that is creeping into a family run company that has successfully expanded to 850 employees. My wife is still the complete love of my life and is always there for me when I need her to be and who gives me my own space when I need and hopefully I can respond to her in the same way. We have a relaxed way about our life without any major rows but the occasional snipe at each other which results in us laughing about it which is healthy.
    My kids have been great this year – growing into fine adults or at least my son is. My daughter is not quite as close to adult status as she thinks she is but this year has moved quite a distance in that direction. Now working she has an air of independence that suggests she will be fine.
    A fantastic fly drive holiday in California with daughter and boyfriend. In November I reached 60 and my present from the wife was a long weekend in Moscow which was absolutely great.
    Also back in March was in Austin for SXSW with @Baron Harkonnen and our friend Stebbers. Excellent music, fine company and only one incident of flying shoes to report.

    Now for the shit side of things. My Dad died yesterday – he was a fucking great bloke, brilliant dad and I will remember him only with fondness. At 87 he had a great life and he loved his 24 years of retirement as much as he enjoyed his working life as a car mechanic.
    This morning my work colleague also 60 and who I have worked with for 28 years finally succumbed to a brain tumour diagnosed in May. I had lunch with him and his wife the day after Leonard Cohen died. No indication then that he would be taken so soon. Mike you were a true gentleman and positive influence on all who knew you. God bless you mate.

  51. Christ, and I thought my year had been shit. I am a total lightweight. You lot (some of you for sure) are bloody inspiring, the way you still come in here to tit-around talking bollox about music ‘n’ stuff after the year’s you’ve had. You are staggeringly tough. I salute you. Many of you have endured far more trauma than I can imagine having to cope with. As for us, we lost my lovely Mum, we lost our darling little Jack Russell called Katie and we lost our gentle, kind, oldest pony Rose. So overall this year has been utter shit, and it feels like a year I will be glad to see gone. Now, as we spin gently into a new orbit around the sun, whether your days are getting longer or shorter from here on in, I will raise a glass to all of us and toast to the future. Sláinte.

  52. 2016 has been another slow climb up the face of Mt. Grief, during which it has gradually dawned on me that there is no end to this; it’s a labour of Sisyphus.

    By its nature, it’s a solo ascent but shared a ledge with fellow climber @pencilsqueezer, en route to a comically (in retrospect) chaotic Festival Number 6.

    Went on holiday on my own for the first time, which felt like a thing. Books have been read, records have been heard, gigs have been gone to, nights out have been had; there’s pleasure in life still.

    My kids are taking flight and making lives of their own, which is lovely to see.

    Work has been absorbing. I’m lucky enough to do a job that I love, my enthusiasm only partly dimmed by having to re-apply for my job next year (not unduly worried; I’ll be given something else if I am not successful).

    And I’ve also started a part-time university course, which is a joy; I’m a little bit in love with it, actually. It’s amazing how different it feels when you actually turn up for classes and read stuff, rather than arse about and busk your way through the exams.

  53. Having managed to take Voluntary Redundancy late last year, I approached this year with mixed feelings. I have spent a lot of the year trying to overcome lethargy and get things done.
    Feeling a lot brighter now.
    Cleared out a storage unit that I had been paying increasing amounts for over the last 3 years. This meant I had even more stuff to get rid of on top of the remainder of my late wife’s things – even more art materials, wool, tapestry kits etc. plus some furniture displaced when I cleared a room for her to be nursed at home (she never made it back unfortunately), plus music and more clothing

    I finally reached the end of this by about April, having had a room full of boxes for a couple of months – most liberating! Meanwhile the house and garden lurked, untouched for many years.

    My son, who has been unemployed for much of the time since Uni, sunk into more and more of a depression. I finally decided to pay for some psychiatric treatment myself, in the absence of anything from IAPT/Public sector. He has Aspergers, Dyspraxia, is a Type I diabetic and is a bright individual, but wants to work, despite his behavioural issues. This treatment seems to have had some positive effects.

    I finally got him a few hours a week paid work through a friend, which is a major lift.

    Meanwhile various cracks seemed to be worsening in the back of the house whilst next door had their kitchen knocked down/rebuilt. I had a structural survey done, which bought more gloom, but an insurance company survey revealed no subsidence, which is a sort of blessing.

    Having been on a few disastrous dates, I met someone this April and it seems to be going OK, although she doesn’t like my house and is trying to smarten my appearance. I suppose I shall have to see how it goes. She is also widowed and we share tastes in music and politics, which is a good start.
    I’ve finally got my teeth fixed which was one of my targets, but my weight is stubbornly high and has already negatively impacted my health.

    One of my targets was to play more gigs, but this hasn’t happened with the current band, and I’m struggling to find alternatives. These days you have to have a glossy ‘showreel’ or video, in which department I am sorely deficient. I’m probably too old for a lot of bands.

    Got the fences fixed including a large chunk of one of my neighbour’s, which his late father had refused to do. Neighbour has no money and I was sick of staring at the hole and the rubbish his dad had amassed, so got it cleared and fences done. This gave me a lift and I had the garden cleared, trees etc, given a severe haircut.
    The G/F gave me the idea to incorporate the structural stuff with revamp of back of the house, since the bathroom is ramshackle (originally coal hole – bloody freezing) and kitchen needs replacing, so I have got an architect involved and approach 2017 with some positivity.
    I have a huge bill hanging over me for work to the outside of a building in which I own a flat. The tenants are challenging this, since the proposed cost would probably build another flat. We think they have specified gold paint !
    Oven died a couple of weeks ago, but I am managing to think of enough meal ideas over Christmas and hope the promised replacement will happen soon.

    As the widowed and divorced/separated amongst you will know, sometimes the future can look bleak, and not what you expected, but i”m more hopeful than I was. Still in touch with ex-colleagues, a lot of whom have themselves been made redundant or left for greener pastures. I don’t miss work, just the people, although sometimes I think I still have something to give. Having said that, I worked for 42 years, so am not feeling the guilt that I did at the start of the year !

    Best Wishes to you all.

  54. Sorry to hear of loss and illness amongst our number. I suppose it’s inevitable given our collective ages.
    The year started and ended badly but fortunately there have been some good bits in between.
    Simmering resentments came to a head in January between my wife and I, since when we have been attending counselling sessions individually and together. We’re doing ok now although we’ve still got some work to do. The biggest thing to come out of this has been the negative effect both our childhoods had on us. Neither of us thought we had a bad time but our parent’s problems have rubbed off on us and it’s been upsetting to relive a lot of those memories. Overall, it’s been a really good thing but tough.
    On the plus side, we’re still in business. Being little more than a sole trader is always a bit precarious but we do ok, managing to hang on to our main clients while managing to do other bits and pieces. I have to chase up a potential new client in the new year so no complaints there. I’m hoping that there will be less cancellations and rescheduled work in 2017 as this has been a real problem this year.
    Our two children are thriving. My son has GCSEs this year and is making college applications with a view to going to uni and studying maths and physics. Daughter has just become a teenager with all that entails but is delightfull for the moment. Both are playing guitar and my son totally nailed Classical Gas for his exam piece.

    The biggest downer and what has dominated the end of the year is mother in law’s dementia and the need to move her into a care home. She’s incontinent, doesn’t eat properly and needed more and more care in her flat but when she started wandering it was time to move her. After a false start in a home that didn’t really cater for dementia, we moved her this week, hopefully for the last time. I wish I could say it’s been a success but when my wife visited yesterday it was quite upsetting for her. The residents seem to be a mixed bunch, not all with dementia but some have no inhibitions, singing one minute and bickering the next, just living in the moment and unaware of their own behaviour and the effect it has on others. It’s been very sobering to see the old girl’s deterioration and I worry that one or both of us will end up like that. She’ll be 93 in January and a big part of me thinks enough is enough, time to go but maybe I’m just being selfish. The best we can hope for is a peaceful end. Jeez, how depressing.
    Just got to get through Christmas now, just the four of us this year and we’re going for a curry rather than having the traditional fare at home. Wishing all of you happy holidays and a good 2017.

  55. Threads like this are a great wake-up call to the fact that whatever cesspool you think you are being consumed by, there are people far deeper in the mire than you. Going through worse times, living day to day in situation we wouldn’t wish on anyone. So my thoughts go out to you all. Although I’m not a regular contributor, I’m usually knocking around somewhere here and can only be awed by the wit, knowledge and candor exibited. thank you.

    As for 2016:

    The good: I’m still employed and my employer has been remarkably flexible and considerate even if the work lacks stimulus. I have supportive friends. I trained for and completed an overnight walking marathon which for a middle-aged guy with a gammy leg was an achievement. Music highlights were thin, but there was enough escapism to see me through. And the big ones … Mrs Phil is still alive and the NHS is a wonderful organisation

    The bad: Mrs Phil’s cancer returned with avengence taking part of her character with it. Daily short-term radiotherapy in February followed by three-weekly chemo since and of course uncertainty. Actually, there is only one certainty, but hey-ho, live for today. Brexit and Trump, don’t get me started. The optimist in me says it will be fine, my pessimist currently has his foot on the optimist’s throat. In the spring my wife’s cousin (49) died of a diabetic complication and four weeks ago our French sister-in-law’s cancer ripped her away at 53 after 16 years in remission. Thanks 2016, now piss off coz your thick-necked, knuckle-scraping successor is crossing the threshold.

  56. I feel lucky compare with some.
    The good:
    1 After a weird couple of months of radiotherapy in Jan/Feb the old prostate seems to have stopped grumbling and settled down. Blood tests good so far.
    2 Been loving settling into life in the Brisbane suburbs, working on house and garden (Jen does most of the work on the latter, if I’m honest; she was out at 5 this morning concreting a path while I snored away).
    3 My daughter and her partner came out in September and we had the most wonderful time. They’re getting married in April, so something to look forward to.
    The bad:
    1 As if to compensate for the prostate (good 1) the COPD has flared up this year, making me significantly shorter of breath. The doc, the amusingly named Dr Rockley Boothroyd (should have been in Last of the Summer Wine) is experimenting with all sorts of puffers and gadgets, but nothing seems to make much difference. Smoking-related, so entirely self-inflicted – I have no cause to whinge.
    2 The world going to hell in a handcart. Europe, USA, Middle East…Even Australia seems full of feral politicians with no connection to any sort of real world I recognise. I don’t seem to be able to not take it personally.

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