It was a long year

Here we are at the end of another year, and it seems that, by most measures, many of us have found 2024 a particularly difficult one, maybe even more so than all that we endured during the COVID pandemic.

We could blame it on the ongoing economic downturn. This particular crash has manifested itself much more slowly than that in 2008, when the axe fell swiftly and with a devastating impact, but I sense that for many this one is truly beginning to bite and affect lives in an increasingly profound manner. The consequences of that may be felt for a generation and may be the final death knell for the kind of optimistic capitalism that characterised my youth.

The burdensomeness of this year may be due to the cumulative effect of watching the war in Ukraine steadily but assuredly grinding down two nations until the flower of their youth goes to dust, especially when added to all of the other sadness and destruction that we see around the world.

Or perhaps we sense that, although the government in the UK may have changed, it is business as usual, in the most cynical sense. Or it might be that the election of Donald Trump to the White House, despite the manifold reasons for why his candidature was utterly appropriate, has drained us of a sense of faith in both politics and the future.

Whether it is one, another or all of those reasons, or something else entirely, every single person I have spoken to, no matter where they live, has told me that they will be glad to see the back of 2024 and cannot wait to get started in the New Year. And I cannot say I disagree.

Yet there have been some positive stories from 2024, such as the the rolling out of ‘Martha’s Rule’ in NHS England (a scheme that allows seriously ill patients the opportunity to get a second opinion if their condition deteriorates), the July UK election resulting in the most ethnically diverse parliament in history and a study indicating that several EU countries, such as Sweden, Denmark, Estonia and Austria, have already reached their 2030 sustainability goals.

And you have shown me your highlights of 2024 on Pushing the Wave. The number of people coming to the site and reading the articles (as well as finding out about my books and series) has increased dramatically, such that I can, for the first time, reveal the top ten pages from Thoughts and Pieces that you have visited the most over the past 12 months:

• Tenderstem Broccoli and Mushroom Risotto
• What is a Cheese Cob?
• War and Peace — A Review
• Cauliflower, Fennel and Mushroom Pasta Bake
• A 'Heartwarming' and 'Touching' Read
• Love or Limerence?
• Flaming June
• You're Dead, Let's Disco
• Digital Quitting
• The Dignity of Silent Protest

Of course, many other pieces have been published during 2024, and here are a few of my personal highlights. Doubtless they will appear in the Pushing the Wave 2024 collection, which will be published during 2025. In the meantime, I am looking forward to seeing the highlights from 2017–2022 appear in print in March.

• This Is How We Get Heard
• Stop Messing With the Clocks
• A rose by any other name
• The end of every song that we sing
• Barley and Spinach Mujaddara

I wish you all a wonderful New Year’s Eve (or at least one that satisfies, given how often these celebrations can seem like an anti-climax) and a good start to 2025. After all, we need it.