Yeah....! The Winter Solstice is here. LONGER and hopefully drier days ahead...!!!

No chance of snow here for a while yet. It has been rather breezy though....

Just Finished Reading: The Consolations of Physics – Why the Wonders of the Universe Can Make You Happy by Tim Radford (FP: 2018) [178pp] 

It's difficult not to view the Universe we’re born into with a feeling of awe. Indeed, it's difficult to learn about the Universe without becoming over-awed and maybe a little overwhelmed. Both staggeringly old and STAGGERINGLY huge, it’s easy to think that we’ll never understand it, but the amazing thing is that we ARE beginning to do just that. 

We’ve been looking at the heavens for longer than human history and, no doubt, wondering about the lights in the night sky and what they are. It took a LONG time to finally figure things out (or start the process!) but we’re getting there. With telescopes, probes and a bit of mathematical wizardry we can understand the movement of planets, the birth (and death) of stars and even the birth (and death?) of the Universe itself. But we’re not there yet – not by a long way. Our knowledge of the Universe is still partial and there is much we still don’t understand – or even know we don’t know. There’s even the real possibility that much that we think we know might be flat wrong. We do indeed live in exciting times. 

At the other end of the scale, we have the infinitely small – the once indivisible atom, now known to be made up of progressively smaller and smaller parts. The Quantum realm is bizarre on steroids but works despite Einstein never fully accepting its implications. Not only are things stranger than we know, but they might also very well be stranger than we can know. Few scientists can wrap their heads around the mathematics required to understand (or at least appreciate or approach understanding) of the strangeness of Quantum Mechanics whilst the rest of us normal folk can only look on with wide-eyed wonder and laugh at the absurdity. I do find it FUN though – knowing that the foundations of everything are just so WEIRD. It warms my heart. 

Looking both out into the Universe and into the heart of atomic structure, the author shows how the endeavour to understand EVERYTHING is an amazing gift and one that can inspire much previously held to be the domain of Religion. The Cosmos can leave us feeling a sense of awe, a knowledge of how small we are, and inspire us to want to know the origins and mechanics of existence itself. Breakthroughs in the study of sub-atomic particles can should us just how amazing things really are and how everything, from the exploding hearts of stars to the DNA in every one of every living creature's cells are ultimately connected. We are indeed star stuff. But I think the most awe-inspiring thing we’ve learnt from all our endeavours so far is the sure and certain knowledge of how little we actually know. There is still SO much to learn, So much the discover and SO many misunderstandings to correct. We are living in an era of great scientific breakthroughs. I for one love finding out new stuff and even more finding out we were wrong about the old stuff. Can Physics make you happy? It works for me... [lol] A recommended, if somewhat short, read for anyone unsure what all the fuss is about with Cosmologists and the Quantum world. More to come. 

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Just Finished Reading: The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius [161pp] 

I’ve had this on my shelves for years – if not over a decade – and thought it was about time I actually read it, especially as I ‘recently’ acquired a companion read (up next) which would make a nice contrast. I think I bought this just prior to my Philosophy degree as it was on the recommended reading list. I ended up choosing an Aristotle related question for my Ancient Philosophy unit, so didn’t ‘need’ to read this so ended up missing it.  

I’d heard of it before (it’s hard to avoid in some circles!) so had some idea of the subject matter and the history of how it came to be written. The author was an early Christian in a position of some power around the end of the Western Roman Empire or shortly after(ish). For a variety of reasons, he ended up annoying other people in power and he ended up in prison where he wrote Consolation. This was essentially a dialogue between the author and the personification of Philosophy about a variety of subjects including why he, as a Good Man, was in prison in the first place. Most of this conversation revolved around ideas of the Good (which was all very Greek, indeed Platonic, in nature) so didn’t float my boat overly much. What I’ve read of Plato (only excerpts so far) hasn’t impressed me much and I’m far more a fanboy of Aristotle. Fortunately, things became more interesting as the author became a bit less self-focused. 

One of the things that did interest me, and made me smile more than once, was the fact that perennial questions, still mentioned today, came up during their conversation – specifically why bad things happen to good people (and why good things happen to bad people!) - and included a very well argued look at Free Will in contrast to God’s omniscience. I have sometimes pondered about the apparent conflict with the idea that if God already knows exactly what we’re going to do in the future how can we possibly have Free Will which HE gave us? I now understand how that particular circle can be squared and it no longer ‘bothers’ me. It’s all about perspective. We, being the limited creatures that we are, live in Linear Time. God, of course, does not and can see Past, Present AND Future simultaneously. Therefore, he can see what we’re doing, see what happens because of that and see the end result. But that doesn’t mean we don’t still have Free Will. I thought about it like this: Imagine you’re reading a non-fiction History book. In it you have people making decisions, and you can see the outcomes of those decisions, maybe even with possible other outcomes (if they’d made different choices) and how things eventually worked out – or not. Did those people have Free Will, even if you KNOW what their future entailed? Of course, they did. Same thing... The debate about the Nature of God kind of went over my head and I honestly skimmed a bit of that, but I did find a brief discussion about the relationship between Providence (AKA God’s Plan) and Fate (the action of said Plan in the world) instructive and interesting.  

Overall, I could see why this work has been so highly praised for so long. Although the God/Christianity aspects didn’t really hold my attention very much, I did manage to clear up a few questions that had been floating in the back of my mind for many years. If you’re interested in how Greek thought especially impacted early Christian philosophy and haven’t read this yet I can certainly recommend it to you.       

Translated from the Latin by Victor Watts  

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I *think* this was the first 45rpm single I ever bought....

All aboard..... [lol]

Just Finished Reading: Storm Force to Narvik by Alexander Fullerton (FP: 1979) [268pp] 

April 1940. Denmark has fallen to the Germans in a matter of hours. It's almost certain that Norway will be the next target, but still the British government under Nevil Chamberlain vacillates on what to do. With the Altmark incident still fresh in everyone's mind (more soon!), Britain is reluctant to abuse Norway’s stated neutrality but finally a decision is made – to mine Norway’s territorial waters to force the German navy into waters where the Royal navy can engage them. Meanwhile, Nick Everard commander of the destroyer HMS Intent is fighting for his life against a German heavy cruiser. With a ship badly battered and in need of urgent repairs he makes for what he hopes is safe harbour in the fjords. Further up the coast his son is serving aboard another destroyer HMS Hoste which has been ordered, along with a flotilla of other destroyers, to stop the German landings at the vital port of Narvik. Unaware of the German disposition they are about to encounter a large force of destroyers that are larger, more heavily armed and much newer. The risks are high indeed, but the consequences of failure could determine the outcome of the war. The Phony War is most definitely over, and the dying is about to start... 

The Norwegian campaign is one of those stages of the war that is all too often forgotten or sidelined, overshadowed as it was by the subsequent invasion of France and the ultimate retreat to Dunkirk. I suppose one of the reasons for this memory loss was the rather ignominious and shambolic way the fight was prosecuted from London. With troops embarking, disembarking and then reembarking transport ships before arriving in Norway with inadequate or missing equipment the actual ground fighting wasn’t going to go well. The Royal navy also lost a number of ships – including an aircraft carrier! - because of poor planning and contradictory orders. However, the attack on Narvik was something else. Without giving too much of the plot of this excellent WW2 naval thriller away, the navy more than made up for any apparent deficiency in equipment with dash, aggression and ultimate belief in their undoubted abilities. Told from 3 points of view (one of which purely to show the larger picture in conversations in the Admiralty with a prospective high-ranking appointment), including onboard HMS Intent and HMS Hoste (neither of which actually existed) this was a thrill to read, especially after reading about the real engagement some time ago. The author had served in WW2 on several ships so understood not only how they fought but also about how the officers and crew lived. The dialogue therefore is both realistic, salty and often very funny. It definitely added an extra dimension to the book for me and enhanced the pleasure of the read. It also got you invested in the characters a bit more so made the action sequences all the more nerve-wracking! The battles/encounters were VERY well done, again super realistic and exciting. Being the kind of novel it is, you might expect the heroes to be bullet proof but that’s not always the case. There were a few well-crafted heart-in-mouth moments that made me wonder! Although I’ve been reading this sequence completely out of order, I don’t think that’s made too much difference. Definitely recommended for all naval warfare buffs – if you can source a copy. 

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Top Left is my favourite, with Top Right close behind. Bottom Left is too minimal even for me. Bottom Right is a bit to 'out there'.

Just Finished Reading: Narconomics – How to Run a Drug Cartel by Tom Wainwright (FP: 2016) [286pp] 

Humans have been taking drugs, growing drugs and selling drugs probably for as long as there have been people. It is almost one of our defining features [Side note: Personally, I find it pretty amazing that plants exist that naturally produce – processed or not – a variety of narcotics that can get us ‘high’]. On the other side of this equation, though I guess much later in human cultural evolution, there have long been those who want to stop people taking these drugs for a variety of reasons. As we know – they have almost universally failed in this endeavour. The ‘why’ of this failure is the topic of this intriguing and often troubling book. 

What governments (and other authorities) regularly attempt to do is to reduce the supply of drugs to stifle their consumption. For many (often obvious) reasons this is doomed to fail from the outset. For one thing, many of the drugs and both easy and cheap to grow so ploughing up fields or spraying them with herbicides is an expensive way to do very little. Likewise processing drugs is an industrial process on an industrial scale so the interception of the odd (even large) shipment makes little overall difference to the ‘price on the street’ (a proxy metric for how well the anti-drugs authorities are performing). What makes this metric worse is that drug users (who are often physically addicted to the product) are more than willing to pay the higher price for their ‘fix’ and, if that wasn’t enough, by doing so INCREASE the profits of drug dealers. This is hardly a sustainable policy. [Side note: I’ve never understood the fact that drug seizures are destroyed – usually on camera – rather than sold to drug companies for processing into legal drugs. If so, this could almost self-finance the war of drugs] The author, who clearly knows his stuff and has on more than one occasion walked the walk into the proverbial lion's den, suggests a far more effective and cheaper alternative. The idea is to reduce demand and reduce illegal revenue. You reduce demand, especially for the harder drugs, by rehabilitation programmes and other techniques and you reduce revenue by legalising at least SOME of the lighter drugs like cannabis thus cutting the user base from under the dealers. 

The author makes a very valid case for using the unique economics of the drug industry against it rather than staying the course of a decades long failed moral crusade. Seeing the issue as a cold economic one, rather than simply seeing drug users as moral degenerates, would be more effective and longer lasting – essentially because it makes actual sense – than what we (collectively) are doing today. It does seem that at least some regions or countries are listening to this advice with the slow decriminalisation of cannabis use across the world. Even if still illegal here (as far as I know) the police tend to turn a blind eye to its use unless the user steps over the line. Making it legal and standardising the quality/safety of the produce plus taxing it, seems the much more logical solution. It’s coming, and when it does people will look back and wonder what all the fuss was about. This is a fascinating look into a global mega-industry that few of us have any experience with and an even more interesting look at the economics of criminal activity. Highly recommended and one of the stand out reads of the year. 

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Well said!!

I knew *some* of this background... But this makes a LOT more sense now.

Playing With Labels

I've been thinking about Labels lately and decided to add/enhance a few areas - as well as 'foreshadow' some upcoming areas of interest. One of the things that did jump out at me was that the Science 'label was too generic and needed fleshing out a bit, so I've added:

Brains (I was actually quite surprised at the number of brain related reads!)

Evolution (a particular long-running interest of mine)

QM (as in Quantum Mechanics and another surprise at how FEW books there was in this label 'bucket')

In addition I have also added a few other labels looking towards future posts:

Accounts (that's been there a while now but is worth pointing out - regarding first hand accounts of history)

Tank! (again surprised at the lack of entries here. As I'm [still] playing Warthunder and [still] haven't read any of the books I picked up at Bovington Tank Museum I thought a separate new folder was required)

I'll probably be adding something like 'Cosmos' or 'Space' at some point as I'd like to read more about not only our Solar System but the greater Cosmos we live in. 

Oh, look.... Rain.....

Just Finished Reading: How Iceland Changed the World – The Big History of a Small Island by Egill Bjarnason (FP: 2021) [264pp] 

When asked about the most important or influential countries in history, few would add Iceland to their list and, before reading this book, I’d be among them. But rather surprisingly that remote island has been involved, indeed at the centre of things, surprisingly often since its founding 1200 years ago. It was Vikings sailing from Iceland that discovered both Greenland and who were the first Europeans to land in North America, it was Icelandic Saga writers who preserved early history and tales that were lost elsewhere in Europe with the coming of Christianity, it was volcanic venting in the 18th century that triggered a global climate crisis that prompted regime change, famine, and scientific investigation leading to new ways of thinking about the world, it was Allied occupation (against the wishes of the population themselves) that arguably led to the containment of what remained of the German High Seas Fleet after their disastrous campaign in Norway and the subsequent security of Atlantic convoys, it was the Icelandic ambassador to the UN who was instrumental in the foundation of the State of Israel, it was Iceland that was picked to represent the Moon and be the location where Neil Armstrong and other astronauts trained for future landings, it was Iceland that hosted the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world and help reduce tensions towards the end of the Cold War and hasten the collapse of the Soviet Union, and on... 

This was SUCH a fun read! Not only did I learn a LOT of Icelandic history, which I was very much ignorant of, but it was told in such a way that I was smiling, chuckling or outright laughing throughout. The author had a wonderful touch and wove a great story tying events and personalities together to bring out both the very human story and the world spanning consequences that unfolded. I’ve heard different interpretations of the ‘Vikings in America’ story – did it really happen? - and was pleased to read more background on the story. I was also very intrigued to read about Iceland in WW2 where the British essentially showed up in warships and took ‘ownership’ of its ports so that the Germans couldn’t do it later. The funniest bit was where the senior British officer arrived at the home of a senior German on a ‘fact finding mission’ to arrest him and his staff. “You can’t do this”, the German said. “This is a neutral country”. “What”, the British officer said, “Like Denmark”. I didn’t realise that Armstrong and his crew had practiced on Icelandic territory but can see why as some of it is often described as like a lunar landscape. That definitely makes sense! 

Overall, this was a fascinating read and I really enjoyed it. I’ll be reading more about the larger Scandinavian world next year – specifically Norway, Denmark and Finland – and it’ll be nice to get a rounder picture of the whole region/culture. Definitely of interest for anyone looking for something a bit different or those who have ever wondered about the island itself.   

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Just Finished Reading: The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa (FP: 2015) [247pp] 

Due to a ‘change in circumstances’, Satoru is looking for someone to take care of his beloved cat Nana. But who? He certainly won’t put Nana up for adoption to strangers. It would need to be someone he knew, someone he trusted, someone who would love Nana as much as he did. But it would be Nana’s choice too, of course. Being an ex-stray, he was a very independent cat and wouldn’t stay with just anyone. Satoru had some ideas and contacted old school friends from years ago. A few responded positively and so, in his small silver van, Satoru and Nana set off across Japan to find if any of the offered places were suitable for Nana to spend the rest of his days. Along the way they would have adventures, meet new people, recover old friendships and we would discover, slowly, what circumstances had changed... 

I wasn’t exactly sure what I was in for with this novel as I haven’t read that much Japanese literature. To be honest part of the reason I picked this up was the fact that it was, for the most part, about a cat. I have a ‘thing’ for cats, which you might have picked up on. To say that this book was a delight would be an understatement. Not only was it quite understated it was also quite beautifully written. The author clearly understands cats and cat-human relationships. That alone was a big selling point for me. Giving animals an active character role in a book – especially with access to their internal dialogue – is difficult to get right (AKA realistic). The author nails that here. The relationship between the single (and arguably lonely) Satoru and Nana is exquisitely portrayed and I quickly fell in love with both of the characters. The story, although simple on the surface, not only gave insights to contemporary Japan but also constituted a series of character studies as Satoru compared his memories of school friends to their modern lives – with missed opportunities for love, revealed misunderstandings and transformative revelations. Each visit was a subtle masterclass in narrative, and I easy found myself completely immersed in the events as they unfolded. 

After loving this so much I was pleased, when looking for a cover to post here, to discover that the author had produced a second book of short stories (on Amazon for half price!) that I immediately snapped up and which should be arriving later this rainy afternoon. I just might have to drop that into my planned reading sooner rather than later. The only thing I would say in warning is that the novel is rather sad at times. If you get as emotionally involved with characters as I do sometimes, you’re going to need a few handy tissues, especially towards the end. Very highly recommended and one of the best books of the year. I can see why it became an (apparently surprise) international bestseller. 

Translated from the Japanese by Philip Gabriel 

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Nonsense, of course! We all know that he'll have his own cell, probably his own WING to accommodate his Security Detail plus all of the other co-conspirators.... [lol]

The Bookish A-Z Hot or Not Tag 

A - Audiobooks  

I can certainly see their utility – especially for people on the move – but they’ve never really appealed to me. I’d much rather sit down somewhere cosy and read the physical version. [Not] 

B - Bildungsroman. Dealing with a person's formative years or spiritual education.  

I don’t mind if a character's formative years are PART of a story, even more than an introductory chapter or two, but I don’t think I’d find a great deal of interest if this was the WHOLE story... at least not more than once or twice. [Not]  

C - Children's Books 

As I’ve said at various times, I hardly read anything as a child (hard to believe I know!) so missed out on just about ALL of the standard children’s books. I’m making up for that, a bit at least, and they’re more coming in 2024. To be honest I’ve actually enjoyed the books I’m managed to read so far and am looking forward to reading more – decades late, but better late than never. [Hot]  

D – Digital 

Digital/or E books are very handy indeed – especially if you travel or on holiday. Physical books are both bulky and heavy if you have to lug them around. But I’ve never really needed to do that so haven’t indulged digital reading – at least not yet. [Not]  

E – Experimental 

The 1970’s in particular was an experimental time in SO many ways – including Literature. I read quite a few SF novels and short stories that would fit into this category around that time and generally found them to be very hit or miss. The form of novels, or indeed any kind of literature, has settled into various types/ways for good reason. I can see why people feel the need/interest to both write and read experimental Lit, but generally I find it more irritating than enlightening. [Not]  

F – Fantasy 

For Fantasy, I think I need to be in the right mood/headspace. I suppose this stems from my basic scepticism which means that any fantasy world or magic system need to make sense – in the context of the novel. I’ve come across too many books – especially in Urban Fantasy – where the author feels free to ‘make shit up’ because its FANTASY so there’s no rules. WRONG! However, I’ve also read some excellent Fantasy which was both gripping and well-constructed. I’d go so far as to say that some of the best books I’ve ever read have been Fantasy – but also some of the worst books too! Saying all that, and looking to read at least some Fantasy next year, I’d have to say [Hot] - just!    

G - Graphic Novel  

A friend of mine was super into Graphic novels and spent a fair bit of her energy trying to get me into them too. She failed. I can certainly see the attraction and I honestly love the artwork in some of the graphic novels I’ve ‘read’ - Akira being one of my favourites. BUT – what I found incredibly frustrating was the lack of content. What I look for in a novel is something to fire my imagination, not to have someone else’s imagination given to me. Honestly, I find graphic novels both boring and disposable – sacrilege to some I know! Definitely [Not]  

H – Horror 

I’ve never been a ‘real’ Horror fan – in books or movies. Of course, Horror movies these days are quantified by the number of (generally young/pretty) people killed and how many gallons of blood are expelled onto floors/walls which means that I have zero interest. I’ve read a few Horror novels over the years (The Shining is probably the one that disturbed me the most) but I’ve never really understood the idea of fear as entertainment, so such things tend to be few, far between, and just as likely to be read by accident rather than design. [Not]   

I - Inspirational  

Over the years I’ve tried a few so-called ‘inspirational’ novels, usually on the recommendations of friends. The vast majority of them have been busts and I generally find most of them trite, insipid and borderline offensive. Usually just the word ‘inspirational’ on a cover will be enough for me to reject it. [Not] 

J - Journalism  

Good journalists often make good author’s when they stay in their area of expertise. I’ve read some excellent in-depth studies of regions, people or events authored by journalists who often have access to the people at the heart of things as well as the ability to get complex subjects across in an accessible style. If I see that a journalist, especially one I know, like and respect, has written a book on a subject that interests me, that usually a slam dunk. [Hot].  

K - Kitsch. Has a popular or sentimental appeal.  

As anyone who knows me can tell you – I don’t ‘do’ cute, so anything kitsch just wouldn’t appeal. I’m far too hard-headed and cynical for that sort of thing. Plus, I might do myself an injury with all that eye-rolling. [Not]. 

L – Library 

I used to practically LIVE in my local library after I got the reading bug but, since having increasing amount of disposable income, haven’t visited any for years. I know where my local library IS but have yet to enter through its doors. In some areas I imagine that I have more books on the subject than they do. Unfortunately [Not].  

M – Mystery 

Let me think about this for a while... I do LOVE me a good mystery. Not just in crime novels, which goes without saying, but in all genres. I LOVE trying to figure things out and, especially, getting there ahead of the author. A well-crafted mystery novel is a thing of beauty and getting lost in one – in more ways than one – is a great way to keep your brain alive and stave off dementia or at least I do HOPE so! [Hot]   

N - Non-Fiction  

Around 50% of my reading these days is non-fiction, mostly History. I see no reason why that should change going forward. Non-fiction has become a major staple of my reading, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Definitely [Hot]. 

O – Omnibus 

Not 100% sure what this means apart from a collection of novels in a single volume. I do have a few of those (hopefully at least one – with three books inside – will be read next year) but only because the original single novels are difficult to get these days. [Not]  

P – Poetry 

To be honest, I never ‘got’ poetry. I’ve tried from time to time, and I’ve certainly liked, indeed loved, a few poems (and memorised one or two over the years) but I could never imagine reading a whole book of poetry and enjoying it. [Not].  

Q - Quests. When the protagonist goes on a quest physical or spiritual.  

I do LOVE a good bit of questing when it’s done right. As a technique or form it’s a great way, at least potentially, to get you man character(s) from A to Z with interesting/dangerous adventures along the way. Plus, as someone who has spent FAR too many hours questing in computer games, I find the whole idea very comfortable and cosy. [Hot]. 

R - Romance  

I don’t mind the odd bit of ‘romance’ or ‘love interest’ in a novel, but a WHOLE book about it? No, thanks! SO not my thing... [Not] 

S - Science Fiction  

Years ago, back in my youth, this was my ‘go to’ subject. These days I probably manage something like 6-10 SF books a year, which doesn’t feel like anything like enough. I’m looking to increase my Sci-Fi reading next year, but I’m not 100% sure with what yet! [Hot] 

T - Translation. Books translated from one language into another.  

I’ve become a BIG fan of translated works and actively look out for them. They’ve actually accounted for (again) some of the best books I’ve ever read and I’m eager to continue reading them. Most definitely [Hot]. 

U - Übermensch. The superman or the extraordinary human. Characters who can do everything. 

Oh, there’s nothing SO boring as a ‘superman’ A good character, and especially a great character, has flaws that they overcome – or learn to deal with in other ways – allowing them to grow as a person (which is often fascinating to ‘watch’). A ‘perfect’ character cannot, by definition, ‘grow’ or learn or change. Then what’s the point? [Not].  

V - Victorian. Literature from 1837 to 1901.  

Most definitely. The Victorian period produced so many English-language Classics that it's hard to keep up. As I’m making a very conscious effort to read more Classics this period is a deep mine for me, so [Hot]. 

W – Western 

I’ve only read a single Western so far and quite enjoyed it. I LOVE the genre in movies, but this love hasn’t (so far at least) transferred over to literature. At the moment I’m not sure if I have ANY Westerns tucked away in any of my book piles, but I would like to dip my toe back into the genre, if I get a chance. If I had the choice I’d pick ‘warm’, but I’d have to err on the side of [Not] just at the moment.   

X - X Rated  

If that means ‘erotic’ I’d have to say a hard no. Sex scenes in books (and movies) annoy me more than anything else – I often skip/skim them in books and fast-forward on DVD. Most of the time they’re there purely for titillation and often show a director's lack of story-telling ability. I imagine that a book dedicated to such things would bore me stiff. This would probably be the same with ultra-violence. OK, violence often shows up in my reading – crime, war, SF stuff – but as part of the plot, rather than the main plot itself. Like sex, violence without a reason in a novel is both pointless and, more often than not, extremely dull. [Not].  

Y - Young Adult  

I have read the ‘odd’ (and sometimes VERY odd) YA book, but often by mistake rather than design. Obviously, given their target demographic, they often deal with subjects that I have little interest in (Romance for example) and, again with demographics, in a less ‘adult’ way that I like, want and need. They can be mildly entertaining, but I think I have enough adult books to read already. [Not] 

Z - Zeitgeist. Spirit or mood of the times. 

I’m definitely interested in books that try to determine or understand any particular eras zeitgeist (which is actually another one of my all-time favourite words!) and I’m hoping to prioritise a few of them in 2024. I am, I confess, rather confused and more than a little disappointed by world events these days, so to lessen that I’m hoping that a few smart people have figured out at least some of the shit going down out there and will let me/us know. [Hot]  

Welcome to December. Winter is HERE.