2020 was the year in which I photographed. Under lockdown, with all that emptiness and those astonishing clear skies, it was the thing to do. You shared images of anything on social media, just to tell people that you were still there, seeing things. I took many pictures of my home town of Rochester, discoveringRead More
I read quite a few books in 2020, and finished most of them. As with last year, rather than try and survey them all (which would be too much) or even just the ones I thought were good (which would still be too much), I have selected twelve, one for each of the months inRead More
At the start of 2020 Bob Dylan might have been looking forward to a quiet year. He had a few new recordings lined up or completed. There would be around 100 concerts – par for the course. He might weld a few gates, sip a little more whiskey, and rest a while. He was goingRead More
According to Spotify, I listened to 462 music genres over 2020. I did not know that there could be that many genres, and I’m certain I couldn’t name them. At the end of a year’s listening for those signed up to the service, they send a cheery, personalised summary of your year’s listening, packed withRead More
How on earth do you review a year like 2020? To do so would suggest normality, to act as though this not been a year when all regularity stopped. Everything became a parody of itself, an echo of something that we used to do when it seemed that we had a reason for doing so.Read More
Last in this series looking back on 2019 is the year in some favourite images (mostly mine). This was the year in which I visited Greece, the Lake District (twice), walked many miles through the Kent countryside, took part in the digitisation of many newspapers, visited art galleries and snapped the other visitors, and continuedRead More
I read a lot of books in 2019. I bought more than I read, but those are almost separate pleasures, two different kinds of discovery. One is a quest, the other an exploration. I guess that the linked goal is a search for an ideal: the pristine copy, or one that has aged gently, tastefullyRead More
Third in this short series of posts on my cultural highlights for 2019 is works of art. Here are a few favourite artworks from a year’s gallery-going, letting the images speak for themselves. For each I’ve given the artwork, artist and date, the name of the gallery where I saw it, and the name ofRead More
Next up in my reviews of the year is the year in music. Spotify, which clearly is keeping a watchful eye on me, has passed on the information that I listened to 4,535 different songs over 2019. I’m not quite sure whether this is too many, average, or less than I would listen to whenRead More
So here we are at the end of another year. Who knows where the time goes? Only the archivists. Anyway, as is now traditional, it is time for some reviews of the year, noting the things cultural that attracted me over the year. As is also traditional, we start with a review of the yearRead More