My year in review – 2024

It feels like I’ve had my head down all year and barely registered what I’ve been up to, so I’ve just scrolled through my calendar, photos and blog to find out what I actually did do this year!

As I look back on the year, I’m grateful to God for my lovely family, and for friendships old and new. I sometimes suffer from depression, when there is a voice in my head telling me that nobody likes me, but in my saner moments I am aware that there are many people who love me, and whom I love.

On the subject of depression, I had therapy near the start of the year, and as a direct result I can now tell people how old I am. Not that I’m going to tell you, internet reader; that would be very poor data protection.

Work

In contrast to 2023, when I was very busy with work and fairly flush, this year I have been rather skint for a lot of it (partly because I didn’t anticipate the tax bill from being quite flush last year 😂). I am actually looking for a new job, as I don’t think that interpreting will be viable in the longer term (a combination of AI and political direction – leave a comment if you want more details) so if you see any interesting jobs in writing/research/anti-trafficking or other things related to my skill-set, let me know. Maybe next year I’ll be able to let you know what my new ‘day job’ is.

However, earlier in the year when I was less skint, I did get myself a couple of shiny new toys: a Wren pen from Tom’s Studio and a beautiful Loungefly Slytherin backpack.

Travel

I feel as if I haven’t had a holiday in ages, but that’s because most of my travel this year was bunched up at the beginning of the year.

I went on a day trip to St Andrews in February, and then spent a week in Albania in March, for my old church’s 30th anniversary. That was a great time, catching up with people I hadn’t seen in years or decades!

I also had a day trip to the island of Millport in April, with my sisters and their families, and spent a few days in Aberdeen for the Esperanto Congress in May. As well as giving a talk on the Albanian language in Esperanto, I led the Sunday service for the first time, including translating a song into Esperanto. I also met a native speaker of Esperanto. They do exist!

I had a wee trip to Sheffield in June to see my family down south (Sheffield is down south if you’re starting from Glasgow), daytrips to Linlithgow with my friend Susan and her toy frog, and to Dumfries House and the Falkirk wheel with my younger sister and her family, and had a lovely few days in Northern Ireland in July/August. It was a terrible summer weatherwise, but on the day we decided to climb a very large hill with a buggy and a number of small children, it was scorching!

I’ve been nowhere since then (except for work – which included a lovely dander around Stockbridge, Edinburgh when a job was cancelled), so I’m looking forward to my Mitteleuropean Adventure in May 2025, when I plan to visit Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest. If there’s enough demand, I may do a daily blog and/or WhatsApp group, as I did for my Big European Adventure a couple of years ago, so let me know.

I also got my Aunt Johan’s old photo album recently, and it seems that she has been to some of the same places as me – Tunis and the Giant’s Causeway – which have not changed much even though her photos are from 80 years ago!

Books

Last year I read 46 books. I set a Goodreads target of (I think) 45 books for this year, which seemed achievable but sufficiently ambitious. I ended up reading 75! I don’t even know what happened. Partly it’s because some of them were graphic novels, which are quick to read, and many were re-reads, which are probably a bit quicker, but that doesn’t explain the huge jump. I can only assume it’s because there wasn’t much good on the TV this year!

I did finish my self-set reading challenge of 12 new authors, if you count trying and rejecting books (Salmon Rushdie, Alessandro Manzoni), although I’m still working my way through the brick of Don Quixote, and will be for some time to come. Here are the books I chose by each of these authors:

• Andrej Kurkov – Death and the Penguin (funny and weird)
• Alessandro Manzoni – The Betrothed (DNF – too boring and the hero was an idiot who did not deserve the heroine)
• Salman Rushdie – The Enchantress of Florence (DNF – overwritten, misogynistic pants. Read my scathing review.)
• Kate Chopin – short stories
• Miguel de Cervantes – Don Quixote
• Brandon Sanderson – Mistborn: The Final Empire (very enjoyable)
• Dodie Smith – I Capture the Castle
• Donna Tartt – The Little Friend
• L P Hartley – The Go-Between (really good, with a bomb of an ending!)
• Elizabeth Bowen – The House in Paris
• Shirley Jackson – We Have Always Lived in the Castle
• Edith Wharton – Ethan Frome

Many of them I very much enjoyed, but I made the mistake of leaving the harder and less attractive ones to the end, making for an intimidating finish to the challenge. A couple of those ended up being DNFs (did not finish).

I finished the Magicians series by Lev Grossman, which is now one of my favourite series. I also read some very weird, experimental fiction, like If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller, Horrorstör and Bunny. I can’t recommend them, as they are likely not to be most people’s cup of tea, but I very much enjoyed them!

Writing

It’s not been a fabulous year for publication, but that’s ok because it’s been a productive year for writing. I am this close 🤏 to finishing part three of the Sarcophagus Scroll trilogy, and I intend to make a concerted effort next year to find an agent or publisher for it. I’ve also been getting on well, if slowly, with my book on Glasgow’s history told through its bridges. I’m on chapter four, which is around the middle of the nineteenth century. It’s slow going because of all the research involved, but I’ve been setting aside Tuesday mornings to work on it at my church’s community cafe, where I can be seen most weeks, tapping away with a studious expression.

I did have a couple of profile pieces published in Premier’s Christianity magazine, on an ex-gangster and an ex-rugby player, as well as a reply in Woman Alive to an article they had published that I fervently disagreed with. And The Sarcophagus Scroll (the first book in the series) was long-listed for the Novel London Prize in September.

Crafts

I made myself a cool (in both senses) summer top with a diagonal pattern (using short rows, for the crocheters out there). I also made a crochet angel for my older sister, so now all the branches of my family have one. I added Mary to my wee nativity scene, but Joseph is still only part-made. I may get him by her side before Christmas is over. I also made a couple of cushions as Christmas presents.

I now have lots of Christmas-patterned squares that my mother used as eco-friendly wrapping paper, so I have to decide what to do with them. They would make good bunting, but I’m not really a bunting sort of person. Suggestions on a postcard.

Friends and family

I got a new budgie called Apollo this summer (see full details here) and he is getting on pretty well with Artemis. He is a bit friendlier than her, and sat on my shoulder this week while I was cleaning out the cage, which was nice.

My niece was baptised about a month ago, which was lovely, and my good friend Katrina was also baptised earlier this year. I played the important role of glasses-and-towel-holder for Katrina. There have been a couple of baptisms in my own church as well, in our glorified paddling pool.

Looking ahead

As I’ve mentioned, I’m going to be putting my efforts into finding an agent or publisher for The Sarcophagus Scroll next year. I may not write much (or indeed any) fiction, but I’ll keep on plugging away at the history book.

That’s my goal for next year, but my New Year’s resolution is to … drink more champagne. It’s too nice to save for just Christmas and New Year and grand celebrations. In old books, people (admittedly, rich people) would order a bottle to have with lunch. I won’t go that far, but I do intend to drink it more frequently as it’s so lovely. For the avoidance of doubt, prosecco doesn’t count, crémant probably does, and I’m undecided about English sparkling wine and (good) cava. More research is required.

Tags: Albania, book review, book reviews, books, crochet, fiction, Reading, travel