My year in blogs 2023

As we wind down towards new year and 2024, I am sticking with the old Barneteye tradition and having a look at the year in blogs. One from each month as the year progressed, trying to paint a picture of what 2023 was like. Yesterday I  looked at my musical year. This is always less fun (for me at least) but possibly more enlightening.

January

Don't give in to the tyranny of decluttering!

This was a blog I'd been thinking about writing for the best part of a decade. It has come back to bite me as my son has been frantically decluttering ever since. I have realised that people who declutter are not artistic. Artists love mess.

February

Environment Monday - In Mill Hill, we already live in a fifteen minute city and it is great

A few thoughts on the 15 minute city concept and how living in Mill Hill is a realisation of that dream. This is why I have no desire to "move out" to the country and have a large house in a boring rural setting.

March

Rog T's Cancer Blog - Here we go ..... The news ain't great

Regular readers will know that a long shadow was cast over this year. It was a "C" shaped shadow and this was where it all started to go pear shaped.  I wish I could pick another blog for March, but sadly this, for me was pretty much the story of 2023.

April

London Symphonies - A postcard from the edge (of London)

One of my fave blogs of the year, from my London Symphonies series.  I was given a box of old tat by my mate Richard Wilkinson, and I thought it would make a great episode of my London Symphonies series to enlarge on the story behind the pictures. 

May

"Your biopsy results show....." Rog T's Cancer Blog

The moment when I realised that the situation regarding my cancer was far worse than I had hoped and an operation or radiotherapy were order of the day. It is a difficult blog for me to read back.

June

The Mill Hill Music Festival Diary - Day six

The big thing for me in June was the Mill Hill Music Festival, which was a brilliant success. A week of amazing music and I was pleased that I had no time to contemplate the other things in my life.

July

Were the disabled deliberately culled in the first wave of Covid? A father speaks out

The most important blog of the year. My old mate John Sullivan had something very important to say about the death of his daughter. I wish I didn't feel obligated to write these sort of blogs, but what would be the point of it if I didn't. Six months on, John has had no answers and no justice. I guess the Covid enquiry has shown we were governed by narcissistic chancers, but we knew that already.

August

London Symphonies - Solace in Southwark Cathedral and bopping with the Bard!

I had a radical prostatectomy in August. I wrote this blog on my back from the pre op assessment. In a funny way, it was one of the happiest moments of my year. I felt peaceful, I was resigned to what would happen and it was a beautiful day. Taking solace in such moments is what gets us through.

September

The Edgware Railway Hotel – Time for Action - A guest blog by Mark Amies

It seems only right to pay tribute to our guest bloggers by picking one for the round up. Sadly, the one I picked is Mark Amies. This whole thing has been going for far too long. As long as Mark sees fit to continue his campaign to save the hotel, we will support him.

October

Sadiq Khan or Susan Hall? God help us all!

Sadly, both the Tories and Labour seem intent on conspiring to force us to choose between two people I personally wouldn't trust running my whelk stall. I genuinely believe that if the Tories picked a credible candidate, they would win. Sadly Ms Hall is simply completely unelectable. Khan has been the worst Mayor by far. He never seems to speak for London, just his own narrow interests and agenda's. 

November

The death of the pub industry

A subject close to my heart. My views on why the licenced pub trade is dying on its feet. Sadly, I had a bitter reminder on Boxing day of why I wrote this. I went to a local pub and waited for 15 minutes whilst a rather surley member of staff stacked glasses before serving me. He was then extremely petulant towards another customer, who had been served cold food. I want our pubs to succeed, but what part of the word "Hospitality" do they not understand.

December

The Saturday List #426 - Five decades of the False Dots Xmas gigs!

I wanted to finish this with some sort of affirmation that I'm still alive and kicking. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this blog. The fact that the False Dots are still going and releasing new music after 44 years is a miracle, so should be celebrated as one!