I often take a moment to reflect at the end of a year with an end of year blog post - I've  done a few of these over the past years and thought it was something I’d like to return to this year (see 2012, 2013 and 2014 - I think there are some others on Facebook too).

It feels like it's been a good year for me (although with a few pretty rough moments) but I know that it's been a hell of a rough year for a lot of friends and family - politics (at home and abroad) has been a background source of anxiety for many people, on top of many other family, relationship, health and other stresses - and my thoughts are with everyone who's been finding things tough of late and especially thinking of everyone who has lost someone over 2017.

Hobbies-wise I've been less busy on the brewing front this year, written less but have the next idea ready to go, kept Geoffrey our sourdough alive for the whole year, organised the school PSA bar for a few events, done some amazing travel (see below) and caught up with so many friends over the year. A recent trip to the physio tells me I've been spending waaaay too much sitting (at work and at home!), so next year has to be all about fitness.

Top Music

  1. Four Tet - New Energy
  2. Bon Iver - 22, A Million
  3. Weezer - Pacific Daydream
  4. Grandbrothers - Open
  5. Nine Inch Nails (pretty much anything still!)
  6. Phosphorescent - Muchacho
  7. Foo Fighters - Concrete and Gold
  8. Wolf Alice - Visions Of A Life
  9. Out Lines - Conflats
  10. Amon Amarth - Jomsviking
  11. Magic Sword - Volume 1
  12. Mark Mothersbaugh - Thor: Ragnarok
  13. Frank Turner — Songbook
  14. Bastille - All This Bad Blood
  15. Disasterpeace - Hyper Light Drifter

Top Books

  1. Terry Pratchett - Raising Steam
  2. Robert Macfarlane - The old ways

Nothing else I’ve read really deserves mention... and I’m a really slow reader!!

Top Films

  1. Thor: Ragnarok
  2. Arrival
  3. Whiplash
  4. Guardians of the galaxy 2
  5. Ex Machina
  6. Logan
  7. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
  8. Chappie
  9. Nerve
  10. Big Hero Six
  11. Valerian and the city of a thousand planets

The the prize for worst film of the year is totally torn between Tom Cruise’s The Mummy and Boss Baby.

Top TV

  1. Stranger Things (Season 2)
  2. The Expanse (Season 1)
  3. Ascension (Season 1)

Top Games

  1. Mors.
  2. Simon's Cat
  3. Stranger Things
  4. Yellow
  5. Calculator

Top Trips

WHAT A YEAR! Looking back it’s our travel that I’ve loved more than anything - time with just the three of us, time with friends and time with family, all in AMAZING places. I have so much love for the places we’ve visited in Europe, and for the remote and rugged parts of Scotland, and can’t wait to bust out some more cool trips in 2018. In no particular order:

  • Kerrera for a day trip
  • EUROPE for a truly epic Summer road trip including Legoland (top ride was the Polar X-plorer)
  • Tallinn/Riga for a not-a-conference and conference trip
  • Fountains Abbey - can’t actually believe this happened in 2017 (feels sooo long ago!)
  • GovCamp in London
  • Center Parcs to celebrate mum’s retirement
  • Harris for Easter
  • Manchester for a weekend
  • Doune the Rabbit Hole music festival year #2

Along with travel there were also some really cool Edinburgh-based events - The Fringe and the Book Festival as always, but also the Hidden Door Festival in Leith Theatre and Massaoke at Summerhall... also all very cool!

Top Emoji

Here’s to a great 2018!!