... to nuts

I don't think I'd heard the phrase "soup to nuts" before this year - meaning start to finish - but today was unarguably the "nuts" of 2017. 

And what a year it's been! Geopolitically, I simply can't remember a worse time, from Trump in the Whitehouse to our own collection of clowns in the UK government, all garnished with a strong sense that all around the world things are getting worse rather than better. 

Personally, on the other hand, it's been fab. The kids are all well, the Minx and I have had loads of fun, I saw some tremendous gigs - including Kraftwerk, twice! - and work has been great. Very personally, though, the best thing has been losing so much weight. (Look at some of the selfies at the start of the year compared with, yesterday.)

So, today was all about celebrating and leave worrying about the world until tomorrow. After a pleasant morning at the Minx's, when I recorded the radio show, we drove north to join Rosie and Tim Farron for the early part of the evening. Although I've had lunch with Rosie a couple of times, this year, it's been a while since I've seen Tim (for various reasons that I won't go into here). 

It was a delight to see him again, I have to say. We didn't have a Big Chat or anything but nattered about music and, inevitably, politics and I'm really glad we went; a good way to finish the year. And then we headed back to Kirkby Lonsdale for food and drink, and also 'The Shipping News', which, despite Kevin Spacey, remains a favourite film of mine. 

Onwards, to 2018, then. I'd like to think that 2017 was the nadir and that in a year's time, Trump will be impeached, Brexit will have collapsed into a stinking heap, and that the world can back to the important business of making itself a better place.

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