And so the old year drags to a close. Outside it's drizzly and overcast and much cooler than recently. I have distinctly mixed feelings about NYE and have always done so. 

There are very few that are memorable. Possible the most interesting was NYE in Florence in 1979. It was bitterly cold and I have no idea why I was out and about in a foreign city at such a late hour, but as one of the cathedrals struck midnight, people broke into song, applause and cheering. A young man near me unwrapped a large panettoni (I had never seen one before) and offered it around. I don't remember any fireworks. Everyone soon drifted home.

Other than that and the odd obligatory immersion in pyrotechnics, I have little to write about. I have always felt that the chance to genuinely reflect upon oneself has been missing, a symptom of the race to the next big thing. Resolutions have become a kind of standing joke. I wish that it weren't so.

But Happy New Year nevertheless. May there be fewer wars, more talk of peace and a kindlier attitude towards one's neighbour.