This annual blog is 12 years old today, every year for the last 12 years I have come here to capture what happened over the last 365 days, what we enjoyed, what we did and more and more how that made us feel.
Grab a cup of tea and sit back for a bit of a long read, sorry, it is a bit on the indulgent side but is something I love doing and love coming back to every year.
The evolution of this regular part of my blog is fascinating to me and says a lot about my own changes. It used to be just about work and the songs of the year was a playlist (originally a CD). It then evolved to be about the culture and media we enjoyed, in the last few years it has become more of a diary of what has ‘shifted’, the family life we have had, and a moment to reflect on how that makes us who we are.
We have been very lucky this year to do some lovely traveling too, so more than ever before I get to think back with a smile on the wonderful places we have been.
So January, straight back in to the office in Leeds which felt nice but a quick ramp up to high speed was needed, we were committed to achieve so much delivery and I had my mind on really making the first quarter a time when the dial would shift on what the wider organisation thought of the Digital team and what we could do all of this meant a heavy and immediate commitment to working hard and being with the team everywhere they needed me.
We had planned a visit to Staithes on the North Yorkshire coast with two lovely friends, we had booked a lovely Air B&B and made sure we had two cars full of fun stuff and provisions. I had never been before and was blown away (almost literally) by the beauty of this place. Steep hills to drive down, drop the contents of the car off and then take the car back to the top of the hill for the weekend was ‘fun’ as dusk set, but all part of the adventure. Dinner in Staithes on the first evening in the very authentic Cod and Lobster pub set us up for an amazing walk the next day. The mud, the icy driving rain and a little dog that thought we had gone a little bit bonkers but a mile in and this all cleared a ray of sunshine warmed us up and were on our way, amazing views, wonderful fresh air a flask of coffee and a kit-kat got us to lunch. The long walk back was made that bit faster as we all wanted to get home in time to get changed to head out to our restaurant booking at Restaurant Number 20 in Port Mulgrave, if you are ever in the vicinity of this place look it up. A family run, welcoming and absolutely wonderful example of talent with local and seasonal product made to shine!
That evening a bit of a trend got started too, board games and in particular Pandemic, two rounds of the game and we still weren’t quite winning but so much fun and a game and an evening we would replicate a few times over the year.
As a couple we were lucky enough to make the diaries align and be in Birmingham on a cold dark night in January and managed to get a table at the ever-wonderful Wilderness restaurant. Having shared a brilliant meal there with friends the year before we had great expectations. What we did discover though was with it being a school night we both started the meal tired and finished it even more tired, the food and the experience were great and it is always lovely to have something like this in January to do but next time we will not have important stuff to do the next day was our little resolution.
Our regular walk around Newmiller Dam on a Saturday and Sunday went through a bit of a revolution in January too, we had always been halfway round and stop at the Boathouse people but after giving Lakeside a go for wonderful hot chocolate and fruit toast the world changed a bit and we became a family of three regulars.
Work events and conferences can be a bit ‘same old same old’ with lots to hear and say but just faceless rooms in generic hotels. The Hot Topics team do it differently though, Abbey Road, The Tower of London and on a cold January morning an AI event Churchill War Rooms. This was somewhere I had always wanted to go to so being able to be let in before the tourists arrived, here some great speakers and content on the joys and perils of AI all in this great setting was a great event to part of.
And before we knew it February was here. The treat of getting to see Roisin Murphy and her support act Crazy P was superb, little did we know this would become more poignant as the year unfolded. Dancing the night away with an old friend and then meeting up with my other half and her work team was a little bit naughty with work the next day but we did laugh a lot.
We also had tickets to see the mighty GZA live in Leeds, we went for dinner first in Oakwood at Cheesy Living sadly (in some ways) the Cheese was better as GZA only really got going towards the end of a much-delayed set with some Wu Tang classics getting an airing right at the end.
One of my favourite ever books is One Day which in 2024 was turned into a TV series that was so well done it made me want to reread the book. It had been done before as a film which I had enjoyed but the casting of Ambika Mod as Emma was inspired, if you haven’t had chance to watch this go grab it now, brilliant. Now is probably and good time to break for the first list of the year review, the TV and Film I have loved this year.
Masters of the Air, The Flood, Run Rabbit Run, American Writer, Three Body Problem, One Day, Woman Of The Hour, Challengers, Diplomat S2, Silo S2, Back To Black, The Penguin, Masters of the Air, Rivals, Expats. If I had pick one favourite film it would be American Writer and TV would be Three Body Problem both of which I haven’t yet shared the pleasure of watching with my other half, looking forward to doing that in 2025.
I am lucky to have made some great friends through work in London so when I am in the city I get chance to spend time with them and visit my list of restaurants that seems to never stop growing one of the most exceptional ones this year was Restaurant Story with Ellie and the gang. A wonderful experience from start to finish and highly recommended if you can get in. A relaxed atmosphere and yet with exceptional dishes one after the other.
Watching The Apprentice this year as a family brought a whole new outlook to it for me. It’s a series, like most people I think, that used to be watched a lot and it used to mean so much more, recently less so. As with so many things I guess as you start to share the content with others ‘live’ in your living room it can take on a whole new meaning so this became a family pass time every week for the 10 weeks it was on.
February this year had a very big Birthday in it for me. Going out for dinner and being surprised by a whole gaggle of my friends was lovely and the fact it was in Threes A Crowd made it even more special as it’s a place we seem to return to for those special moments. People traveling from all over the UK and Ireland to be there and it be a complete surprise was superb and we got to party well into the night with everyone.
Going to a Barnsley game for my birthday was a lot of fun too, particularly as it was a great game, superb atmosphere and we won with what I think I would call an elegant performance. Sadly though that would be the last good home performance of the season for some strange reason. Lots of fun walking to the ground and home again and enjoying the freedom of my home town and all that it means to me.
We had Cabaret at the Kit Kat club booked for ages, we managed to see one of the last performances with Jake Sheers and Rebecca Lucy Taylor who put on an immaculate show, the full immersive experience of the show was very cool, not like anything I had seen before and the nature of Jake’s performance was full of menace and yet somehow endearing too. Fascinating to be there at this point in time as so much of the meaning of Cabaret started to bubble up in the UK and across Europe again in so many ways.
The sun started to set that bit later and we were in March. Our Saturdays are a day we protect a lot, having a bit of a routine on the day time frees us up to be able to do more with our evenings and brings a bit of stability to a hectic life. Our new regular Saturday haunt became Kraft in Wakefield, walk the dog, pick up any new records from the always awesome WahWah Records and then enjoy a coffee or a glass of red wine for an hour and plan what to do next with the weekend, if you happen to be in Wakefield the two must go to places for me are WahWah and Kraft!
I was lucky enough to be offered a chance to visit Cambridge university to see the UKs most powerful supercomputer in real life and hear how the university and the tech industry of the UK were innovating together to break down barriers at speed. An amazing building to be in and see how far my ‘industry’ has come, when I think back to the old computer rooms inside health authorities I used to visit and compare it to this experience, they are simply worlds apart.
Another London favourite had become the lovely Italian in Highbury called Trullo and by a fluke of diaries my other half was able to be in London on an evening when we could get in. She fell in love with it as much as I did, the food and service wonderful and the street it is on full of life and opportunity, a great little part of London.
We try hard to not be a family that leaves the four-legged member at home too much, a bit of research into Leeds taught us a new lesson, so many establishments now let dogs in so off we went on our first ever doggy pub crawl; Friends of Ham, The Dog House, Rolands and Threes a Crowd, a brilliant Saturday afternoon into evening and a lot of fun shared with the dog, I think he liked popping in to Blue Collar Barbering to say hi and the food he snaffled at Threes A Crowd the most though!
We had tickets for Macbeth at the Yorkshire Playhouse too, and whilst the reviews of the acting had been mediocre the setting and staging for me were marvellous and I have to say that regardless of what the reviews had said I thought it was superb and made for a feeling of learning from the stage again that I knew I had missed in recent years.
Being a Civil Servant has some pinnacles to it. As a team we were invited to Number 10 to demonstrate how my department had adopted an innovation mindset that had led to some of the most forward-thinking uses of AI in government. It was such an exciting experience, live demos’ connecting to a Job Centre to see the tool in action and being able to answer questions from some of the most amazing brains supporting the UK. It was an experience of a lifetime for sure and yes we got ‘the’ photo too!
Going away with the best of friends is something we are starting to do more of. A trip to Albufeira in Portugal was planned and was a fabulous long weekend away. Visiting the Marina in Albufeira was lots of fun, dodging the rain showers in bars and restaurants and when the sun shone being able to sit out under the blue sky. We found a great restaurant too at the marina we grabbed the last not booked table of the Sunday, Akvavit Restaurant, where the food was amazing and the debate about whether an Espresso Martini is a course of the meal of or a drink at the end rages on still today. The beach at Praia De Sao Rafael and a brilliant restaurant called Il Borgo were also part of the day. Il Borgo is simply beautiful, cliff top dinning, amazing art and lighting friendly staff and stunning food. Our last day was spent to some degree at Praia dos Arrifes where sun tans were made and beers were drunk, we so didn’t want to leave the next day that’s for sure. Always good when a plan works so well that you simply recreate it the next year, which is definitely on the cards for 2025 but with the smaller ones in tow.
Starting April with a gig in Manchester was fun. The Happy Mondays supported by the Inspiral Carpets and the Stereo MCs something of a dream come true in some ways. All three of these legends were better than I thought they would be, admittedly you couldn’t understand much of what Shaun Ryder said in between songs but musically they were brilliant and it was fun to share with a great colleague and be in Manchester for it.
This month was the first of a few awards of recognition that happened over 2024. I was published as a ‘Most Influential CIO’ in Computing magazine credited for breaking down silos across the industry and making sure that digital transformation was at the heart of government. These awards I think are really important to team dynamics when done right, recognition of the team not just the leader of the team is important.
A bucket list for me has been to see Nightmares on Wax and in particular to see the songs from Smokers Delight performed live. We were very lucky to have tickets to see them at the Royal Festival Hall, performing with a full orchestra exactly the songs we wanted to hear. A few tears were shed as Les Nuits was performed.
And then the next day, being in London for Record Store Day had some benefits and sadness, it meant I couldn’t be involved in the fun in Wakefield at WahWah but it did mean I got to see what happens at the centre of the vinyl universe, Rough Trade records. A long wait in a very cold queue but entertained by the conversations with others, reading my book stood up and once in the store Statoshi Tomiie playing some awesome tunes and I got maybe 60% of my wish list too, knowing (and hoping) that I could pick up the rest the next day in Wakefield.
A surprise visit to another restaurant in London O’Ver Restaurant added another great Italian to the list and one that was near where I stay more often than not. What was great with this visit though was the company and that this was the first al fresco eating o the tear, spring was coming.
May started with a visit way up north to visit the family, spending time in Norham and the surrounding area is always a moment where you relax that bit more, blue sky, the parent conversations and a relaxing atmosphere always eases the stress of the world when you are there. I also tasted one of the best fish stews I have ever had at the Victoria Hotel in Norham itself, worth a visit if you are anywhere near Berwick Upon Tweed.
Following on from the fun of Leeds Digital Ball last year we managed to grab two tickets again. Lots of colleagues from across the years and people we have ‘grown up’ with there to raise money for charity and to enjoy some reminiscing about things that this amazing group of people have achieved in the past. Hopefully the 2025 version will build still further on the success of this years event.
One Saturday morning we arranged to visit Galleria Restaurant at Project House in Leeds based on a few reviews we had. The two of us and the smallest one trying some delicious flat breads and seeing the new venue for music that we would be heading to just a few evenings later.
GoGo Penguin at Project House were sublime, I have seen them a couple of times before but to be in a place like Project House with the amazing sound system it has was brilliant and we knew we could get food before too having tried it a few days earlier, a great evening out and one that tells a story about that ever evolving musical taste which as taken a heavier leaning towards Jazz than ever before. Probably a good time for pause two, the musical list, click this link and go to Apple Music to hear my list of 2024, 40 songs that have become my go to songs of the year.
https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/2024-songs-of-the-year/pl.u-MRN2gt3Z5y8m
I was lucky enough to be invited to THINK in Boston to speak about all the things we had been doing with AI and our plans for the future in front of what turned out to be a huge crowd. I have always loved these opportunities to get in front of the big US crowds and show how our teams can lead the way. Being in Boston for my third time meant I knew a little bit of where I want to go to, 1828 Beacon Hill, MIT and a Celtics game all got on the list and were great experiences.
There was sadness in the trip though, during this time my sister-in-law had fallen very ill and very quickly and suddenly passed away. So sad when someone so young is taken and leaving a huge hole in my brothers heart and her families life. It was a moment to reflect on just how you do not know what is around corner, ever.
June began with a trip to Lake Maggiore in the Italian Lakes for the annual KLAS Research conference which, even though I was no longer on the board, I had been asked to attend and do the social content write ups and reflections. Being in beautiful Italy, enjoying some sunshine and being part of the KLAS Research system was a wonderful experience a tiny bit of exploring too and some lovely food on the exploring sessions added to the fun part of this ‘work’.
We squeezed in a few gigs in June, I think this feels unusual as bands are normally heading out on the festival pitch by this point but a candle lit Radiohead Tribute at Leeds Minister was very intense in a good way. Jalen Ngonda at The Stylus Leeds University in Leeds felt like a time warp to the 1960s and was so full of talent and The Killers in Manchester, ultimate showmanship and sharing it with the best of friends was lots of fun.
Computing Magazine published its most influential people in the UK technology community in the same month, how cool to be sent the list unexpectedly and to discover that both you and your partner in everything made the top 100, kind of funny when someone pointed out that our house now has 2% of the people on the list living in it, scary. When they eventually put the people in order I was number three under the inventor of Google Deep Mind and Alan Bates, this was a thrill I have to be honest and say I took a bit of pride in that moment.
Since our trip to France and Spain last year we had been on countdown to the wedding of two people who mean so much to us. To be so part of the wedding, doing a reading, seeing my other half and the smallest one be part of the bridal party and picking the less small ones formal outfit were brilliant, such a party full of love and the celebration that everyone wanted to be.
In June you kind of hoped for sun drenched outside gigs, sadly the Michael Kiwanuka at Piece Hall in Halifax was a very very wet affair. Lucky for us it didn’t spoil it, we had balcony tickets so had a roof and despite the rain he was rather amazing from start to finish.
So July arrives and the summer had been a weather washout, we were booked to stand in two different fields and see two very different sets of music, the first night we simply abandoned as the rain was simply inscent. We did get to do some indoor things though, a much anticipated trip into Mayfair to go to Daunt Books which lived up to my dream, We managed to get some cultural stuff in too, the Naomi Campbell exhibition at the V&A was remarkable and so full of nostalgia for those images of her striking those poses. We also had a nice surprise, a trip to the Wallace Collection to see the works of Flora Yukhnovich paintings that I feel I could live inside and a building that I will return to more often even if just to work in the very lovely coffee shop.
When at the Hyde Park end of London its easy to fall into the same old places to eat and drink, by pure chance we fell upon the Mercato in Mayfair a church converted into what I can best describe as a food hall I guess. Lovely food and great wine and a shelter from the down pour that was readying us all for a washed out Robbie Williams gig in the park.
And as if ordained by the food offerings in the church the skies cleared the sun didn’t quite come out but it stopped raining and between the joyous food served from The Bear food stand, the awesome company and the great music we had a ball. The videos of the whole gang belting out tune after tune at the top of their lungs are a sight to be seen.
At last an outside event in the British Summer that benefited from some sun, the Hip Hop picnic at Project House was a brilliant affair, family orientated day time activities, great DJs, an in conversation with DJ Yoda on the history of the DJ and some great fun with our friends, moments like this one when a day has simply slipped away and have had so much time you think you have been there a few minutes. This is another one that we will be looking for in 2025.
The summer holiday arrived, Corfu specifically Dassia Beach and a lovely boutique hotel that impressed the whole family a lot. None of us really knew what to expect of the island but we had a great time, some lazing around the pool and some exploring and at times handing over the food logistics to the small ones. A couple of visits to the Old Town were very rewarding, it is a very beautiful town, after a recommendation from tow lovely people on social media we booked into the Cavalieri Roof Top Restaurant with sunset views to die for, exceptional service and food and a quirky old lift to experience. A visit to Malibu Beach Club reminded us that the small ones are just that, still small ones, deep water stoping dancing and generally not that great an experience but a learning. What was brilliant though was the Asteras Boat Trip which included a stop off at Kassiopi as well as lots of swimming and photo opportunities. We also made it to Corfu Yacht Club for one evening meal which had James Bond vibes to it.
But perhaps the best meal of the summer was at Pomo d’Oro by Aristotelis Megoulas in the Old Town. One that the small ones found, when they showed me I was not convinced we would get in but we did, down a little alley this unassuming gem of a restaurant was a delight. Adventurous small ones tried everything and wanted to know more, the chef obliged at one point even giving the larger one a tour of his kitchen. Quite remarkable.
One of my oldest friends and I are damn rubbish at meeting up even though he is in London a couple of days a week and by this point my job had me almost living there. So August came and at last we arranged to meet for dinner at Eataly near Liverpool Street. By this point in the year Eataly had become a simple go to restaurant whenever you wanted something lovely to eat that wasn’t complicated or overly fussy. We had a blast of an evening catching up on the goings on of as much as nine months. When you have a friend as good as this person is to me you have someone that just by talking to them helps you course correct your life, lucky for me he is still there for me. I am very lucky.
We had made a deal with the smallest one that we would go camping in 2024, I was excited so was she and definitely the four legs; rest of the family less so. Due to a fear of wild cats the taller one managed to bagsy the spare room so me, my other half the dog and the smallest one had three nights in a tent. Not really true camping as this was in Norham and we were in my parents back garden, but for me a lot of fun.
Whilst there though we managed a day exploring Edinburgh visiting the Duck and Waffle, Camera Obscura and the National Museum but perhaps the absolute highlight was seeing Greyfriars Bobby and the churchyard just behind the statue, a place full of inspirational elements for Harry Potter, a great deal of fun had finding the names and seeing the things that were the inspiration for something we all love in our family.
St. John in Marylebone is up there as world class in my view and I got to take one of my best friends ever to experience with me and to sit outside. She got lost finding it and we had one of those comedy moments where I was directing her on a phone whilst she walked in the opposite direction, not only did we get to have awesome food it was another one of those evenings when clarity of vision was there and you can plan for what you needed to do next. Leaning on friends is so important and I hope I can be that post to lean on as much as I do it to the people I love the most.
Work had been hard and was getting harder, changes brought on by the election and the result were making it hard to achieve what you knew you could, in no way is that a political statement, think of your organisation changing its entire top team overnight and the new top team had no experience of doing what was needed just passion and thoughtfulness, now overlay a huge and ambitious change programme on that, one you wanted to lead, that’s where the new clarity started to come through to me from my dear friend.
Being in the luxurious position of being able to offer the small ones dreams come true is one we always feel very privileged to be in. Taylor Swift at Wembley stadium in seats that she would feel comfortable in was one of those moments for me. The awe on her face as Taylor came on was actually a bit of an inspiration as to why we do what we do and work so hard and her recognition of how this was such a treat was brilliant. It was awesome for me to do the journey there just me and her two laughing and giggling at our surroundings and feeling the building anticipation of the concert of the year. What a performance too, not a huge fan before, converted by the gig.
The gigs kept rolling in too, All Points East with Cymande, Ezra Collective, Nas, and Loyle Corner. I was a full on committed fan of Ezra by this point anyway, when they came on they blew the park away with their performance, jumping into the crowd, playing new songs that were days old and generally being an inspiration to all that is a new UK culture now. Nas was an experience too Hip Hop I think is hard to get right on a big park stage but he did it, although nothing compared to what Loyle followed up with. Lighting, set list, anger to love ratio all spot on, we went home with big smile son our faces.
Another solo thing I committed to was to see a covers band of A Tribe Called Quest at Camden Jazz café. So cool to see those timeless songs performed on that legendary stage and despite being turned down to sit at a table, solo audience members are not welcome, I had a brilliant time.
Those that have read the blog before will remember I fell in love with Julie’s Restaurant in Notting Hill whilst I was at Boots. I discovered in August that after a year since it closed down it was reopening again and managed to go twice in one month, both times able to sit outside watching the world go by, discussing the art of the possible and making plans for the future, another one for the highly recommended list.
The grown ups only holiday this year was back to Ibiza, the Me Hotel. Just a few days and not designed to hit the dancing quite as much as years gone past but definitely to soak up some vibes and some sunshine for a little while. A long walk along the cliff tops near the hotel was beautiful a trip back to Pikes to rekindle the memories of times gone past and an evening in Old Town made the trip worth while, we had a superb hotel experience with awesome and chilled DJs and great food and with Nikki Beach right next door I don’t think you could wish for a better spot.
Back to that poignant Crazy P mention earlier though. As we landed back home the very sad news that Danielle Moore the singer of Crazy P had passed away, one of the quotes written about her in the days afterwards was of her ‘beautiful soul and her mischievous glint’ which I had been able to see a few times over the years and even just what a few months earlier face to face whilst Roisin played a wonderful set list.
I have tried to keep a deal with myself that when in London solo I would try harder to do more cultural stuff, a wander around a gallery or a trip to the theatre. So in September I found myself heading out to see the first part of a trilogy of plays (sadly without the time to see the other two parts) Death of England. Taking a brilliant seat near the front, the play was in the round with just one cast member and a whole bunch of ‘props’, such energy and storytelling of racism, relationships, family and expectation. All told at a time when it felt like the UK and London in particular was somewhat on a knife edge of discontent. All the way back to the hotel I couldn’t stop talking to home about how good it had been, truly up there as one of the best nights in London in 2024.
But talking of great nights in London, ABBA Voyage. Way back earlier in the year the old Boots gang had got together for dinner and the sharing of stories and agreed we should do something later in the year. The majority of us settled on the ABBA show that was once the hottest ticket in town and now it was actually possible to get us 10 tickets to all come together and dance the night away. Whether you are there to marvel at the tech, dance to the music or appreciate the surroundings it didn’t matter (I was there for all of the above) it was a great night out and brilliant to stay close to some people I think of as exceptional colleagues and friends to this day.
I nearly left this one too late, a couple of amazing friends had booked me a DJ Lesson in the Christmas and I kept putting it off through nerves. It was booked in at last and I had my first of what will become many lessons in how to make the technology work to bring the soul of all sorts of music to the listeners, it was a brilliant experience I could not stop talking about for days afterwards. My intention is to follow this one up a lot in 2025 too.
October was going to be quiet for a few reasons, more on that shortly, we did manage to kind of double book ourselves though and decided to ignore how old we were and do all three things anyway. So a day sight seeing in Liverpool followed by the very lovely Clatterbridge charity ball and then an early morning alarm call to head off to York races. Liverpool was great but every time I go I do think they could do more with the history than they do, I want to go back with my books in hand and discover more. The ball was absolutely awesome, friends, winning a couple of bids and laughter with people that we love dearly was so much fun. The early morning roll call to York was a bit painful but so worth it. Dressed up but with less than great UK weather again but picking the winner (with no skill can I add) on race one and a bunch of others through the day was such a giggle and then a night in York which we loved (again).
November was going to always be dominated by two things! The family holiday we had been building up to for an age to NYC and a big career decision. I did nearly two years as a senior civil servant and during that time met some of the most talented and caring people you could ask to be colleagues, and I hate to add a but. The role of technology in transformation of the civil service is still a second-class citizen in how the system looks at what is needed. Not the people there doing the job, I hasten to add but the way, at a government department level, technology is given a ‘seat at the table’ and certainly in the way it is funded is going to mean that ambition is just that, an ambition and not a plan.
This and a whole bunch of other more personal things happening meant I took the sad decision to resign from my much-loved role and admit that after two years (only two years as people kept saying) I couldn’t be the answer for the change that was needed.
So that decision got enacted, a replacement was found, a brilliant person and friend who wanted to step up and give it a go and suddenly I was, in an unplanned from life point of view on the move (again).
The afore mention New York holiday though. As I alluded to earlier seeing things though the eyes of our blended family can and does breathe new life into past experiences and can bring new opportunities to add to those experiences. That’s what New York was. I have to be brief now as the NYC experience should have had a blog in its own right for so many reasons.
Dumbo, Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Greenwich Village, Momofuku Pizza, The High-Line, Jeffery’s Grocery, walking 54 miles in four days, being brave and mostly using the sub-way for everything, fabulous meals (you guessed it) early morning forays to Beastie Boys land and the 9/11 site all were highlights, but the real highlight was as we walked around every new corner and the two most important holidaymakers saw something new.
My two ‘swan song’ items for my role were in one case organisationally impactful and in the other personal growth. We had been planning the Reverse Pitch sessions for six months, three cities, 120 start-ups and two huge government departments with a number of problems that needed solving. Ministers and senior civil servants working with the technology community of the UK to dream up new solutions that used technology in ways not seen before. I loved every minute and every time someone said this is very different to usual engagement I had a bit of pride in me, I even had a bit of doubt about the decision to leave but knew it was the right thing to do.
The other item was my annual trip to Barcelona the Gartner Symposium. My arrival day tradition of a lunch for one was lovely although in the rain and reading in a gothic square more than wandering the city this year, that weather problem again! The conference itself Arnie, Malcolm Gladwell and so much to experience as it is every year, I love the Symposium experience it is nearly always toped off with a new find, the Oriental Express bar this year had to be top of the list, your drinks arriving down the table on the back of a model train, whats not to love…
And then I wasn’t there anymore and I was joining a new organisation. The interview experience had been amazing, meeting so many cool people who were so enthusiastic for what could be done, taking an old company that had been super successful into the next century through transformation and the use of digital solutions was my new role. There I am meeting my new team who were so welcoming and giving, meeting my new leaders who were so excited to see what we could do. It changed my outlook on what I was here to do within the first couple of weeks, the art of the possible isn’t just a dream, it’s a target that its on us to move closer to our business every day if we can. I love being part of that digital ecosystem in the UK and when you are empowered to not ‘just’ be the technology person but to hold (and turn) the keys to transformation every 05:00 alarm call is exciting not hard labour.
My first big site visit with the new job was to Coventry, some of our offices are here really near the station and very beautiful but perhaps what was more exciting was getting out to the site itself and seeing the way we build our big box business, look after our customers and have sustainability and quality at the centre of everything we do. I was straight up over the moon at the people reaction to what I was thinking to, up for the challenge and ready for the ride was one of the phrases said, and I love that.
Away from work another member of the Wu was in Leeds at Project House again, Ghostface Killah who from the moment he hit the stage was so much better than the GZA, this time we hadn’t gone for the cheese before option and even if we had Ghostface would have blown it away, very good and lots of fun.
And before we knew it we were in the last month of the year. There I am in a new job with just six weeks to achieve some goals that I set myself before 2025 started and we could race at what we wanted to do next. I had made a promise to a friend’s daughter earlier in the year that I would create a space to do work experience in London for her. She joined my new firm on the Monday for the day, tasks for the weeks set and raring to go both for the London experience and for the learning opportunity. Two days with my old organisation learning about the art of innovation, the science of AI and social needs of people, then a day with my other half visiting the Health Tech start-ups scattered across London and then a final day with me presenting the findings from the tasks and the lessons learnt. So inspirational to see someone grow in confidence and knowledge so quickly through a programme that we created collectively, if you get chance to offer work experience in the future then jump at it, super rewarding.
Having work experience happen though meant mum and dad of our student were in London which meant we got to enjoy London through the eyes of new people. One place we went to that went very well was The Georgian in Harrods which was stunning in how it looks and the food it delivers, its also quite cool (and a bit spooky) walking through Harrods in the half dark to leave after dinner.
I feel so sorry for my other half, having a birthday close to Christmas is not conducive to a big party and lots of people. We managed a trip to Hornsea and Hull to be with family which was really lovely and then Sunday dinner at Tatu in Leeds. A favourite with us always but now a revamp and a brilliant Sunday Twist on their menu which we all loved a lot.
From a work point of view I was straight into it, not ‘just’ the Christmas party but also my first Executive Committee and Board all in one week. As I said earlier such friendly and inclusive people it felt like I was taking people on a journey with me rather than tyring to prove the journey was the right one to take which felt awesome, when you suggest something and the leadership say what if we went a bit quicker you (I) know you have the right group around you, and I loved that part of being there.
Before Christmas arrived we were able to fit in one last gig, a band we call our own Wakefield’s Skinny Living played Tile Yard North a new(ish) venue in our city, selling out two nights and we had tickets to night one. A brilliant night out for the two of us in our town singing our hearts out to songs that we had made ours as the year had progressed. What a last gig of the year.
Christmas was family full as it should be, we have come to think of a group of people as part of that family and even if it is perhaps less often that we see them all together as we get a bit more caught up in our own lives it was still brilliant to spend time with them. The most important part of Christmas is always the small ones and they smiled from ear to ear for the whole duration, that made it feel entirely worthwhile to me.
And that was that, the end of year. As we went into 2024 I didn’t think of it as a year of change ahead and yet it was. I didn’t plan so much of the things that happened, I realised as the year went on you have to be able to react in a positive way and that all the planning and scheduling that you have in your power still needs space for spontaneity. I still prefer plan however!
I have never been one for resolutions as we move to a new cycle of the calendar, seems futile to do it for that reason. But what I think I should promise myself and my family is that we will be together as much as we possibly can and that every moment we can smile we will. Here’s to another review of the year, the songs that we hear, the experiences that make it, the books we read and the fun we have together.
Thanks for reading and here’s to 2025.
Some lists for memories to be complete.
Books (Chronological Order)
- Surrender by Bono
- Donuts by Jordan Ferguson
- Go Ahead In The Rain by Hanif Abdurraqib
- All Systems Red by Martha Wells
- Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan
- The Upcycled Self by Tarik (Black Thought) Trotter
- Digital First by Guntha Ladue
- Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
- The Art of Explanation by Ros Atkins
- You Are Here by David Nicholls
- Pines by Blake Crouch
- Drowning by T J Newman
- Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Restaurants (Top Ten)
- Trullo
- Restaurant Story
- Mountain Restaurant Soho
- John in Mayfair
- Maison François in St. James
- Julie’s in Holland Park
- Margot’s in Covent Garden
- Sabor in Mayfair
- Tatu in Leeds
- Duck and Waffle in Edinburgh