It's A-to-Z time again! And we knew you'd be disappointed if we didn't kick off with another wildly unflattering selfie.

OK, with that out of the way, let's plunge right in:

A is for A Much Better Year. There's a little shadow lurking in the wings (see F), but 2023 has been SOOO much better than 2020, 2021, or 2022. Thankful for that. Very.

B is for Brief Version. We still live in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. We're still retired (very happily so). And we've travelled a lot this year. So B is also for Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is where we are at the moment (read on for E). The photo at the top was taken in Mostar.


C is for Completely Abnormal. No, not us, although I think we probably are. Rather, our year. We keep saying that we've not had a "normal" year since I retired: 2019 was all about applying for visas, and settling in to Sarawak, and sorting out odds and ends from work; 2020 and 2021 were messed up by covid; and 2022 was dominated by Nigel's Head. We'd thought this year might be a bit more run-of-the-mill, but actually we've travelled way more than is supposed to be "normal". Not complaining about that, mind you... But see F for why.

D is for Derbyshire. A second family member has now moved to this county, so it has become a new focus of exploration for our England visits. It's a lovely part of the world, big on walking, history, and food (all things we really like).



E is for Eastern Europe, where we've spent quite a lot of time this year. It all started with our scheduled trip to see family in England and on the Isle of Man. We flew to Istanbul in February, and then took the slow route to the British Isles, via Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia (eventually accelerating to canter through Germany, Switzerland, and France -- the more costly the place, the faster we move on). We love these backpacking journeys, and we were able to do this one totally by train, our favourite mode of transport. The need to rejig 2024's travels (F...) saw us bringing forward our next family trip. So, since mid-October, we've been in Europe again. This time we had our British Isles sojourn first, and are currently making our way back to Istanbul. After a brief halt in Germany, we whizzed to the northeast corner of Italy, and then on to Croatia. For the last week or so we've been rolling through Bosnia-Herzegovina, but we're scheduled to pop out again in Croatia in time for Christmas. There are fewer train lines on this route, so travelling is a bit more arduous, and after one particularly ghastly bus journey, we've made a couple of adjustments to our plans. But it's still a lot of fun. We've seen some amazing places, met lots of lovely people, learnt tons, and consumed far more good food than is probably optimal for our well-being... We'll be home, if all goes to plan, by the end of January, in plenty of time for Lunar New Year (and F).




So... F is for February... Which I keep referring to. That's when we have to renew our Malaysian long-stay visas. We're not sure how complex a procedure that will be, as they've changed the system, and we hear mixed news about the speed of processing. So that's one unknown. The second is that February is the month when I have to follow up the possible reappearance of the cancer I thought I'd knocked on the head five years ago. There's still a reasonable chance that nothing is amiss, but more tests will be necessary, and further action might be too. A double dose of uncertainty will temporarily rule out any forward planning, for travel or anything else. Fingers crossed...

G is for Good Health. Apart from the little wrinkle I just mentioned, it has been a year of comparative wellness. Admittedly, the bar for "good health" is set quite low at our age, and all the old residuals remain with us. But there's been nothing to acutely impact our lives this year, so hallelujah for that!

H is for High Days and Holidays. After the first Europe trip, while we were back in Sarawak (from end-May to mid-October), we spent our time entirely in Kuching. It was a wonderfully rich period, made busy by meals with friends, the occasional day trip, and lots of opportunities to enjoy the processions, ceremonies, and interesting events taking place in the city.





I is for the Isle of Man. This is where I was born, and it exerts an ever stronger pull on me. It has been a real pleasure to have two spells over there this year.


J is for Japan, which is where we started 2023. In Fukuoka, Kyushu, to be precise. Just after the stroke of midnight pitched us into the New Year, we were invited to dong one of the bells in the nearby temple, and I'm sure that has been a good omen for the year... After four weeks exploring Fukuoka and a number of rail-accessible objectives, we moved on to Nagasaki for a short while, and discovered this is one of the few places in Japan to celebrate Lunar New Year. Phew, FOMO averted...



K is for Kuching. We've been out of it more than in it this year, but it's still a wonderful place to live. We love the friendly, courteous people; the laid-back, no-stress vibe; and -- of course -- the food, whose quality and variety seem wholly disproportionate to the size of the city.





L is for Languages. Still a big deal for me, but not a productive area this year... You can read about my bamboo-tube-and-pingpong-balls explanation here (and see also T...) The upshot is that languages I already know have been regularly pressed into service, but I've made next to zero progress with languages I'm supposed to be working on.

M is for Motor-Racing and McLaren Fan. Nigel ferreted out a nice little package that allows him to watch Formula 1 for not too much money. So he's been a real groupie this year.

N is for Never Quite Establishing a Routine... This year has been particularly bad in that respect, partly because it has been (delightfully) busy. Some habits stay with us, such as getting up early, walking lots, and counting carbs. But in other areas we've been all over the place, as requirements have constantly changed. Hopefully, the flexibility is good for us...

O is for Output. Given we've been on the road a lot in 2023, it's perhaps not unexpected that Purple Tern has had its most productive year ever, as has the photo repository. Perhaps more surprisingly, The Velvet Cushion has also sprouted an unprecedented number of posts. Obviously books and travel fan each other's flames...

P is for Putting Thoughts on Paper (or Virtual Paper at least). Writing is still something I see as important in my life, and want to do more of. I'm grateful to supportive Kuching writing friends, who set a good example.

Q is for Quest. May we never think we've found everything...

R is for Reading, which is still one of my favourite activities in the whole world. Where on earth would we be without books...? I guess this a good place for a shout-out for sites like Project Gutenberg and the Internet Archive, whose work helps my book budget go much further.


S is for Stuertzer, as in Martin Stuertzer, a German musician. Nigel really likes his home concerts, especially as they always feature Neptun, his cat (usually asleep). Stuertzer is just one of many electronic composers that Nigel follows.

T is for Time. There is NEVER enough of it. Never. Don't let people kid you that you'll have plenty of time once you've retired. You won't...


U is for Underwhelming, which is how I'd describe most of the political leadership around the world as 2023 draws to a close. Where are all the people with vision and compassion and integrity and a sense of justice -- the people who can see further than the ends of their own noses? I didn't use to be a political pessimist, but now, looking around, I struggle not to be. I guess I miss my students, who used to embody hope.

V is for Visiting Friends. During the first of our sojourns in the British Isles, we had the opportunity to visit a few old mates, some of whom we've not seen for many, many years. Fabulous to reconnect. It seems there's a quality about relationships formed in early life that never entirely loses its power.

W is for Writing Software. Nigel continues to create, maintain, and despair over a variety of programs, all designed to assist in his goal of keeping us financially solvent.

X is for Xenon. One of our minor pleasures when we're in the British Isles is watching Pointless, an amiable little quiz show that fairly often comes up with questions about the Periodic Table. Which is how I know about the only element beginning with X...

Y is always -- always, always -- for You. And we'd LOVE to hear from you.

And Z is for Zagreb. Yay! Finally, something sensible to put under Z...! This was the second major stop on the current journey (after Trieste)... Seems so long ago already...


We hope it's a really good 2024 for you all. May all your Q for Quests bring you wonderful things.