Is your life today what you pictured a year ago? I was thinking about this prompt and looking back on December 17 in years past. Let's start with last year. I was on a boat sailing towards the Great Barrier Reef in Australia on December 17 2024. I definitely didn't have that on my radar the previous year! It was a possibility that we would go to Australia for my cousin's 80th birthday on Christmas Day, but I didn't have a trip to the reef on the plans.

What skills or lessons have you learned recently? When I finished working in London in June I went pretty much straight into the online teaching environment for another two months. This meant some changes to my morning routine based around my commute. It wasn't that much of an issue because I had to get used to a whole new routine and this kept me fully focused.

What cities do you want to visit? I have been incredibly lucky in my life to have visited and lived in some amazing cities. Some of my favourites are Sydney, which I have mentioned more than once, Nara in Japan with the breath taking Giant Buddha and very recently Salzburg with its magical Christmas Market. My wife has a wish list of about 20 places that she wants to visit (!) but I have just a few and they are up in the Scandinavian region.

Tell us one thing you hope people say about you. One thing I have learnt over the years is that other people's opinions of you are likely to be restricted by the context in which they meet you. If they meet you professionally they will see the professional side of you. If they meet you socially they will see the social side of you, assuming you have one!

Tell us about your first day at something — school, work, as a parent, etc. One thing that your memory does is play tricks on you. It takes odd scenes from particular days and builds a narrative around them. I can remember odd things about first times in a variety of situations but I can't guarantee that those things actually happened in that way or whether they were remotely important at the time.

What was 2025 like? Actually, as Fred says in the first stave of A Christmas Carol, 'I will keep my Christmas spirit to the last'! So, let's just agree that globally it's been perhaps the worst year in living memory and leave it at that!! Woman & Home 2025 The Front Cover The first thing you notice is the difference in the front cover.

I first got into amateur dramatics in Junior School when our fourth year play took place and I decided to audition for one of the parts in a play called Lady Precious Stream. I got the part of the Prime Minister, one of the main roles, but almost lost it before I got on stage! At the first read through, I hadn't done more than glance through my part, so not only was I hazy on the speeches, I didn't know where my cues were!

What was 2019 like? As I write, I am going back six years, but so much has happened in that time, especially politically, that it feels like sixty! It was the last year of daily life having a feel of normality before the Covid lockdowns, so let's see what the main events and interesting asides were. Queen Elizabeth was in the 67th year of her reign, but any thoughts of a peaceful winding down in her role were dashed by one of the most fractious political years on record.

What are your favorite physical activities or exercises? When I look back on my journey through exercise, I realise that there has never been a type of activity that has been consistent apart from walking. As a child, I found physical activities like sports very challenging due to my dyspraxia. I was forced to think about every movement and for that reason nothing was natural and easy.

What was 2007 like? Queen Elizabeth saw in the 55th year of her reign in a much stronger position than she had been in 10 years previously. She was seen as a valued stateswoman by the majority of the UK public and was very much the favourite member of 'The Firm'. In politics, however, the previously very popular Labour Party was split at the very top with Gordon Brown insisting that Tony Blair should make good on his promise, apparently made at the time of the Labour leadership election that took place after the tragic death of John Smith, that Brown step aside to avoid splitting the vote and Blair would hand the leadership over after 10 years.

What is something others do that sparks your admiration? I have always been envious of people with a clear sense of purpose and destiny. That becomes admiration when these people use that sense to make the lives of others better. Philanthropy in its Victorian incarnation has all but disappeared in our modern world where people in power, political or financial, only wish to make their own lives better.

What was 1996 like? Queen Elizabeth II had been monarch for 44 years, but it's fair to say that the past four had been some of the most difficult of her reign. From the annus horibilis of 1992 through the seemingly daily revelations of marital strife and infidelity and the finalising of divorce proceedings for both Charles and Diana, and Andrew and Sarah, she could be forgiven by thinking that it could get no worse.

What's your favorite cartoon? Over 50 years ago, one of the most accomplished cartoon films ever made was released. Initially it was a made for television presentation but it was given a small scale cinema release to make it eligible for an Oscar nomination. Not only did it get nominated, it very deservedly won. The film industry was angry that a mere television cartoon had beaten the best that they had to offer.

What was 1986 like? Queen Elizabeth II was in the 34th year of her reign and Margaret Thatcher was in the seventh year of hers. As with most of the preceding years of the 1980s, politics appeared to be on fast forward, though looking back it seems like a decade of relatively slow, thoughtful politics in comparison to the 2010s and 2020s.

What could you do less of? The one thing I could do far less of is worry. For those who don't know, the title is a nod to the tagline for the American soft drink. The adverts follow a series of catastrophic events that ensue after someone decides to drink Dr Pepper's. The adverts end with 'Dr Pepper's, what's the worst that could happen?' after the final disaster.

What was 1975 like? In the 23rd year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign her Prime Minister was Harold Wilson. On the Conservative side, Ted Heath, who Wilson had beaten twice in February and October 1974 was forced from the leadership of the party after a challenge by Margaret Thatcher. The 'big beasts' were much in evidence in the second round of the contest, expecting Thatcher's tilt at the crown to run out of steam, but she reaped the benefit from her performance in the first round to secure the party leadership and become the first female leader of a major UK political party.

What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year? After a bit of a scare with a raised PSA level I still have good health for someone of my age. Get your prostate checked guys whatever age you are. I marked my birthday by handing in my resignation and embarked on a new journey in life…

What was 1970 like? The 18th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign featured a general election in June that neatly split the political year into two halves. For the first half of the year Harold Wilson led his Labour Government with a very thin majority. Despite this, they were able to pass the bill reducing the Age of Majority, the legal definition of adulthood in effect, from 21 to 18 for the most purposes.

Do you ever see wild animals? I see wild animals all the time as the news is always about the wildest ones. Humans are wild animals, not a favoured creation. Humans are the wild animals, because they are the only ones to deliberately destroy their environment. Humans are the only species, as far as we know, who have evolved beyond the point of stability, both environmental and psychological.

What was 1967 like? It was the 15th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign and her Prime Minister was Harold Wilson. There were two pieces of legislation with far reaching consequences passed in this year, both in October. Male Homosexuality was decriminalised, but only for those over 21 and only for consensual acts in private. Despite the less favourable treatment, when compared to heterosexual acts which were legal at 16, and the fact that it was still illegal in the Armed Forces, it was an incredibly brave piece of legislation for the 1960s which, despite the exaggerated prevalence of the 'permissive society', was still very traditional at its heart.

Do you have a favorite place you have visited? Where is it? I think favourite places are attached to a time rather than a geographical location. My immediate answer was Sydney, but on thinking about it more carefully I would say Sydney 2004 would be more accurate. That year was anything but straightforward but as a family we lived in the suburbs of Sydney as locals would.

What was 1965 like? It was the 13th year of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, and the year she saw the death of her first Prime Minister, the legendary Winston Churchill, in January. A third of a million people filed past his coffin when he lay in state for three days. Her Prime Minister throughout the year was Harold Wilson, the first Labour Prime Minister since Clement Atlee.

Share five things you're good at. I tend to be very self critical, but below are five things I believe I am good at. Writing - I am actually getting better at this because these prompts are encouraging me to be less 'curated'. By that, I mean that I am being more instinctive with my writing, giving a freedom and a life that seems to be a step up.

What was 1957 like? It was the 5th year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and on Christmas Day she became the first monarch to deliver the Christmas Message on camera. In politics, Anthony Eden resigned after the previous year's Suez catastrophe on the grounds of ill health. He was succeeded by Harold Macmillan who, later in the year, commented, 'most of our people have never had it so good', instantly paraphrased as 'You've never had it so good'!

What is one thing you would change about yourself? I have always been a pessimistic person. It is something hard wired into my brain by both genetics and upbringing. My Dad was a very pessimistic person and he always looked at other human beings from the point of view that they were likely to be flawed in many ways. One of my favourite sweatshirts was bought for me by my son and the front reads 'People Ruin Everything'!!