Day zero. How do you see in a New Year?

 7.10pm 31st December 2024

How do you see in a New Year? 

With the news that Johnnie Walker has passed away. A fixture in our live, a sound on Radio 1 then Radio 2, somebody we didn't listen to all the time but loved when we did. He just felt honest, felt warm, reassuring. Always there.

And we knew he was sick, knew he'd finished with radio after 58 years, but didn't expect this quite so soon. A towering presence. One of the greats.

With the news that Real Madrid have put in an offer total Trent Alexander Arnold now. Like now. Which probably means he's going there in the summer. Which isn't unexpected but disappointing all the same. He'll win more there, probably get more credit for how good he is there than he has here but will fit feel the same? 

For him, maybe. Not my place to judge. I'm not going to hate him for leaving, people leave things. I'm not going to hate him for leaving for no fee, it's not my money. And once he leaves? I'll stop thinking about him. He'll be player who once played for us and was great but has now gone. There's a long list of those, that's how life rolls. 

With J playing Johnny Hartman (and, therefore, probably John Coltrane) on the Alexa in the kitchen.

With no promises that there'll be anything tomorrow. 

I'm probably keeping a diary this year. Day by day by day. But I might not tell anyone about it. Maybe come to the end of the year and say, "look, I did all this."

Presses publish, does nothing else with it, just leaves it sitting there.

(Johnny Hartman doing the Wee Small Hours Of The Morning. Like velvet)