"Won't Back Down" and "Reelin in the Years"- 2017 - our way!

As 2017 comes to an end here is Greyrocks' esoteric take on it:

• The Personal

A year with neither operations nor parental decline and death made a change! We have been pleased to help Chloë and Jack with improvements to the little house and its garden, and with arrangements for the wedding. Our times in Fuerteventura have seen a less active social life:- owing as much to our "remoaner" status being at variance with the prevailing culture as to health/mobility issues and colder evenings! On the other hand our love of Montpellier has deepened and Paleo was also a largely very happy time - even if the weather pattern seems to have taken a downturn! We have even -surprisingly - enjoyed the UK, with a well-judged tour round friends and family and the two quick dashes: the wonderful - but deeply uncomfortable - Cropredy festival, and the Shrewsbury wedding. Other trips - such as Cabo Verde and Gran Canaria - have also kept us busy - as much in the planning as in the implementation!

• The Political

It has been another "head in hands" year for liberals, internationalists and socialists. The themes bemoaned in last years's Greyrocks review have trundled on - and in several cases got worse! In the UK one of very few cheering events was the near-humiliation of the Tories in June. Reading John Crace and seeing the cartoons of Steve Bell etc in The Guardian have given us something to laugh about as the nation plummets. We mark also the Grenfell Fire and the disgraceful responses thereto!

Internationally we were deeply moved by Banksy's Alternativity in Bethlehem, as Palestine continues to cause much angst in the Greyrocks household, and the fate of the Rohingya people is added to the list, whilst the demise of ISIS/Daesh - on the military front at least - is some comfort!

(Our gifts from Chloë and Jack were the "tea-towel" displayed above and two passport covers declaring that we are Forever European - Greyrocks is an open book to them!)

• Losses in Rock

It wasn't as "bad" a year as 2016; but Greyrocks was touched by the following deaths:

Tom Petty, Gregg Allman and Chuck Berry, along with J Geils -( one hit wonder "Centerfold"), Malcolm Young of AC-DC, Glenn Campbell and  Walter Becker of Steely Dan

• Losses in Stage and Screen

And a swarm of white men on the UK thespian front has left the stage to our sadness:

Roger Moore, Keith Barron, Tim Pigott-Smith, Robert Hardy, Rodney Bewes, Gordon Kaye and Tony Booth

Dear old Barry Norman, whose film crits were a mainstay of our active years, and Colin Dexter, whose Morse books and derivatives continue to delight us on ITV3 also will be missed!

Let us all hope it turns out better than it threatens! "Salud!"