2004 was the year of my 50th birthday as well as being a year when things came back together again after an awkward 2003.
In compiling the following review, I am pleased to assert that the quality of my life has, once again, attained a much more even and positive keel.
This year, I've tried to maintain a strict rule that only those events rated at four or five stars are eligible for nomination. This means that a number of worthy efforts fall by the wayside.
Although there was much to be enjoyed in Lost in Translation, Calendar Girls, Girl with a Pearl Earring and Big Fish, none of them make the final cut.
The nominations are
And the award goes to
for being a daunting, magnificent spectacle with a human touch.
Although enjoyable in their various ways, I couldn't find room for The Entertainer by John Osborne, The Astonished Heart and Still Life by Noël Coward and Home by David Storey at the Liverpool Playhouse and Round the Horne at the Lowry.
Instead, the nominations are
And the award goes to
for presenting me with a scintillating version of a classic play about which I had previously known not a jot.
I've not watched that much television at all this year. Whilst I lusted after Kristian Digby in To Buy or Not To Buy and we all heard about Peter Andre's erection on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here, neither warranted inclusion in the nominations which are
And the award goes (by a gnat's whisker because I really enjoyed Hustle) to
for being a totally unexpected delight, full to the brim with humanity, laughter, tears, madness, radiant truths and Paul Nicholls's bum. Mind you, Hustle also gave us Marc Warren's bum.
I've not read much non-fiction this year but there are two nominations, namely
And the award goes to
for telling a great story.
In the area of fiction I've read an awful lot more, including works by Daphne du Maurier, Dan Brown, Joanne Harris, Terry Pratchett and Alexander McCall Smith. None of them are included in the nominations, which are
And the award goes to
which I rated with five stars for completely taking over my vision of the world and making me see life through the eyes of someone with Asperger's Syndrome - a stunning achievement.
I've had fewer evening's in the lyric theatre this year than for many a year. The consequence of this is that there have been a proportionately higher number of events that I have rated highly. Although I enjoyed Offenbach's La Belle Hélène given by Opera della Luna at Buxton Opera House, Sullivan's The Mikado given by the Hoghton Players at Rufford Old Hall, Rossini's Il turco in Italia given at the Buxton Festival and Puccini's Manon Lescaut given by Opera North, none have been included in my final list of nominations although I am very grateful to Opera North for giving me the opportunity of seeing the Puccini for the first time.
However, the nominations are for
And the award goes to
for offering a complete experience of classy production, classy singing and classy conducting.
I only attended a couple of dance events this year and so there can only be two nominations.
And the award goes to
because the student work was much more interesting, even if less finished, than that of the professionals.
Music performances haven't featured very highly in this year's calendar. I enjoyed the music of Martinu and Korngold in a lunchtime concert and Haydn and Mozart with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.
However, there was only one performance that I rated and that was
given by the Southport Bach Choir. It was an evening of great beauty and spiritual joy.
And I'd also like to put in a special mention for
a Naxos CD which has rarely been out of my CD player since I bought it in August and has given me unalloyed pleasure beyond its £4.99 price tag.
The visual arts fared much better and, although there were a couple of complete turkeys, four shows were rated high enough to be nominated. They are
And the award goes without question to
at the National Gallery for a five star demonstration of what an exhibition can and should be.
This time last year, I was struggling to find anything to mention in this section. One of the pleasing aspects of this year is that it has been relatively easy to spot the contenders.
There have been lots of good times and nominations go to
And the award goes to
because it was ten glorious days of relaxing, visiting interesting places and eating good food with my honey.
I've able to find a number of nominations here and the choice between them is exceedingly difficult.
And the award goes to
because, although it is a somewhat prosaic choice, it has made a significant difference to the way Ross and I live our lives.
There has been nookie this year but I have tended not to write about it in this Journal. Therefore, I am going to give the award to our efforts to find that common space between us.
as it was fruity enough to warrant a mention.
Last year included precious few social events of a culinary nature. This year I'm pleased to say that there are a number of nominations.
And the award goes to
because it was such an unexpected treat and was a fitting climax to a lovely weekend with a much treasured friend.
Two years ago, I started attending reiki but felt that I couldn't give this award to Janet as I hardly knew her at that stage and so she was last year's recipient. Last year, I began yoga classes and felt the same way about
so I am happy that, after another twelve months, she too deserves this special mention. Those weekly 90 minutes are a haven of peace and sanity which have contributed to the healing that has been a feature of this year.
This year I am going to assign the award to
who arrived in September and quickly settled in with Nutkin. She has been a delight ever since.