It's 2025! Who would have thought? What I'm going to try this year is to blog something (however small and inconsequential) every day. I've been keeping a streak on Duolingo going now for over a year, so this should be doable – on Duolingo at least you can take a 90-second word-repetition lesson and that will keep your streak going, so I ought to be able to post at least a few words every day just for kicks.

Here are a few more random thoughts for the start of the new year:

• People have been shooting off so many fireworks last night, things can't really be as bad as some politicians will have us believe. Certainly people seem to have money to spare for something as senseless and annoying as new-year fireworks.

• On a more sombre note, the fireworks here sure look pretty but, as our Israeli friend Ariel said when he spent New Year's in Germany many years ago, “this is like war!” It is just as well to spare a few thoughts for our friends in places like Kyiv and Charkiv, who are getting their own fireworks courtesy of Mr Putin, and not just on New Year's Day. It would be great if our politicians could get their act together and help the Ukrainians make him stop. Preferably not by letting him keep large swathes of Ukraine and allowing him to get ready to conquer the rest as soon as he can.

• The usual New Year's resolutions apply: more sleep, more sports, and less food! Let's see how that will turn out this time around.

Anyway, in case anyone is reading this: Have a great new year 2025, and may the year be without surprises, or if you have to have surprises, let them be pleasant and awesome ones!