Best of the year:

• Fiction - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, by John Le Carré


• Non-Fiction - Continuous Delivery, by David Farley and Jez Humble


• Music - Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela and Fifth Symphony at the Proms


• Museums and Exhibitions - The Baths of Caracalla in Rome


• Food and Drink - Barbakan in York


• Film and Theatre - The Lunchbox

Other highlights: (Fiction) The Book Thief, The Prisoner of Heaven; (Non-Fiction) On the Slow Train; (Music) Respighi's Roman Trilogy, Folias and Romanescas with Jordi Savall; (Museums) The National Railway Museum, Castle Howard, York Cold War Bunker, The Palatine, The Appian Way and Catacombs; (Food) Norse in Harrogate, L'Asino d'Oro in Rome.

Unfortunately, casting a shadow on all of that has been my work life in 2014. I left my job after "artistic differences" with the senior management, and moved on to something more lucrative but less satisfying, and as it turns out, with doubtful medium- and long-term prospects. I suspect there will be change in that area again in 2015, let's hope it is for the better this time.

Tags: books, exhibitions, film, food, music, places, work