The more technology advances, the more retro I’m becoming. I’ve ditched the electronic diary in favour of a paper one with a pen and I yearn for a gramophone with a brass horn and Jack Russell to revisit all my old 78s. I’ve always wanted an old typewriter and a few months ago I found one in a junk emporium – a 1920s Corona travel writing machine. The clackety-clack of the keys, the ‘v’ that is slightly out of line, the joy of getting the paper neatly aligned, but more importantly, every sentence and every word that has to count as no-one wants a page full of Tippex, do they? I’m convinced that an ancient typewriter is the key to a best-selling novel, but in the meantime, here are some of my jottings from this year – sadly, all done on a word processor.