The Woz Report: Still Here, Still Upright
The Inaugural 2025 Report
This is my first post since August. Not because I gave up writing, joined a monastery, or was recruited by MI6—though frankly, any of those would’ve been a tidier excuse. Truth is, I’ve been wading knee-deep through work, and also dealing with a personal issue which, for now, I’ll keep at arm’s length.
The world, meanwhile, has charged on. Wars, elections, poor political decisions, scandals, climate records—and that’s just a Tuesday. But amid the endless churn of headlines, the thing that’s mattered most has been something simpler: staying mentally well, and hanging on to your human spirit. Not in a hashtag-y, “self-care Sundays” kind of way—but in the real, gritty, sometimes lonely business of getting through the day intact.
In May, I was lucky enough to be given complimentary tickets to the FA Cup Final, at Wembley. Despite being a neutral supporter, I was pleased to see Crystal Palace secure their first major trophy. After all, they are a proper club.
🧠 Mental Health, Sanity & the Rest of It
Truthfully, what’s mattered most since August hasn’t been the news cycle or the Spotify algorithm or who’s cancelled whom this week. It’s been staying mentally well. Holding on to your human spirit. Reaching out to people you love. Not losing the plot entirely.
For me, it’s been long walks, too much tea, and the odd therapy-adjacent conversation with a mate in the pub.
So this post isn’t some grand rebrand or declaration of productivity. It’s just a nod to the idea that showing up again is enough.
Meanwhile, in the Cotswolds…
I also binged Season 4 of Clarkson’s Farm—and credit where it’s due, the Amazon Studios crew did a cracking job. Forget the usual Top Gear tomfoolery: this season is a sobering, at times emotional, portrayal of the real-life pressures British farmers are under, from local bureaucracy to collapsing markets and—yes—climate change, which some (hello Donald) still insist isn’t happening.
Watching Clarkson wrestle with dying crops, flooded fields, and empty spreadsheets makes for unexpectedly powerful viewing. There’s humour, of course—but there’s also heartbreak, and a stubborn fight to adapt to the ever changing British weather.
And So, What Now?
I’m not here with a five-point plan or some new publishing cadence that I won’t stick to. I’m just here. And sometimes that’s enough.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be writing about:
NATO’s post-Cold War identity crisis
The creeping hollowness of “sustainability”
Why everything suddenly feels like a reboot, including politics
But for now, thanks for your patience. Thanks for staying subscribed. And if you’ve been wading through your own mess lately—just know, me too.
Let’s crack on.
—Woz
Before I go, I just wanted to take a moment and ask how 2025 has been for you? Hit the comments button below.