I spent New Year's Eve in London and around midnight watched the fireworks going off all around the city, from parties nearby to far off to the east. The largest was, clearly, that on the South Bank around the wheel.

The most memorable event was seeing lots – 50 plus – of candle-powered lanterns floating across London from somewhere to the west of me. Quite beautiful and very calm. Unlike the amusing sounds of different nearby parties shouting out a countdown entirely separate from the other parties! I think there was maybe six minutes between the first 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-HAPPY NEW YEAR! I heard, and the last.

This morning is, naturally, accompanied by the wonderful music from the golden hall of the Volksverein in Vienna and the New Year's Strauss concert.