“Nobody wants to read about grumpy old people ranting about the British government”, said Oliver. Though from the feedback I get, it seems that the avid readers of this annual letter are more interested in politics than family mishaps. Let me disappoint everyone: the 2022 edition of our annual letter contains both. Learn how to avoid vacuum cleaning, how to use search-and-rescue services, why you should learn Malayalam but not Ukrainian or German, where to place your beach towel in Italy without having to shell out €40, how the Welsh government makes your life more comfortable, and the subject of our granddaughter’s PhD.