No one could have foreseen this. Man Utd sporting director Ashworth leaves after five months bbc.comHome - BBC News https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c1elzp6xeq7o

My friend Tim has been busy… Dull Men’s Club - the ‘mundane’ Facebook group that became an unlikely hit bbc.comHome - BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20n76l76e1o

Apple crumble is one of my five a day, right?

NO ROOM AT THE INN

Immigration case I’ve been working on since almost exactly a year ago has finally gone kaput with devastating and life changing consequences for the person involved. They’ve lived here since they were eighteen. They volunteer to run a wellbeing cafe in a local church. They applied for grant funding to keep the cafe open over winter. We wanted to employ them as a community development worker. They now have to leave the UK by the day of our office xmas lunch or face deportation.

Luxury flats newly built by the canal. The absence of windows on the sides of the blocks is presumably so that the residents don’t have to see the people in the poor houses next door.

Best naans in Southall Green!

Like I was two years ago, when I last had a blood test, I’m “pre-diabetic”, so I’m going to see if I can cut out sugar from my diet and go for a half hour walk every day. Had half as much sugar in my morning coffee and didn’t even notice the difference, and had a cup of tea just now with half as much and it somehow tasted too sweet?

WHAT YOU WRITING FOR?

I was in Hounslow, west London last year. I went to a cafe in a leisure centre. I’m not proud of it, I was volunteering with my son’s school. And I’m alone, I’m not eating or drinking and I’m writing in my notebook, right? Teacher walks over to me: “Hey, what you writing for?” Isn’t that the weirdest fucking question you’ve ever heard? Not what am I writING, but what am I writing FOR?

At the risk of coming off like a poor man’s Gregg Wallace, I enjoy a four nut granola every morning.

BAD SANTA

Big kid is getting too clever. I got him a surprise xmas gift he’ll love and set up an online account for him in advance so it’s ready to use on the big day. This morning he switched his alarm off on his old cheapo kids smart watch and asked me what the notification about the order is. I played dumb, but I’m sure he’s putting it all together.

As well as being addicted to Duolingo, my lad is addicted to crumpets, and I’m his crumpet dealer. @spgreenhalgh my ten year old is addicted to Duolingo. He has a 66 day streak and is compelled to keep it going. Plus he’s learnt some Spanish (which he previously hated). I’m in two minds. I don’t like the addiction, but the five minutes every day is a good habit. David Marsden https://micro.

No side effects from yesterday’s vaccine. GP called to discuss my imminent demise. She said I’m “a fat bastard and need to get out more.” I need another blood test next week to confirm. She was very nice about it.

Getting all the wrapping done as things arrive this year. Leaving it all until xmas eve is too stressful. Easier to hide, too.

Big kid reckons that the two boxes that arrived yesterday, and that I refused to open, contained xmas presents. His theory is that I will open them to check that they are what the kids want, then return them with a note asking for them to be forwarded on to Santa for delivery early on xmas morning.

Blood test results suggest I’m in imminent danger of heart attack, kidney failure and cancer.

I don’t understand how people think Joe Biden is a good guy. He’s probably done more than anyone to drag the political centre to the right, and paved the way for fascism. Suggesting that pardoning his drug addict son is somehow good and righteous is obscene. Blaming smartphones is laughable.

Had my pneumonia vaccine and diabetes blood test this morning. Nurse was very kind and thoughtful. I didn’t pass out, although the blood test was quite painful. Now I have vaccine side effects to look forward to later…

Years ago, I would grab a Greggs sausage roll every morning for breakfast on the way into work.

Is this the end for Greggs sausage rolls?

Our little tree now has lights. Kids were excited but chilling out now to carols.

I knew where this is before clicking through.

Some more pizza prep and cooked pics. 🍕🍕🍕

Boys are having so much fun on a Portal call with their “Papa” (my Dad, their Grandad).

Making pizza. Dough has risen once, now going back under the cling film to rise again. Used wholemeal bread flour as I didn’t have any of my usual white. Didn’t use as much semolina flour as usual, either, but what was leftover. Mainly pasta flour and some white rye. Salt, sugar, honey, olive oil all added to the mix (along with yeast and hand hot water, obvs).

Kids decorated our little xmas tree, but I left the batteries in the lights all year, so they’re ruined. I think I might have binned the star lights I usually hang in the window - a relief as they cause a disproportionate amount of stress untangling and hanging them.