Archive

2024-12-20: Nice tree, but it makes walking on the pavement almost impossible if you’re over five feet …

2024-12-19: Xmas in Little India.

2024-12-18: …streets were relatively clean, traffic lights and lamp-posts worked, and officers were …

2024-12-17: Toast in the Machine Some people seem to find the idea of machine intelligence frightening. And with good reason. Because …

2024-12-17: Perfect cheese omelette this morning. Two eggs whisked lightly for two minutes into a hot pan with …

2024-12-17: They are reduced to playing a game of politics which lacks any substance, with their only reward …

2024-12-17: A shame we only get to choose one.

2024-12-16: The Last Supper Work xmas lunch today was delicious, especially the spiced pear cake for dessert (albeit with the …

2024-12-16: This morning’s trees.

2024-12-16: My lucky day (NSFW). Transcript

2024-12-15: “…Netanyahu said the move was necessary because a “new front” had opened up …

2024-12-15: Road Rage My driving instructor told me that I would have to learn to drive twice. Once to pass my driving …

2024-12-15: Cricket match well underway in my local park at 9:30 this morning.

2024-12-14: Southall Odours I step out of my house and immediately notice the artificial “cotton fresh” scent of …

2024-12-11: What's going on in Syria? If I understand this correctly: it’s illegal in the UK to say or do anything that could be …

2024-12-09: Don’t most start-ups fail? Maybe a pop-up government would work better? Government wants state …

2024-12-09: The Queen had the IRA over for tea, so I can’t see what the problem is? UK will review Syrian …

2024-12-08: No one could have foreseen this. Man Utd sporting director Ashworth leaves after five months …

2024-12-08: My friend Tim has been busy… Dull Men's Club - the 'mundane' Facebook group that became an …

2024-12-07: Apple crumble is one of my five a day, right?

2024-12-05: No room at the inn Immigration case I’ve been working on since almost exactly a year ago has finally gone kaput …

2024-12-05: Luxury flats newly built by the canal. The absence of windows on the sides of the blocks is …

2024-12-04: Best naans in Southall Green!

2024-12-04: Like I was two years ago, when I last had a blood test, I’m “pre-diabetic”, so …

2024-12-04: 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 …

2024-12-04: At the risk of coming off like a poor man’s Gregg Wallace, I enjoy a four nut granola every …

2024-12-04: Bad Santa Big kid is getting too clever. I got him a surprise xmas gift he’ll love and set up an online …

2024-12-04: As well as being addicted to Duolingo, my lad is addicted to crumpets, and I’m his crumpet …

2024-12-03: No side effects from yesterday’s vaccine. GP called to discuss my imminent demise. She said …

2024-12-03: Getting all the wrapping done as things arrive this year. Leaving it all until xmas eve is too …

2024-12-03: Big kid reckons that the two boxes that arrived yesterday, and that I refused to open, contained …

2024-12-03: Blood test results suggest I’m in imminent danger of heart attack, kidney failure and cancer.

2024-12-02: I don’t understand how people think Joe Biden is a good guy. He’s probably done more …

2024-12-02: Had my pneumonia vaccine and diabetes blood test this morning. Nurse was very kind and thoughtful. I …

2024-12-02: Years ago, I would grab a Greggs sausage roll every morning for breakfast on the way into work.

2024-12-02: Is this the end for Greggs sausage rolls?

2024-12-01: Our little tree now has lights. Kids were excited but chilling out now to carols.

2024-12-01: I knew where this is before clicking through.

2024-12-01: Some more pizza prep and cooked pics. 🍕🍕🍕

2024-12-01: Boys are having so much fun on a Portal call with their “Papa” (my Dad, their Grandad).

2024-12-01: Making pizza. Dough has risen once, now going back under the cling film to rise again. Used …

2024-11-30: Kids decorated our little xmas tree, but I left the batteries in the lights all year, so …

2024-11-30: “Volcano with exploding baked bean and cheese lava” for lunch. Big kid is getting one of …

2024-11-30: Breathing calmed down so went for a short walk to the corner shop with Kid A where he bought a can …

2024-11-30: Retreated to the relative safety of the bedroom where I’m finding solace with Radiohead and OK …

2024-11-30: Wife wants to know what I think about the Assisted Dying Bill. She’s strongly in favour: …

2024-11-30: Breathless again. Ffs.

2024-11-29: On The Bales The recent farmers' protests in the UK and a comment on micro.blog about old style rectangular straw …

2024-11-28: Bye Bye Biden Some highlights and thoughts from Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden by Branko …

2024-11-28: I bought an acupressure mat (bed of “nails”) a couple of months ago to help with back …

2024-11-28: I celebrated Thanksgiving only once in my life, and it was certainly memorable.

2024-11-26: Looking at The Royal Observatory in Greenwich for my space obsessed four year old. No under fives! …

2024-11-25: Notionally returned to wfh today. ✅ Made chilli sans carne ✅ Emailed work to say I will try to ease …

2024-11-24: Me: Dinner’s on the table! Little kid: I’m just painting Mars!

2024-11-24: Dua Lipa's Tiny Desk concerts Dua Lipa’s Tiny Desk concert at home in between covid lockdowns in 2020 is the most watched …

2024-11-24: Love this coffee. Took a couple of weeks to get used to it after the previous regular one they sent …

2024-11-23: Overcome space and all we have left is here. Overcome time and all we have left is now. Jonathan …

2024-11-23: On Journaling I wrote this a week ago. My last journal was over a week ago, last Saturday. I’ve had a week …

2024-11-23: Jon Batiste's Tiny Desk concert Jon Batiste, like Alicia Keys, is a supremely talented musician and performer. This is another must …

2024-11-23: Alicia Keys' Tiny Desk concert If you haven’t seen and listened to Alicia Keys' Tiny Desk concert (Feb 2020) then I highly …

2024-11-23: My first attempt at a very simple recipe my Mum used to make fifty years ago. Little kid: “I …

2024-11-23: Living and breathing I have vague memories of seeing Florence + The Machine on the BBC at Glastonbury, possibly in 2009. …

2024-11-22: I recently read: How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy (of the band Wilco) 📚. It’s full of …

2024-11-22: Three days of feeling relatively well. Today I’m coughing, wheezing, short of breath again. …

2024-11-22: This went down well with the missus!

2024-11-22: This lovely tree by the bridge over the canal near my kids' school at Toplocks is gone.

2024-11-22: The air outside is thick with the smell of tar and vehicle emissions. Not doing my cough any good.

2024-11-22: It’s so cold this morning, when I got back from dropping the kids at school I had to do the …

2024-11-22: Starmer is proving to be every bit as reckless and depraved as Johnson.

2024-11-22: Yesterday’s Mac* ‘n’ Cheese went down well with me and big kid. It’s one of …

2024-11-21: Wife reckons she has kidney failure due to her high blood pressure. She says her kidneys are due to …

2024-11-21: Sausages Lincolnshire sausages are the finest sausages you can get. I remember as a boy, fifty years ago, my …

2024-11-21: Wife is making plans for my imminent demise.

2024-11-20: Always look as far ahead as possible

2024-11-20: Now they want me to have a blood test (routine annual test for diabetes). I hate blood tests, …

2024-11-20: Damn. Felt much better yesterday since starting antibiotics on Monday evening, no coughing and a …

2024-11-19: Machine of Interest I asked The Machine to review my review of Person of Interest Transcript

2024-11-19: Only time I saw Richard Branson in the flesh he was parading around in stockings and suspenders …

2024-11-19: Got Carter I started watching Person of Interest almost three months ago thanks to a recommendation from Hippy …

2024-11-19: The more his curiosity took over, the less control he had

2024-11-19: I’m so tired I went for a nap, but these corticosteroids won’t let me.

2024-11-19: Add vegetables to tea. Get soup.

2024-11-19: People Don't Change People don’t change, but they can make good decisions. This is a quote, or the gist of a …

2024-11-18: Thought I was getting over my cough, but it seemed to be getting worse again over the weekend and …

2024-11-18: Every time someone mentions Croissant (for cross-posting) I hear big kid’s Mum telling him, …

2024-11-18: DPD FFS! DPD notified me that their driver had delivered my parcel. “Parcel received by …

2024-11-18: After last week’s early mince pie tasting, I’m road-testing an approximation of xmas …

2024-11-17: I wrote 300 pages of notes and reflections in my personal and work journals in 90 days.

2024-11-17: Four year old every few seconds: “WHAT. THE. HEEE-EEEELLLLLL???!!!”

2024-11-15: My Cheese-o-meter For the best sensation, please read this post at room temperature. Blessed are the cheesemakers. …

2024-11-13: Not the most attractive presentation, but it’s all about the taste sensation. Cheddar on the …

2024-11-13: Finally feel like I’m getting my breath back after four days of having trouble breathing in, …

2024-11-12: WFH Saved My Life I’ve worked from home since the end of February 2020. I transferred all my work and systems …

2024-11-12: Coughing like a bastard this morning. Probably shouldn’t have smoked those twenty Roosters my …

2024-11-11: I vote for David Coote to replace Gary Lineker.

2024-11-11: The politics of envy?

2024-11-10: Big kid has written a list of all the things that make him angry. Top of the list is bananas.

2024-11-08: I’m officially old. I now require eye drops, ear drops, nasal spray and an inhaler just to …

2024-11-07: Finished a grant application with a colleague just in time to meet tomorrow’s deadline. A …

2024-11-07: A genuine laugh out loud moment from Jonathan Pie, who is definitely not having a liberal meltdown.

2024-11-07: After my experience with pump.io (pump eye-oh not pump dot eye-oh), I’m delighted that …

2024-11-07: Distractedly scrolling through my Facebook feed, which is now entirely made up of various treatments …

2024-11-06: Not Fake News Convicted felon, fascist and fake news king, the 45ᵗʰ President of the United States paid the porn …

2024-11-06: Wasn’t Harris ahead in the polls until the UK government started interfering in the election?

2024-11-06: Liz Kendall - Mad, Bad and Dangerous Trials of employment advisers giving CV and interview advice in hospitals produced “dramatic …

2024-11-06: Factional right-wing neoliberal think tank “Labour Together": The Budget is a Winner …

2024-11-06: Now we can all agree that Biden was a total failure of a president.

2024-11-04: In other news, I got 25% off my Cornish pasty at Peterborough Services for wearing my Corbyn cap.

2024-11-04: Hats Off! Sat on a bench in a children’s playground, a older couple approach me. The man is wearing a …

2024-11-02: My Mum’s cousin owns the local wool shop.

2024-11-02: Family Connection Restored Spent the day at my Mum’s, and a good portion of our final half an hour with her trying to fix …

2024-10-31: One positive outcome of my immune system going into overdrive in response to the covid vaccine is …

2024-10-31: COPD Last week I received confirmation of a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) …

2024-10-31: The Hangover I had my covid vaccine a week ago today. As expected I had a torrid night with violent shivers, …

2024-10-29: The Southall Gasworks Story The story of how the remediation of Southall Gasworks highlights the environmental injustices faced …

2024-10-29: Chasing youths with carving knives How my journey into care work was a serendipitous outcome of my search for meaning and purpose …

2024-10-27: Clear and obvious error After watching and re-watching the same three-second clip of nothing happening for so long that here …

2024-10-19: I thought I’d done great with these pizzas, but big kid ate only three slices (he can usually …

2024-10-04: Every word speaks the brutal truth. The Year After Al-Aqsa Flood | Black Agenda Report

2024-10-04: Dear President Biden…

2024-10-03: Following on from our expensive old and new door catastrophes, our washing machine has given up. …

2024-10-02: Another Door Closes Our twenty year old fridge door failed. It refused to stay closed anymore. Hinges had gone. After a …

2024-09-22: Palace Match Report Watched the United game (on my laptop) yesterday, having missed the Southampton and Barnsley games. …

2024-09-22: I can’t opt-out of LinkedIn’s new AI data gathering exercise, and neither can I delete …

2024-09-16: Digital Leader Hoping we found a good solution to help big kid’s Digital Leader application. He found it …

2024-09-16: I don’t understand why they have seized (now mouldy) courgettes as evidence but then again I don’t …

2024-09-14: Impossible demands Starmer is cynically setting up the NHS to fail in order to present private healthcare as the fix. …

2024-09-14: Death cult OBR: We have to kill old people and starve the children of the poor in order to keep funding our …

2024-09-14: Bunk beds built.

2024-09-14: This morning, and quite possibly this afternoon, I will mostly be assembling a flat pack …

2024-09-12: Big kid is applying to be a Digital Leader at school. In his application he wrote, ‘I want to …

2024-09-12: Scored this bag of Akash Gold at the local Tesco Express. Light and fluffy indeed. Chilli sans carne …

2024-09-07: Strong Irish backbone to this England team. Pickford (born Logan), Maguire, Rice, Grealish and Kane. …

2024-09-07: Funny old game In the good old days, football was a simple game. You had eleven players and a substitute numbered 1 …

2024-09-07: Achievement unlocked.

2024-09-03: Handed my four year old a slice of ham for his lunch. “Yay! Pink chicken!” Now we know …

2024-09-02: I started reading the Kindle sample for this, but immediately felt anxious that I should spend the …

2024-09-01: Noel plays his guitar as if he’s scared it will break, and Oasis’s funkless, sexless plod is always …

2024-08-29: Dead duck. An unpleasant walk in the midday sun by the canal yesterday. A few abandoned Lime Bikes …

2024-08-22: Emptying my Feedbin and stumbled across this epic from Christmas Day 2022. The one where Matthew …

2024-08-22: TV Show of Interest Finally got around to watching the pilot episode of Person of Interest last night. Took a little …

2024-08-20: Spuds Up! We harvested the last three of eleven potato bags at the weekend. A decent crop, and very tasty. …

2024-08-20: Well, the super secure new lock on our super expensive new front door failed catastrophically today. …

2024-07-18: Big Kids' Sports Day.

2024-07-15: England. Always different, always the same.

2024-07-09: Labour’s self-imposed, arbitrary and “binding” “fiscal rules” are the …

2024-07-04: My polling station was empty when I went to vote around 1:30 pm. My nearly ten year old looked at …

2024-07-04: Election Fever My inbox is full of people asking for my opinion and personal experience of this UK general election …

2024-07-03: New e-scooter and cycle hire infrastructure in Southall Green. [Edit] Not the ideal location.

2024-07-01: I used to be funny.

2024-06-20: Bushmen came to cut the communal grass and fill my compost bin with the cuttings. #Winning

2024-05-19: The Cuckoo's Nest Ealing Genocide Supporters Club (aka Ealing Labour Party) held their Southall Branch meeting …

2024-05-16: “…when you look at it on a personal level, if Nelson was your friend or your …

2024-05-13: One of the reasons we never visit the place where I grew up. “I just have to share?”?

2024-05-11: Natalie Elphicke said Labour can’t be trusted and doesn’t listen. She said the victim of …

2024-05-10: I’m so glad I ate my salad before reading about the Eunuch Maker.

2024-05-09: Fear and Loathing I spent the best part of nine months in America in 1989-90 on an international student exchange …

2024-05-09: “Zionism is rooted in trauma and fear. It’s about survival and love for the Jewish people. But …

2024-05-08: OFFICE ABANDONED - SUN STOPPED WORK Today’s office. - davidmarsden, …

2024-05-08: M.S. Panesar hit wicket b Panesar 0 Tbf, he lasted longer than I thought he would.

2024-05-08: Today’s office.

2024-05-07: Two Little Ducks Along with thirty-odd other parents, I saw my nine year old off on his big adventure this morning, a …

2024-05-05: What Marxism teaches us What Marxism teaches us is simply to approach questions of society from a material basis: how does …

2024-05-05: Stop the Planes My wife was born in Uganda. She’s Black, like our kids. She came to the UK when she was five. …

2024-05-05: ☕🤦‍♂️

2024-05-02: A local shop owner asked why big kid wasn’t at school. When I told him it was closed because …

2024-05-02: Unusually productive morning. taught big kid how to convert fractions into decimals and percentages …

2024-05-02: My local polling station was deserted when I went to vote around 11am.

2024-05-01: Never listened to Buffalo Tom’s eponymous first album before. Produced by one Joseph Donald …

2024-04-29: Yesterday morning I took my little kid to see his best friend Lorenzo. Yesterday afternoon I took my …

2024-04-26: Nine year old said he wanted to grow some potatoes, so we planted chitted seed potatoes in bags …

2024-04-26: I think I was taking Tramadol for pain relief when I wrote this: Both sets of players would be …

2024-04-25: A Trip Down Memory Lane Andy’s post on Kingstonian Football Club losing their home reminded me of the loss of …

2024-04-25: 4 year old was born four years ago today, funnily enough.

2024-04-12: Zack, 35, says: “I got pretty disillusioned after I found myself consistently matching with …

2024-04-12: …blanket denial of Israeli war crimes has served to quiet the consciences of Israel’s most …

2024-04-09: This is the story of how I got there. A chronological curriculum vitae. (Need to get around to …

2024-04-08: The agenda now is all-Israeli: There is no one else but us. Only our disasters, our suffering, our …

2024-04-05: Front page of today’s Independent newspaper, headlines: Biden calls for immediate ceasefire …

2024-04-04: Where's Daddy? We have AI that can decide who is a terrorist and then track their every movement so we can wait …

2024-03-16: Hamas wants a permanent end to the war and full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Mr Netanyahu’s …

2024-03-15: Can’t remember the last time I wore a watch. My nine year old wants it. Timpsons fitted a new …

2024-03-15: Journaling My nine year old started keeping a journal at school so we can read what he’s been doing at …

2024-03-07: Currently reading: Yesterday’s Man by Branko Marcetic 📚 He would indeed spend his Senate …

2024-02-27: Bath Night My little kid (now two months from being a not so small four) has gone right off the idea of having …

2024-02-19: 6/12

2024-02-17: Back cover image of the dec 1975 issue of “issues in radical therapy” (via danielle carr on …

2024-02-15: The Crisis in Gaza: Navigating Difficult Conversations A Q&A with Dr. Gabor Maté & Daniel …

2024-02-13: Pancake Day!

2024-02-12: the Biden administration does in fact have tons of leverage it can use to stop the genocidal …

2024-02-12: My kids were more interested in my egg timer app, which cock-a-doodle-doos when the eggs are ready, …

2024-02-12: STUMPED!

2024-02-09: “We say these rules are the rules when Russia invades Ukraine or when the Rohingya are being …

2024-02-08: Scratch that. Improvised rain shield.

2024-02-08: Viking dress up day.

2024-02-07: …people like you and I continue to have a vital role, as everybody does, in using the power …

2024-02-07: Last Words These are my last words writing from the café at the local leisure centre where I go every Wednesday …

2024-02-06: Germany has announced it will intervene in the substantial case to support Israel. They argue …

2024-02-06: Perhaps nothing I did would help prevent genocide, but we all have to do that which is within our …

2024-02-06: …genocide is never justified. It is absolute, a crime in itself. No matter how appalling the …

2024-02-04: SSSSSNNNNAAAAKKKKEEEEE! Very old photo (May? 1990). Mesa Verde National Park. Always thought it was …

2024-01-30: Irreplaceable! (I have a work commitment tomorrow morning.)

2024-01-30: Heart skipped a beat (or several) when I saw this in the canal this morning…

2024-01-25: Annual (eek!) morning walk.

2024-01-24: Curriculum Vitae (Memento Vivere) Having been so bitterly rejected both in love and at work, I started to look around for new …

2024-01-18: File under HamasIsrael don’t care about their own people?

2024-01-03: When I first went to university, one of my first mates was a very quiet and shy bass player, a …

2024-01-01: Those were the days.

2023-12-13: Thriving? My son’s school’s Thrive teacher is leaving. She helped transform my lad’s …

2023-12-12: Wife has returned home after being abducted by aliens (scroll down past the football).

2023-12-08: Curriculum Vitae (Hocus Pocus) Inevitably, my time as a Manchester University player came to end, and I left the club by mutual …

2023-12-06: Teachers Yesterday morning, I was sat in the foyer of my little kid’s children’s centre waiting …

2023-11-30: Curriculum Vitae (Ad Absurdum) I spent most of my three years ‘working’ in Manchester down the pub. When I was in my …

2023-11-24: Curriculum Vitae (Ad Nauseam) After failing to become the next George Harrison, I spent three years idling around, getting into …

2023-11-22: 365 It’s my 365 day ‘anniversary’ on micro.blog. When I moved here last year, it was …

2023-11-20: ToryBoy ToryBoy The Movie is the account of filmmaker John Walsh’s disillusionment with what he saw as …

2023-11-18: Writing to my MP: ICJP - Complicity in War Crimes Adapted from this template letter. Dear Mr Sharma, My esteemed representative: I write to you today …

2023-11-17: Curriculum Vitae (Repetitum) Following on from my success delivering the news to my local community, I took a break from the …

2023-11-15: Curriculum Vitae I’ve had a long and winding career in the fields of work and education. At one time, I was …

2023-11-13: Last night, I watched ToryBoy The Movie. This morning, I watched unelected former Tory Prime …

2023-11-13: Dishing It Out Following on from the pots and pans incident, my wife has decreed that the bamboo plates and bowls I …

2023-11-13: Bit of a damp squib today, but eleven years ago these were the scenes the morning after Diwali.

2023-11-12: Into our seventh hour of relentless fireworks. Happy Diwali in Little India. 🎆

2023-11-12: Beer Nights In I didn’t drink all of these beers in one sitting, or, in fact, any of them on Friday …

2023-11-12: The last three movies I watched all had the same ending: a daughter reunited with her father. 🍿 …

2023-11-11: Where we’re at. “Humans are complex and flawed.” “Nazis were only …

2023-11-10: Beer o’clock.

2023-11-10: Hey David Our contract with Plusnet for telephone landline and (not full) fibre broadband ends on 25 November. …

2023-11-09: Doctor's Orders My local pharmacy: Come and get your FREE flu jab! Me: My local pharmacy: Come and get your FREE flu …

2023-11-09: ERROR 55 - Internal Communication Problem Boss: Can you order a new printer for the office? Me: Sure. *orders a new printer for the office* …

2023-11-08: Break in Transmission Last week’s swimming lesson was cancelled, and the week before that, we went away for …

2023-11-01: After more than three weeks of Israel’s “targeted” bombing of Hamas in Gaza, …

2023-10-27: Any Old Pots and Pans? Following on from the successful installation of our new front door (which my wife is now quite …

2023-10-25: Frank Frank was my great grandfather on my dad’s side. I only met him a couple of times. One time, …

2023-10-24: Propaganda Last night, I was away in the middle of nowhere with no wifi and very poor data connection, so put …

2023-10-23: Getting Dressed My three and a half year old is going through that stage where he doesn’t want to get dressed …

2023-10-20: Haircut My nine year old had a trim the other day. No one else can really tell, but his massive afro …

2023-10-18: Catwoman Last week, we had a visitor. Catwoman appeared, to save the day! All the way from leafy Surrey, she …

2023-10-17: ‘Dreamed a dream…’ 🎶

2023-10-17: Too Much Pressure Inevitably, as I sit here in the cafe next to my son’s swimming lesson, unable to drink coffee …

2023-10-16: Impossible Job Last week, my boss asked me to produce a professional looking ten page job profile for a potential …

2023-10-13: Pay Rise I haven’t had a pay rise since April 2017. Taking into account the cost of living increases …

2023-10-12: Community Cats Just around the corner from my lad’s school by the canal is a cul-de-sac which is home to some …

2023-10-11: Free Palestine There seems to be a co-ordinated drive to obliterate Palestine, and Palestinians, from the map. I …

2023-10-09: Play Street We used to play in the street outside our home as kids growing up in the 70s. In rural Lincolnshire. …

2023-10-06: Class Thinking about Maths at school, got me thinking about the origin and meaning of class. It’s a …

2023-10-04: Distraction It’s easy to get distracted. My nine year old told his mum last night that he was so …

2023-10-02: The Swimmer My nine year old is on week three of his school swimming lessons. Prior to the first lesson, he was …

2023-09-29: Human Shield The school asked for a parent to volunteer to accompany the children to their weekly swimming class. …

2023-09-27: Bolognese! Last week, we had a new front door fitted. That morning, I took it upon myself to prepare a …

2023-09-20: The Door The door was old, but it still functioned as a door. It opened and closed, and kept us safe and …

2023-09-06: I nearly choked on my favourite muesli while reading 10 ethical brands owned by unethical companies, …

2023-08-19: Signs of the times…

2023-08-09: Responses to my open letter to Peter Mason I got a reply to my open letter to Peter Mason[pdf], Leader of Ealing Council, and one of my local …

2023-08-08: I learnt a new word today. Big kid complained that little kid “yeeted” his Lego Pikachu. …

2023-07-07: Open letter to Peter Mason Publishing this as it’s in the public interest and I’ve had no reply to my original …

2023-06-20: I’m about to carry a bag of sand.

2023-06-19: Big announcement* planned for tomorrow for #tinap aficionados. *Not a podcast.

2023-06-15: Personalised alarm call at 6:30 this morning as my little kid puked on my back.

2023-06-11: Morning walk, ostensibly to source the kids' favourite ice lollies. Mission unaccomplished.

2023-06-04: Enjoyed plenty of sun and relatively fresh air in our communal garden today. Kids enjoyed the beach …

2023-06-03: Three year old playing Scrabble for the first time. First word he tries to spell is his brother …

2023-05-20: Little kid turned on his Amazon Fire “Kids” tablet. A game asks him to enter his date of …

2023-05-15: This is why I’m always frothing at the mouth.

2023-05-04: Based on [residents'] feedback, Ealing Council has drawn up a list of ideas to reduce congestion and …

2023-05-04: Adam Curtis (1984), The Great British Housing Disaster, on how local councils dealt with unsafe new …

2023-05-04: Local council elections today in many areas. Don’t forget you now need to take some form of id …

2023-05-02: Big kid: “Dad! Dad! I killed the Ender Dragon, and I wasn’t even looking!” Me: …

2023-05-01: Risks to health from remediating Southall Gasworks AI is more ethical than Ealing Labour Party. No money was exchanged. What are the risks to health …

2023-04-30: First salad of the Sum…, er, Spring.

2023-04-30: I am the leader of Ealing Council I asked Google Bard to advise me on a local matter. I am the leader of Ealing Council. I have …

2023-04-28: Under poisoned skies Watched Under Poisoned Skies on BBC iPlayer last night. It’s the sad and shocking story of …

2023-04-27: Southall residents to give blood samples After six years of campaigning for justice: “The fact that gas used to be manufactured from coal …

2023-04-24: Reading for pleasure Two years ago my then six year old took what turned out to be a permanent break from the daily …

2023-04-21: Dark Star, Red Robin.

2023-04-20: Dark Star.

2023-04-12: It’s grim up north.

2023-03-31: Baked bread with my little kid using my pizza dough recipe (substituted wholemeal flour for white …

2023-03-30: Horseshit parade I visited the Palace of Westminster this week with my big kid on an educational school trip. It was …

2023-03-24: Finally got around to watching Our Friends In The North. ‘None of the issues the show mines …

2023-03-23: Big kid’s current favourite song.

2023-03-23: My little lad’s current favourite song.

2023-03-21: TIL that brain surgery is basically an off-shoot of hairdressing.

2023-03-17: Mmm… 🥦🥬🥕🇮🇪☘️

2023-03-17: Top o' the mornin' Showing my age this morning. I ‘heard’ my wife say, “My First Vegetables!” …

2023-03-08: ‘…housebuilders appear to be making ever greater profits.’ ‘[they] …

2023-03-08: Managed to source, buy, remove and replace broken car headlamp bulb all by myself this morning. …

2023-03-01: ‘…according to research by the London Tenants Federation, we are demolishing more …

2023-02-21: Made pancakes, with assistance from kids. No one liked them except me. Win-Lose-Win.

2023-02-20: Currently reading: Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer 📚 An enjoyable bedtime read with …

2023-02-15: Ducks in a row.

2023-02-15: Morning walk.

2023-02-14: You see, in Southall, car parks and re-wilding can go together!

2023-02-14: Foggy morning at holiday camp.

2023-02-12: Mini-Scalextric up and running.

2023-02-10: Sarnie. White rye bread with caraway seeds, salt beef, celeriac remoulade, pickled gherkins.

2023-02-10: Fronted adverbials excepted, gotta love my kid’s school!

2023-02-01: Our local incinerators were burning wooden pallets and melamine-coated wood particle fibreboard …

2023-02-01: The two wood-burning incinerators around the corner from our home appear to be no longer in use. One …

2023-02-01: Solidarity with all teachers today, especially those striking for better pay. Eight year old is at …

2023-02-01: ‘…financial liberalisation, mortgage reform and lack of investment in the existing …

2023-01-31: ‘All we see is broken homes here and poverty, ‘Corrupt government officials, lies and …

2023-01-31: No tipping or dumping.

2023-01-30: ‘…prioritises the maintenance of public housing, which is crucial in ensuring that …

2023-01-26: Met these two on the school walk this morning.

2023-01-26: Response to Ealing's air quality strategy and action plan Ealing Council’s draft Air Quality Strategy is a 64 page document together with a 40 page …

2023-01-24: Big kid with the tree he planted at his school.

2023-01-21: 1,001 days since my little one made his debut.

2023-01-21: Little kid was vomiting every hour from 6pm until midnight last night. Slept until 6am, kept down a …

2023-01-20: I hadn’t realised until today that they are building a new park with “viewing …

2023-01-20: Little lad at the park this morning. He’s had a good day and week, then just before bed …

2023-01-20: Big kid’s school storage units.

2023-01-20: Other than writing a couple of open letters to government ministers, what has Ealing Council done to …

2023-01-20: If air pollution monitoring data cannot inform the efficacy of individual air pollution reduction …

2023-01-17: Good enough to eat!

2023-01-17: School caretaker this morning gritted the playground before we all arrived, and helpfully marked the …

2023-01-17: Waiting for my 🍕 dough to rise…

2023-01-16: Lovely early evening sky tonight.

2023-01-16: Big kid woke up with a sore throat and didn’t want to go to school. Gave him paracetamol and …

2023-01-15: A few more pics of the long-derelict old sports centre at what is now Warren Farm Nature Reserve.

2023-01-15: Trip to Warren Farm this afternoon in the wind and the rain.

2023-01-12: New podcast, International Marxist Radio (IMR). The first episode features Ealing’s own Joe …

2023-01-08: HP sauce in the gravy adds a sweetness and edge to the pie. The carrots and leeks roasted together …

2023-01-08: Grated cheese to top my Shepherd’s Pie*. Got into the habit of always using a mix of extra …

2023-01-06: Frying chips. First batch done.

2023-01-05: Waiting for account verification emails from Companies House is like the proverbial waiting for a …

2023-01-04: “Southall is a run-down crime-ridden area, populated in the main by ethnic minorities.” …

2022-12-30: Dreaming of: a future in which ordinary people would be valued and able to live happily, safely, …

2022-12-27: Because Warren Farm appears to be the only site suitable for Skylarks to breed…, any future …

2022-12-27: Blended and warmed up leftover roasted carrots and parsnips with steamed sprouts, added instant …

2022-12-25: Cracker joke.

2022-12-25: Roasting: ❌ Turkey ✅ Chicken legs ✅ Pigs in blankets ✅ Stuffing ✅ Parsnips ✅ Carrots ✅ Potatoes …

2022-12-25: Drinking Baileys…

2022-12-24: Big kid is worried that the small glass of Baileys (use by date 10/2021) might kill Santa…

2022-12-22: I give up. Wife has just told me she knows her Apple ID password. Time for a mince pie and a cuppa.

2022-12-22: Wife’s old iPod has a smashed screen, so trying to copy her music collection so she can …

2022-12-21: Cut my hair short with clippers today. Big kid said, “Why did you cut your hair? I can see …

2022-12-20: Man carrying straw on a pitchfork?

2022-12-20: Unpacking grocery delivery without thinking, and big kid asks, “Is that wrapping …

2022-12-19: Little kid is totally captivated by this delightful story. youtu.be/DPfClnEK3…

2022-12-19: Dreamed I scored a hattrick in the World Cup Final and still ended up on the losing side.

2022-12-16: My kid’s teacher gave everyone a book for Xmas, which is an amazing thing to do. According to …

2022-12-16: The Property Lobby: The Hidden Reality Behind the Housing Crisis in Ealing There will be 14,800 new homes in 23 new developments in Southall over the next few years. 14 units …

2022-12-16: End of term, woohoo!

2022-12-15: First mince pie of the season!

2022-12-14: Bit parky today!

2022-12-12: Elusive Truth

2022-12-12: (De-)Ice Man Cometh!

2022-12-10: Bloody penalties!

2022-12-10: Free School Meals for every child in primary school. Subject: I’ve written to my MP, will you? Body: On 13 December Zarah Sultana MP is presenting the …

2022-12-09: Friday night in with antibiotics.

2022-12-08: Do not eat.

2022-12-07: Moon always looks much bigger to the eye.

2022-12-07: Special Xmas Lunch Menu Starter: Seasonal Word Soup Main course: Roast Gobbledegook with all the trimmings including sage …

2022-12-06: Arrived at just the right moment.

2022-12-06: Love this tree.

2022-12-03: Saturday night in with hot chocolate and paracetamol.

2022-12-01: Making porridge. I’ve eaten just three slices of toast in 24 hours.

2022-12-01: Yesterday was a ‘mare. Today will be better.

2022-11-30: We’re lucky that our modern little first floor flat has good insulation and retains heat. We started …

2022-11-30: I know someone in a big old house where the temperature indoors now is not much higher than …

2022-11-30: Little one is hot and refusing wear clothes. I’m cold and am bundled up in a jumper, and even a …

2022-11-30: We’re lucky that our modern little first floor flat has good insulation and retains heat. We …

2022-11-30: Little one is hot and refusing wear clothes. I’m cold and am bundled up in a jumper, and even …

2022-11-30: All the boys are poorly today. No more fevers, but bad coughs, and none of us has an appetite. …

2022-11-29: Christmas tree and lights up. Boys did most of the tree decorating. Much quicker and less stressful …

2022-11-29: Kids' stuff: https://davidmarsden.info/2022/11/29/kids-stuff.html

2022-11-29: Kids' stuff I have successfully replicated this study at home, and can attest to its reliability and validity. …

2022-11-29: Tempory fix for a broken arm.

2022-11-29: Both boys are staying at home today. Big kid bounced into school yesterday after recovering from two …

2022-11-29: Surprised I haven’t been asked to remove this review of FM Conway. Is 5,000 views a lot? I guess, at …

2022-11-29: Surprised I haven’t been asked to remove this review of FM Conway. Is 5,000 views a lot? I …

2022-11-28: Got soaked the skin collecting big kid from school (who, it turns out, ate and drank nothing all …

2022-11-28: Big kid better, back at school. Little one sat on my lap chuntering away with a fever. …

2022-11-28: Big kid better, back at school. Little one sat on my lap chuntering away with a fever.

2022-11-27: Little one is a good few months behind with his talking. Putting the grocery shopping away this …

2022-11-27: Tried my emergency coffees beans. They look and smell burnt. Taste like Costa coffee. Not great, but …

2022-11-27: Strep throat and scarlet fever reported at my son’s school. That might explain Kid A’s sore throat, …

2022-11-27: Strep throat and scarlet fever reported at my son’s school. That might explain Kid A’s …

2022-11-26: Toddler can now peel his own bananas.

2022-11-26: Postie has delivered! ☕☕☕☕☕

2022-11-26: I have drunk all the coffee. The end.

2022-11-26: Who gives their postie a Christmas box?

2022-11-26: I have drunk all the coffee. The end.

2022-11-26: Kids rearranged all the furniture last night to recreate the space rocket from Wallace and …

2022-11-26: It’s started.

2022-11-26: Little one ate his usual two Weetabix for breakfast. Now he’s sat on my lap helping himself to …

2022-11-26: Regular exposure to even low levels of air pollution may cause changes to the heart similar to those …

2022-11-25: An hour after both kids are usually asleep, they’re both still up and currently rearranging …

2022-11-25: TV dinner.

2022-11-25: CHRISTMAS MARKET SATURDAY 3RD DECEMBER 1PM - 6PM Craft Stalls, Santa’s Grotto, Live Music, …

2022-11-25: Religious leader phoned my lad’s school today to feedback on their visit yesterday. I have …

2022-11-25: Little one went for a blood test at the hospital this morning. Paediatric outpatient ward was lovely …

2022-11-24: Public concerns over remediating the toxicity of the land… have not been addressed in the …

2022-11-24: “Once in a generation opportunity to look behind the scenes at the replacement of the lock …

2022-11-24: Lad has returned safe and sound from a school trip to a religious centre. Asked what he enjoyed most …

2022-11-24: Yesterday’s chilli today. 🌶️

2022-11-24: Finally figured out how to add @sod’s Search-Space and Surprise-Me plug-ins to my micro.blog. …

2022-11-23: These boots were made for splashing.

2022-11-23: Canal looking lovely this evening.

2022-11-23: Washed up ✅ Made breakfast and packed lunch for Kid A. ✅ Dropped Kid B at nursery 😭. ✅ Dropped Kid B at …

2022-11-22: It’s obviously good that David Baddiel has finally apologised in person for his racist abuse …

2022-11-22: Five hours sleep is enough for my two and a half year old, for now at least, so he’s sat on my …

2022-11-21: A New Ingerland Warming up for Ingerland’s opening match in the World Cup by practising penalties.

2022-11-20: 🍕🍕

2022-11-20: Pizza is in the oven. Can finally sit down and relax for ten minutes.

2022-11-20: I got my 🍕 dough dough risin'. Forgot to say that I feed my yeast with malt extract rather than …

2022-11-20: Proving my yeast, and mixing pasta flour with semolina flour, strong white bread flour, dark rye …

2022-11-20: Making pizza today, so defrosting some fresh yeast. Meantime, it’s breakfast. Egg and home …

2022-11-19: Wife is eating fish and chips while watching Korean soap on her tablet, while our little one sits on …

2022-11-19: Kids did these paintings with Mum this morning while I had a lie-in.

2022-11-18: Early lunch with my little one. Pie, chips and mushy peas!

2022-11-18: Strong smell of tar blowing in from the asphalt plant to the west of us.

2022-11-15: …trying to capture the essence of your life in a form that can be experienced by another, is …

2022-11-15: Corporate Social Responsibility In my work email. As part of our Corporate and Social Responsibility, we are running a digital …

2022-11-15: Lock steps and towpath.

2022-11-15: This tree is broken and falling into the water.

2022-11-15: Glad I don’t have to decorate this tree.

2022-11-14: Useful information and advice. Microblogging on the fediverse, leaving twitter to rot? …

2022-11-14: Some beautiful trees at my son’s school.

2022-11-14: I added a few finely chopped and fried onion pieces to my home fries for brunch. Must remember to …

2022-11-14: Morning from hell, sat in a car for four hours.

2022-11-13: Search the people you follow on Twitter for possible Mastodon/Fediverse accounts. I forgot the link! …

2022-11-13: My eight year old has watched so many US kids' TV shows that he now self-identifies as American.

2022-11-13: The Prince of Aberystwyth With the Prince of ActivityPub’s return to the fold, I can sense a #tinap reunion in the …

2022-11-13: Feels like a lot of effort just to make a cup of coffee.

2022-11-12: I’m about to eat a yum yum.

2022-11-12: Pump Dot IO Muskovite Twitter’s demise is imminent. Everyone’s go-to Twitter-alternative place of …

2022-11-12: Abandon all hope I reported an abandoned car to my housing association. It’s been left in our little communal …

2022-11-11: Is this thing on?

2022-02-14: An Ancient History Of Welfare In 1997 the UK government was spending an annual £24 billion on sick and disabled benefits. In 2010 …

2021-04-14: Strawberries for pigs? Little did we know at the time, but these little strawberries were usually engulfed in a toxic plume …

2021-02-02: How I caught covid I tested positive for coronavirus yesterday. I started to feel unwell – like I had flu – on Sunday …

2020-12-23: Chaos and Confusion If you thought last year was bad…. No one could have foreseen this! British coastguard sued …

2020-12-23: Nationalising Sausages Navy gunboats defending our fish from the French. An army of Sikhs feeding European lorry drivers …

2020-10-05: High Traffic Neighbourhood Took me an hour (as opposed to 10 minutes) to drive my lad home from school this afternoon, thanks …

2020-05-01: A Successful Home Delivery and the Lockdown/Lock-in. My second son was born late Saturday night (what would normally have been my beer night) two weeks …

2019-10-08: Return To Work I returned to work last week after my extended absence due to respiratory illness, which may or may …

2019-10-01: Trigger Vote for Sharma In July 2019, I attended a public meeting with Public Health England to discuss air pollution …

2019-08-25: Southall Under Siege: The Neighbours From Hell ‘A lack of scrutiny,’ says John Freeman, Regulatory Services Officer at Ealing Council. He’s talking …

2018-12-18: Taking the Piss Last night I arranged to meet a beautiful young woman and we spent an hour together alone in a dingy …

2018-11-13: Inconsiderate Constructor Lorry driver on his phone while leaving ‘Southall Village’ building site, right next to …

2016-12-24: Something for the weekend Or, why I became a soccer manager. Not Top 100, SM or even football-related. Three years out of …

2016-11-12: Same old England I've been writing (if that's the right word) about the England football team elsewhere since 2006, …

2016-07-20: How to be a Top Football Manager Leaked documents and video reveal the FA’s shortlist and assessment interview questions for …

2015-01-06: “Mum, passing me a small parcel wrapped in Xmas paper: ‘I didn’t get you anything …

2014-12-14: Louder than words We are all consciously or unconsciously re-enacting previous unresolved experiences of loss, or …

2014-11-18: Had hearing test on Friday. 20% hearing loss in left ear. Ear canal is wafer thin in places, meaning …

2014-10-04: 12 week old son just laughed properly for the first time. Now he can’t stop.

2014-09-03: 3 days into my new job. Company policy says staff must remain upbeat. Loving every single minute of …

2014-08-12: Baby son is one month old. Feels like we’ve had him five minutes and forever.

2014-06-03: A New Ingerland I wasn't even born when we won the World Cup I'm forty-six now and all hope I've given up My wife …

2014-05-17: Whatever happened to... Jimmy Carter? A little under three years ago I eulogised about Jimmy Carter (the footballer, not the peanut …

2014-05-17: Wife: “I don’t like the words. I don’t like the music. You sound like a hooligan. …

2014-03-16: Teaching REM’s The One I Love to 7 yr old. Had to change the words to ‘The One-Eyed …

2013-09-11: Careers Advice “When I grow up, I want to play football for Manchester United!” For an eight year old …

2013-01-01: Wife says we should have named our cat Bjork. Because she’s small, cute and makes funny …

2012-12-26: Eating cold turkey, ham, pork pie, Lincolnshire sausage and haslet. Reminiscing about pig’s …

2012-12-19: Why are toasters and smoke alarms still so stupid?

2012-11-24: My back is killing me and I’m practically crippled after being out in the rain all day …

2012-11-16: Thanks to FA 1st Aid trainer Richard Barnes for relating the story of how he had his left wrist cut …

2012-11-16: Doing homework for the FA coaching course I’m on. Last night I suffered the ignominy of …

2012-11-08: Excellent! Trainer for FA coaching course I’m starting on Saturday is an ex-pro footballer, …

2012-11-07: Are you listening to Joy Division?

2012-11-02: Current NaNoWriMo word count: 0.

2012-09-23: Any mention of ‘baboon’ always reminds me of Stephen K Amos’s hilarious skit. …

2012-09-15: Mmmm… Redbush tea with black molasses sugar hits the spot.

2012-06-06: Why England don't have a hope in hell of winning Euro 2012 Six years ago I wondered if the lack of Englishmen in Arsenal’s team (and most of the other leading …

2011-11-08: No onions, but plenty of fireworks with bier Abstract: Gertcha by the wiener. Tags: fireworks, photos, video, bier, Chas ‘n’ Dave, …

2011-11-07: Bonfire of the potatoes Abstract: Everyone needs good neighbours. Tags: Bonfire Night, Guy Fawkes, neighbours On Saturday …

2011-07-19: (There's Only One) Jimmy Carter (the footballer, not the peanut farmer) A long time ago, back in January 2010 in fact, Dan Lynch’s band 20lb Sounds released their song …

2011-01-20: Twenty Ten (The Prequel): The Cheesemaker Originally intended as a follow-up to part one of my milk-based food product styled personal review …

2011-01-05: Twenty Ten (Part One): Hard Cheese Abstract: Thankfully, there is no Part Two. Tags: snowcock, nanowrimo, manflu, cheese, depression …

2010-06-25: The World Cup on drugs: pure-grade heroin cut with shavings of Clive Tyldesley If England’s game against Algeria had been a Wimbledon tennis match, the two sides would still be at …

2010-05-30: No future in England's dreaming? Inside the mind of Fabio Capello Fabio Capello’s master plan to take England to the World Cup final is finally taking shape. On the …

2010-05-25: Waterboarding on the NHS Abstract: Gagging for it. Tags: waterboarding, NHS, bronchoscopy, torture, worklessness, Nazi, …

2010-04-24: Confessions of a thoracotomy patient Abstract: Lung-form blogging at its cheesiest. Tags: thoracotomy, empyema, decortication, cheese, …

2010-02-25: Why England don't have a hope in hell of winning the football World Cup in 2010 We don’t have any goalkeepers who are not proven to be accidents waiting to happen. James, Green, …

2009-10-06: United, born and bred: super glue Macari The only United match I’ve been to in recent years was last season’s FA Cup tie at home to Spurs, …

2007-11-28: Why we're crap: the problem with English football It’s often the case that what in one sense is an undeniable strength can at the same time also be a …

2006-04-27: A new Scotland? Why England's football team will soon be as shit as Scotland's Is an all-foreign Arsenal bad for English football? But if all our top teams are made up of …

2006-02-12: Red missed: how Stewart Houston and Gordon Hill made me angry and depressed United’s FA Cup tie with Wolves last weekend and Auntie’s ‘flashback’ (Rio Ferdinand?), reminded me …

2005-02-19: Bangers 'n' Mash I guess one reason I’m able to maintain my weight is all the healthy eating I’ve been …

1989-12-04: The Colorado Trail I am rapt. Tight and warm in my sleeping bag, I stare out at the night sky. It is perfectly clear. …

1989-11-09: Multi-Cultural Societies Mark Twain once informed a preacher visiting Hartford that every word of a sermon the latter had …

1989-11-09: Big (in America) A mass twiddling of thumbs and looking at the ceiling prompted me: “It’s Big,” I …