Big kid can breathe again.

Plan to ban smart phones in schools scrapped by MP: bbc.com

Big kid brought home a June 1983 copy of National Geographic from the school library today (I said it needs an update!).

Auto-generated description: A National Geographic cover from June 1983 features an image of space with the Horsehead Nebula and list of articles inside.

Some things never change.

A comment and a response discuss perceptions of bias in a National Geographic article on the Beirut destruction in February 1983, with differing views on anti-Semitism.

This morning’s walk.

I don’t know why this area is fenced off, but it has the effect of creating a private space for local alcoholics, drug users and homeless people to relax.

Auto-generated description: A small, partially fenced park area with a wooden bench and overgrown trees and bushes.

Water flowing through the gates into the lock.

A canal lock is seen with water flowing through the partially open gate, surrounded by weathered wood and stone.

I took a few moments to enjoy the sound of the flowing water.

How it was.

Auto-generated description: A frosty park landscape features an empty information board with trees and a path in the background.

How it’s going.

Auto-generated description: A bulletin board in a park is covered with leaves inside its glass display.

You Winchester, you lose some

I was chatting to one of the other parents at school yesterday morning and mentioned how little kid is totally obsessed with space, all day and every day. It’s literally the first thing he talks about when he wakes up, and he falls asleep watching Brian Cox videos. They had a special space day at school yesterday, too.

Auto-generated description: A child is dressed as an astronaut with a homemade space helmet and is holding a paper plate designed like a planet.

She helpfully suggested visiting the planetarium at Winchester, about an hour’s drive away.

I hadn’t thought about going anywhere outside of London.

Later yesterday afternoon I picked up my guitar for the first time in months, wiped all the dust off it, and strummed the chords to one of my old band’s songs, written by the singer who, coincidentally, hails from Winchester.

By evening, I’d forgotten all about school mums, planetariums and old mates, and I was more concerned about finishing my book and finding out whodunnit?

On page 306 of my book, right in the middle it said (in all CAPS and bold):

WINCHESTER

I checked out the planetarium and ordered four tickets for a nice family outing during half-term .

This morning I told little kid about it and he said he didn’t want to go.

‘The UK currently has schemes for some Afghans, Ukrainians and people from Hong Kong to come to the UK but no route for Palestinians.’

Keir Starmer pledges to close loophole that let Gazan family settle in UK bbc.co.uk

All in a day's housework

Busy day so far.

New school street comes into effect next month, so to prepare this morning we parked away from the school and the kids scooted in with me chasing after them on my flat feet.

Need to teach little kid how to use his brake.

Had to pop into the school office to ask for a parents’ evening form.

Went to Tesco to buy the items that Waitrose couldn’t deliver later.

No time for breakfast, instead peeled, chopped and boiled spuds, chopped and fried onions with lentils, prepared carrots and leeks for honey-roasting, cut broccoli florets for steaming, mashed potatoes and spooned on to onions and lentils mixed with gravy and HP sauce in a baking dish, grated Red Leicester to go on top.

Emptied our general waste bin, wet and dry recycling bins, and the food bin.

Unblocked the kitchen sink with the plunger.

Put my laundry away.

Washed up.

Put the groceries away.

Time for a late brunch.

‘Under UK law, it is now an offence to enter the country without permission, while international law states that refugees should not be penalised for illegal entry.’

Gotta love that rules-based international order.

UK to refuse citizenship to refugees arriving on small boats bbc.com

‘The BBC contacted Biden’s talent agency, which recently signed him, but no response was immediately forthcoming.’

My talent agency said, “WTAF?!”

Trump says he is revoking Joe Biden's security clearance bbc.com

AI will drink all our water, use up all our electricity, take all our jobs, deliver to us online shopping and pizza and feed our timelines forever and ever with slop, before framing us on made up charges of terrorism or sexual deviancy, or just go right ahead and murder us in our beds.

Concern UK's AI ambitions could lead to water shortages bbc.com