‘…financial liberalisation, mortgage reform and lack of investment in the existing building stock has transformed English homes into crumbling vehicles for the accumulation of wealth.’ We need more than new homes - Positive Money

‘All we see is broken homes here and poverty, ‘Corrupt government officials, lies and atrocities, ‘How they talking on what’s threatening the economy, ‘Knocking down communities to re-up on properties.’ Little Simz - Introvert

No tipping or dumping.

‘…prioritises the maintenance of public housing, which is crucial in ensuring that people have a roof over their heads and a comfortable place to live’ Singapore housing policy

Met these two on the school walk this morning.

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 Action Plan, and the consultation period runs until 30 January 2023. It’s taken me the best part of six weeks, all my spare time over Christmas and New Year, to get through it all, make notes and cross-reference to try to make sense of it all and offer some feedback. Really, there must be a much longer consultation period if Ealing Council is genuinely interested in residents' views.

Big kid with the tree he planted at his school.

1,001 days since my little one made his debut.

Little kid was vomiting every hour from 6pm until midnight last night. Slept until 6am, kept down a piece of toast and a cup of water, then had his breakfast proper. Now has his boots on and ready to go out in sub-zero temperature!

I hadn’t realised until today that they are building a new park with “viewing mounds” (similar to those at Northala Fields?) beyond Glade Lane park.

Little lad at the park this morning. He’s had a good day and week, then just before bed tonight started vomiting. Poor little thing. And us.

Big kid’s school storage units.

Other than writing a couple of open letters to government ministers, what has Ealing Council done to date to campaign for greater regulatory powers around air quality, and for a Clean Air Act? Anyone know?

If air pollution monitoring data cannot inform the efficacy of individual air pollution reduction actions, how can it be used in combination with secondary data (presumably including health data) to do so? Genuine question, and maybe I’m just being a bit thick.

Good enough to eat!

School caretaker this morning gritted the playground before we all arrived, and helpfully marked the still frozen large puddles with hazard cones so that the kids knew exactly where the best ice patches were for skidding practice.

Waiting for my 🍕 dough to rise…

Lovely early evening sky tonight.

Big kid woke up with a sore throat and didn’t want to go to school. Gave him paracetamol and told him he should spend the day in bed to recover. Half an hour later he bounced back into the living room with “I’m back”.

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

Trip to Warren Farm this afternoon in the wind and the rain.

New podcast, International Marxist Radio (IMR). The first episode features Ealing’s own Joe Attard speaking to In Defence of Marxism (IDOM) editor-in-chief Alan Woods. Well worth a listen, Alan is a very knowledgeable and engaging speaker.

HP sauce in the gravy adds a sweetness and edge to the pie. The carrots and leeks roasted together are sweet and sharp, too. Little kid cried when I gave him some on his plate. He had his favourite chicken pie instead.

Grated cheese to top my Shepherd’s Pie*. Got into the habit of always using a mix of extra mature Cheddar and Double Gloucester. *Might be a Cottage Pie

Frying chips. First batch done.