Phase 2 of our family PINNEDBack in the summer we were contacted by our daughter's former care home to ask if we would consider fostering/adopting another child. This came about from a casual remark I had made about the office/study that I created for me and my daughter, that... See More ยป
Scotland picks Afghan refugee in Cricket World Cup squad(Quote) https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/crle166zy94o (+1)
Jigsaw puzzlesMy mother bought us all jigsaw puzzles for Christmas. I was sceptical that my teenager would have the patience to sit down for more than 10 minutes, but she's turned it into a competition with her cousin. They each have a fiendishly difficult puzzle... See More ยป
Back to school tomorrowOur 9 year old is bathed and in her pyjamas, and quietly reading stories to her soft toys ๐ Our 15 year old came back from her cousin's highly strung and picked a non-existent argument with my wife over homework that she had already completed at... See More ยป
Our daughters decided to sleep in the same room on Christmas EveWhich created a small logisitical challenge for Father Christmas ๐ The man of the moment was stumbling around in the dark trying to find somewhere safe to leave the girls' stockings. The 15 year old woke, whispered "is that a cat?", and shone a... See More ยป
Our 15 year old returned home from a two night sleepoverShe kept the 9 year old spellbound with tales of exotic tales of adventure and fun that are just beyond her little sister's reach ๐ Later, after 15 yo had had a minor meltdown (mainly because she had hardly slept in 48 hours or eaten anything but ca... See More ยป
End of year accountingWe emptied out the family swear box (ยฃ1 per profanity) and counted ยฃ82.50p. This equates to 1.52 effs and blinds per week, a 0.14 point improvement on last year ๐ Although no one is pointing fingers, early indications show that roughly 96% of... See More ยป
If anyone is looking for a fun stocking filler . .Check out these "limited edition collector's shirts signed by Nigel Farage". For just ยฃ350 you could be the proud owner of 100% polyester shirt made in the English Midlands and individually signed by Chairman Nige. Strangely, given Reform UK's... See More ยป (+2)
Our girls left their shoes outside their bedrooms for St Nicholas last nightThis morning they were filled with sweets and raisins. The eldest also received a small silver necklace and a handwritten letter congratulating her on moving up a set in maths and hoping that her hard work will continue into the important exam year... See More ยป (+1)
My daughters are planning a marathon baking session this weekend๐ฌ ๐ฅ ๐ช ๐ฅ ๐ฅฎ ๐ฃ โข ๐๐ฝ ๐
Our 9 year old is writing her letter to Father ChristmasI'm not convinced that she is 100% a believer, but she picked up on how excited I and her big sister were last night and decided to humour us anyway ๐ ๐ ๐ผ
Home freezingMy daughter wanted to make a crumble for lunch today and was annoyed that there was not much interesting fruit available at the supermarket. So I dug around in the freezer and found a box of blackberries that, according to the label, we picked and... See More ยป
Daughter #1 was busy working on her science project last nightDaughter #2, disappointed to be deprived of her playmate, asked at dinner what homework is. Big sister sighs and describes in bleak and pessimistic terms what little sister can look forward to in a couple of years time when she starts secondary... See More ยป
Nathan Gill, former leader of Reform UK in Wales, sentenced to 10.5 years for bribery and corruptionHe pleaded guilty to eight counts of accepting money from a pro-Russian activist in Ukraine to read scripted speeches in the European parliament disparaging of the Ukrainian government. Hopefully the severity of the sentence will remind other Reform... See More ยป
At my daughter's after school dance club todayThe girls were allowed to wear nail varnish to raise money for Children in Need. As usual, I didn't get the memo in time ๐ฅบ But the girls were colourful, sparkly, and looked absolutely fantastic! ๐๐๐
Our girls were doing cartwheels in the garden after school yesterdayDespite asking them to rinse their hands and feet under the tap before they came back in, an awful lot of mud still got walked into the kitchen ๐ As they were cleaning up in a bath I noticed a small pair of footprints, toes turned slightly inwards,... See More ยป
First weekend was a successA day's visit extended into an overnight stay which worked out rather well. The little girl that we're hoping to foster has taken to our daughter very fondly, which makes life easier all round. Yesterday we played games and did some art. Today I took... See More ยป
Nigel Farage "goes on strike"Announces that he will no longer attend Prime Minister's question time and sat in the press gallery to protest against the "most unrepresentative parliament ever". The cause of his complaint? Despite his funny little sidekick Richard Tice bobbing up... See More ยป (+1)
Mr Nobody v PutinThis documentary is a really effective portrayal of authentic patriotism contrasted with the plastic, state-sponsored, flag waving type. A primary school worker uses the natural leadership he exerts among his young charges to record and subvert... See More ยป
My daughter was up nearly every hour last night with period cramps and hot flushesShe was so tired this morning but determined to go to school. I got a call from the school a little while ago to collect her. Apparently she had started to argue with her teacher, realised that she was on a slippery slope, and voluntarily took... See More ยป
I've just returned from a meeting with my daughter's head of yearWe meet every half term to discuss her progress and whether any adjustments need to be made to her curriculum as she approaches her final exams. I was informed that my daughter is going to be moved up a set in maths to reflect significant... See More ยป
An Afghan migrant who threatened to kill Nigel Farage in a Tiktok video has been jailed for 5 yearsFawaz Khan mimicked the "pop, pop, pop" sound of gunfire in a post that the UK Reform leader described as "pretty chilling". Now that we have established that making violent threats online is unacceptable, I wonder if Reform will stop referring to... See More ยป
I was all ready at 8.20am to walk to school with daughter and nieceWhen my daughter informed me that I couldn't walk with them today as they needed to have a "proper girl talk" ๐ฅบ These two had barely left each other's side in the previous 48 hours and were non-stop yakking for most of the weekend . . I swear my... See More ยป