The Christmas present that has brought the greatest joy this year is my Ugg slippers. Unfortunately, the family member they have brought the joy to is Fernando the cat.

Cool

One of the truly fabulous things about ME at this time of year is that I actually quite like peeling potatoes

Trends are impossible to spot these days, just go with vibes. Me for the Times www.thetimes.com/article/10e4...

Have really noticed how Amazon Prime is utterly worthless for a lot of small stuff now. The list price is pretty much the same as elsewhere including shipping. If you're buying one item, you're paying for nothing. If you're buying 6 of the item, it's a terrible deal.

Curly leaf parsley is coming back in 2026, gonna be huge, calling it now

When everything is a trend nothing is a trend, so @rhymerrigby.bsky.social checks out the vibes. (£) www.thetimes.com/business/eco...

Putin is out to destroy the UK and Europe. If we don’t accept that, we’re doomed. Some Boxing Day cheer from me in @thenewworldmag.bsky.social www.thenewworld.co.uk/luke-mcgee-p...

Trends are impossible to spot these days, just go with vibes. Me for the Times www.thetimes.com/article/10e4...

Putin claimed to have conquered Kupyansk

More cat stigmata, courtesy of Fernando

When we say "no, everything hasn't been digitized," I need you to understand that we really mean is that virtually nothing has been digitized. This is because the realm of primary sources that historians use is incomprehensibly large.

Youngest daughter had a bowl of Thai massaman curry for breakfast #soproud

You'll love it. Because it might make you briefly relevant again.

Kinda fun seeing this from someone whose big idea was an utter disaster and who now has a job for life in the lords

@chimeracoder.bsky.social @richardelliot.bsky.social Had lunch at Rambutan in Borough Market with the student daughter who is back from uni. It's always been good, but was absolutely outstanding today.

Source: encompass-europe.com/cartoons#car...

My take on the EU's through-the-night summit to help Ukraine. The main thing is €90bn will find its way to Kyiv—though not funded by Russia's frozen assets. It was a messy deal, from which recriminations will ensue. But Europe got there (mostly) in the end. www.economist.com/europe/2025/...

Slacking?

Quite tempted to spend the whole day outside (also nice that my weather app thinks I live at Millwall F.C.)

SEASON'S GREASONS

Checks out

Incredible

@chimpman.bsky.social @richardelliot.bsky.social

Now that's an opening line

WSJ explains how FBI was able to solve Pipe Bomber case after so many years: an Agent wrote code to access T-Mobile data FBI HAD thought was corrupted. Story confirms Cole is a Trump supporter and describes Agents are pissed bc Kash and Bongino are claiming credit. www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

Risotto is pushing my "if it's homemade, it can't be that unhealthy" mantra to its absolute breaking point

It's only taken 12 years but I have finally fixed the light outside the front door

Tucking into another episode of Pluribus, in which nothing will happen in a watchable, prestige-TV sorta way

incredible content from my phd granting institution

since driving discourse is raging on the timeline, i guess it's time to reup this, the greatest op ed the NYT ever ran

🚨 “Can I tell you how many times in the last 45 years the European Court of Human Rights has ruled against the UK when it comes to deporting people from this country - only 13 times - in 45 years” Hugely important point made by @vicderbyshire.bsky.social 👏

What a time to be alive, etc.

Me to youngest daughter: "What do you want for dinner." YD: "Laksa."

The costs of a hail damage have ballooned over the past two decades, prompting researchers to resort to extreme measures to understand how these storms destroy buildings. www.wired.com/story/it-was...

London (population 9 million) has had fewer murders year-to-date[1] than Birmingham, Alabama (population 200k)[2] [1]: www.london.gov.uk/london-recor... [2]: www.bhamwiki.com/w/2025_Birmi...

How to make meetings work better. Me for FM Magazine: www.fm-magazine.com/issues/2025/...

Plural of anecdote is not data, but the eldest has asked for a cd player and a big stack of CD-Rs this Christmas…

Watching Pluribus. Still going nowhere but in a watchable, agreeable way. More as it happens (or doesn't happen)

The headline, the main takeaway from a European viewpoint is this: The transatlantic relationship as we know it is over. Yes, we kinda knew this. But this is now official US White House policy. Not a sppech, not a statement. The West as it used to be no longer exists.

@chimpman.bsky.social @richardelliot.bsky.social

The people we bought our house off had trade access to high-end Italian bathroom stuff. Every time I go to change a leaky shower cartridge, this shit

Newham have got a lot of cycle lane work done recently. Much using S106 and CIL revenue and working with TfL. Big contrast to Greenwich Council. Stark difference either side of Silvertown tunnel. Greenwich do little unless TfL pays.

Cat is as large as child

Hipster essentials

Rather ambiguously worded headline...

Have just put something an auction. Like the kind that has an auctioneer with a hammer, not eBay. Feeling weirdly grown-up in a 1980s kind of way.

HERE WE GO! Rudolph reindeer Christmas drone show at Ardingly labelled 'disaster' and 'shambles' www.itv.com/news/meridia...

Don't want to be one of those nostalgia accounts, but 1960s consumer electronics branding was much better