I found it hilarious and was laughing to myself whilst playing. Others didn’t see the funny side - club now plays in a different venue….

Club match in working men’s clubhouse. Next room was bar with loud metal-based jukebox on full blast. Patrons loudly singing along to all songs. Lady team member went in to ask them to keep noise down. Didn’t go well. Turns out jukebox hadn’t been on full blast & patrons hadn’t been in full voice!

Interesting scheduling that one of the contestants just cooking on Great British Menu at 8pm on BBC2 is now on Masterchef: The Professionals on BBC1 at 9pm setting and judging one of the challenges @scottygb.bsky.social

Jet Set Willy?

Hoping this is an Alan Cummings tribute to long-running Scottish TV detective show Taggart. If that didn’t break into the US market, it has an associated catchphrase of “There’s been a murder”, with the last word pronounced in a heavy Scottish accent as per Alan’s top.

Average Didcot sunset

Highest scorer in my league by over 30 points this week. Always useful when you have a bye!

Second sign is directly opposite the first on a local footpath

As a non-American who watches plenty of American Football-related content on YouTube, I’d say it’s about 80/20 stitch/sheesh. I absolutely, definitely have not got into the habit of commenting under any of those videos about my annoyance at use of the stitch pronunciation. Definitely not me….

A movie you have seen more than seven times with gif #films #movie

Not sure this is that new. Moved into a private house share in Leeds in April 1990. Only space we shared was a fungus infested bathroom and a kitchen. No lounge in my first house share in Manchester in 1997 either. More shocking to me is the rent now charged for a room in a house share.

Just pleased the commentators didn’t refer to it as being like a rugby scrum. Appreciate the battle is lost on this, but it’s the equivalent of a move called a maul in rugby, not a scrum.

Struggling today. How does tomorrow look. Will mention I don’t have DM functionality in operation yet, but should be able to access later.

Not at the Pensions UK event, but now back working literally around the corner in central Manchester if you fancied a pre, post or during conference catch-up.

Requires a bit of flexibility in how rules are applied, but one option might have been to elect to receive the death benefits as a pension, not a lump sum, and then transfer to a different scheme from which death benefits drawdown could be paid. Taxed, but as income, so more manageable.

Likewise last weekend. Not sure I even had to stop walking at any time, let alone sit down. Pointed in the direction of a room, the needle was in as soon as I got through the door and I was directed to the exit.

Let’s Dance - David Bowie 10/10
Let’s Dance - Chris Montez 9/10

The former is on the first album I bought.
Owned the latter on a 45rpm single when I took my mum’s collection of singles off to uni with me.

Even if the only cost was my time, no.

It isn’t taxpayers’ money. It’s scammers pretending to be the DWP. I got one of the texts as well and immediately deleted it.

California Golden Bears 3-0 🐻🤙🏼

Interesting reading some of the responses to this. Not a particular Oasis fan but was at the LA Rams vs Houston Texans a few hours before one of the gigs and was surprised to see hundreds of fans at the NFL game in Oasis t-shirts.

My favourite overheard train journey involved an older couple discussing whether they’d packed sufficient food for their holiday. In particular, whether they’d remembered to pack their “emergency tin of tuna”.

Edward Woodward would.

Symbiosis between the financial press and pundits. Papers have column inches to fill and speculation generates clicks. So they ask pundits for speculation-based quotes. A pundit saying “nothing will happen” won’t get a press mention for their organisation (which is their aim), so gives a quote.

Remembering that mid 90s period when so many of us were debating which band was better, Sharpen or Desert.

Grew up in Wantage. Went to King Alfred’s School. Drank in the King Alfred’s Head. Ate in the Burnt Cake cafe. Gathered by the statue of King Alfred in the town square on many a New Year’s Eve. It’s Alfred for me, and I won’t accept the suggestion I’m biased in any way…

Found out a couple of weeks ago that the folks in my maternal line of ancestry were based around 10 miles north of Hereford from the late 17th century to the late 19th century. Sadly I haven’t inherited a genetic memory of the area, so no recommendations!

If they do limit cash ISA subscriptions to £4k it will be interesting to see how many subscribe £20k to a S&S ISA and just leave the funds in cash. I assume they’ll still earn interest on all the cash tax-free in the S&S ISA, just at a lower rate than in a cash ISA. Great outcome!

Seeing the Charlatans for the first time ever - was a fan back in the 1990 Some Friendly days, but have somehow managed to miss seeing them until now. 24 Jan is a possible as things stand!

Shall be in that neck of the woods a little later for a gig.