I don't know you. I don't know those people. But I am 100% convinced they are idiots

I think that would be entirely appropriate

Fortunately it’s not something I usually suffer from but god knows it’s unpleasant - that feeling of pressure in your ear and the ringing/popping/crackling when you eat or swallow

I didn’t see him very often but the ones there are, are generally good and uncomplicated and that’s important x

Uncles are fab, especially if one’s own father is a bit, well, complicated

When I was young and asked hard questions my father would say ‘between me and Uncle Alan we know everything, and that’s one of the things Uncle Alan knows’, safe in the knowledge I’d forget to ask on our next infrequent visit. And now there’s no Uncle Alan left to ask either

I was a bit intimidated by him when I was little but he mellowed considerably in his old age, and was quite a joy to be around

No single US news source is consumed by more than 25% of Americans, whereas 60% of Brits regularly watch/read/listen to the BBC.

A single shared source of truth makes it harder for partisan echo chambers to form, or for divisive narratives to dominate. It’s good for social cohesion and compromise.

Obviously the worst bit of this is I will have to go to Hemel Bloody Hempstead for the funeral

Oh yes, he was 92 and in a care home. Obviously very sad for my cousins but you can’t mourn someone who’s had a long and generally happy life, can you?

Thank you. I didn’t see him often but he was a nice old boy…

So, so gorgeous. I've pulled the trigger - KAL starts on Boxing Day

Well when you put it like that...