Arsenal 2 - 1 Brighton…

Paul was at the game. Yay! 

Also lovely to see the @gaygooners assembled pre match proving once again that fashion, passion, and football can all coexist. Less so on the pitch though.

Arsenal dominated everything except the scoreboard. Odegaard finally remembered he is very good at football and scored after Saka stole a goal kick like a polite burglar. Fifteen first half shots suggested comfort. Arsenal disagreed.

Rice delivered a corner. Brighton delivered an own goal. Very sporting. Then Arsenal remembered tradition and invited chaos. Raya refused the invitation with a save of genuine beauty and everyone exhaled at once.

Top of the league again. Mild panic included.

Onwards and upwards, my friends.

@Arsenal @OfficialBHAFC @bukayosaka87 @martinodegaard
#ARSBRI #COYG #arsenal #afc #gunners #gooners #PremierLeague

Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 6…

15 min (partially orchestral) version of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill? Yup.

Emotionally devastating, spiritually cleansing, still not long enough! Beautiful. 

@Netflix @Stranger_Things @katebushmusic

#StrangerThings #StrangerThings5 #RunningUpThatHill #KateBush #TVMusic #Orchestral #SynthsAndFeelings #UpsideDownEmotions

Xmas Eve Drinks 2025…

Lovely Xmas Eve drinks at The Welly while we all wait for Santa to arrive 🎅🎁🥳🍻

A Christmas Carol (abridged)…

 

Candlelight Carols @ Union. Chapel…

Stuart, Darce and I went to a lovely candlelight carol service at the Union Chapel last night. We’d had a couple of liveners beforehand, so naturally we were all in full voice 🎶🍷😀

@UnionChapelUK @UniChapelChurch @UnionChapelChurchLondon 

#CandlelightCarols #UnionChapel #CarolSingalong #FestiveSpirits #InFullVoice

Family Xmas 2025…

We had a fabulous family get together yesterday. Thank you Joanna for a beautiful spread, games, laughter, presents, cards, and drink. 🎁🥳🎊🍾 ❤️🎅🧑‍🎄🎄🎉 

Football and Tax - my Sunday musings….

Not everybody is a football fan. I get that. Overpaid players. Rich clubs. Corrupt organisers etc. 

But let’s just think about one aspect of it. The value to the UK economy. Football is a UK power-house; and so helps all we UK tax payers too!

The Premier League’s international TV rights are now more valuable than domestic ones & have increased 15-fold in the past 20 years. They are now worth more than those of the other top European leagues combined. 

In fact, the new package of global rights is expected to exceed the value of all other UK TV exports(!) — an astonishing achievement given how rapidly these are increasing, too, & another illustration that Britain’s soft power standing continues to rise. 

So how does that help you and me as UK residents? 

Despite having some good accountants, the Premier League & its clubs pay £4.4 billion in tax each year, a handy amount, & deliver almost £10 billion in gross value added to the UK economy.  A real British success story. 

Now, if only they would keep the price of those match-day pies to a reasonable level 😅

Mandy…

Hmmm. It’s going to be re-edited. I wonder why? I mean it was filmed back in January. 🤔

https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/news/8609/mandy-christmas-special-postponed

Behind You….

39% of the British public have been to the theatre in the past 12 months. 

But that drops to 8% if you don't count panto. 🤣

Someone’s House Always Burns At Christmas…

One of my favourite Xmas songs 🏠🎄🔥🔥

Xmas Eve Drinks…

 

Arsenal 2 - 1 Wolves…

Great to see all the @gaygooners at the meet up on Saturday night before the match and especially lovely to see Pierre and meet his gorgeous cousin Deborah too.

Arsenal beat Wolves, eventually, reluctantly, and with the emotional stability of a Jenga tower in a light breeze.

Saka spent 90 minutes being creative, Wolves spent it being annoying, and Mosquera decided stoppage time was the right moment for performance art.

Title charge continues. Relief levels through the roof. Ben White sadly pinged.

Onwards and upwards, my friends.

@Arsenal @BukayoSaka87 @gabrieljesus9 @m8arteta
#ARSWOL #COYG #AFC #Gunners #Wolves #PremierLeague