1 This week I am writing about the report from the Oxford Internet Institute, (yes, it really exists), that conducted a global study and found “there is no evidence that screen time harms children’s thinking abilities or wellbeing”. Read the full thing here if you have a spare 9 hours. I don’t know why this has triggered me so hard, but it has. HOW CAN THIS BE TRUE? Sorry, has this study been sponsored by Meta? Google? Apple? Is it just me or does this seem like flat-out propaganda, written by a Chat GPT bot gone rogue? I’m interested to hear from you in the comments about your anecdotal experience with your children and the internet, especially if your children are a bit older.
2 I was very sad for Paul Murray, who missed out on the Booker Prize for his epic family drama, The Bee Sting. It is a very long book and I have been reading it slowly for about three months. I am in the middle of a long section that has no punctuation.
Here is an example:
Yes better to have done it this way She and Cass Damsels in distress Leave Dickie out of it And that was all it took in the end After so much worrying Month after month
So the going is slow. But this book is absolutely dazzling, so worth it. I must confess, I haven’t actually read any of the Booker Shortlist - I read 15 pages of How To Build A Boat, which is on the long list and didn’t think much of it - but I really can’t see how any of the others can come anything close to The Bee Sting.
Greater injustices litter the world, I’m sure. At least, I am heartened to see men back in the literary fiction world - not just writing thrillers or niche genre fiction - because while I am delighted that women have so robustly dominated the literary fiction scene for the last few years, we do need some balance.
3 My son was thrilled by a waffle-maker we encountered at a breakfast buffet in Canada over the summer and wanted one of his own. We argued quite a lot about this, as I have a no-new-appliances rule. But in the end he wore me down, by promising to clear out a junk cupboard in which to store this beast. We fretted and fretted over which one to buy and settled on this one from Lakeland. We have had it for two months now and it has become a hard-working member of the family. Out it comes every Saturday morning and it’s waffles ahoy all weekend.
Best waffle batter recipe: Put 300ml of whole milk, 50g butter, a big pinch of salt and a big pinch of sugar into a pan over a low heat and warm gently until combined. Crack 2 eggs into 260g Self Raising Flour and half-mix in. Add the milk mixture to this and mix until you have a batter. Leave to stand, overnight, or just dive right in, I’ve never thought it makes much of a difference.
4 I have been meaning to write about Retinol for years, but never do because I don’t feel like I have a definitive thing to say about it. I have used Medik8 Crystal Retinal 1 through to 3 about three times a week and I really have absolutely no idea if it does anything or not. I don’t know, you see, what I would look like without it. When I tell people I am 43 no-one says “YOU NEVER ARE” and I have not been given a new, more pleasing face in the manner of Gisele. But, similarly, I don’t really have any wrinkles. Sagging, yes. But no wrinkles. If you are interested in a retinol, (which is concentrated Vitamin A and encourages “cell renewal” - which sounds good doesn’t it), you can buy Medik8 with confidence. Start with the no.1 and then work up to 3 and even further on for the full paint-stripper effect.
5 Last thing! I wandered into Selfridges a few weeks ago with a terrible zit, looking for a pot of this Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion I hear so much about. The nice lady who found me adrift in the Beauty Hall said, “We don’t have that in stock, but try this.” She held out a tube of Eve Lom’s Dynaspot. “It’s the same principle, just slightly better.”
I don’t really get on with the Eve Lom hot cloth cleanser but I do really love her lip salve, Kiss Mix, and just generally I can’t bear losing face in front of those Beauty Ladies, so coughed up £28 for it!! Anyway I think you know what’s coming: this stuff is actual witchcraft. Its smells pleasingly strong and it is the absolute business at zapping zits: even nightmare throbbers are no match for it. And there is no catastrophic aftermath like with Oxy 10 - remember that? Bog bleach for the face. Shudder.
How about you? Do you have any random odds and ends to toss into the mixed bag? Please leave a comment to amuse and inform the group in the handy box below.
*bulk buys Dynaspot* (thank you - much needed recommendation)
It’s my son’s 10th birthday next week and I cant think of anything to get him except a waffle maker (how could he possibly need/want anything else after the excesses of Christmas?) Are there any must have toppings you recommend?