Sober, reasoned analysis as usual from Chris Grey, following the UK election result. “The coming years are going to be very ugly indeed.”

It’s a catastrophe. I am bereft.

Curry night and a Freddie Mercury impersonator is as good a way to escape the election as any.

Am preparing my stomach for Friday, fully expecting to get that same awful feeling I had the day after the Brexit referendum. Cakewatch have a short, stark message on their podcast this morning and it’s worth a listen. Vote tactically if you can.

This is the song that always sticks in my head from Roxette’s Tourism: Silver Blue. I love so many songs on that album, but this is the one I always think of first all these plays later. It’s understated, and works its way into you.

So sad to hear that Marie Fredriksson has passed away. I can’t imagine what she and her family have been through over the past 17 years. I loved Roxette at school despite my friends not thinking it cool, and Tourism remains a favourite album of mine even today.

Interesting choice of book to be discounted for the Kindle today, given that we are so close to our election here in the UK. I’m expecting this to be top of the charts in a few hours.

My friend Dan Parry is interviewing David Gauke tonight (Sun, 8 Dec) at 6:30pm at the King’s Arms in Berkhamsted High Street. He’ll be talking about why you should lend him your vote to defeat the Tories in South-West Hertfordshire.

Taking the day off from client work today to attend the TBD Conference. Not quite sure what to expect, but am hoping to get my brain to decompress from the day-to-day and to get exposed to a lot of interesting people.

🚴‍♂️ Signed up to the 2020 Harp Hilly Hundred. I’ve signed up two or three times in the past but only made it out once due to ice. Fingers crossed it will be above 0°C this time. Waiting for the Chiltern Classics page to get updated with the rest of the reliability rides.

jukebox.today looks interesting. Like a Sonos for the web.

🗳 I have (postal) voted for David Gauke in South-West Hertfordshire. The constituency has voted Conservative since 1950 and I can’t see it changing, but as our most recent MP (now Independent) he has the best chance of anyone of defeating the Conservative candidate.

I think it’s actually colder on my train this morning than it is outside.

So sad to hear about the passing of Clive James. I’ve been dipping into his Cultural Amnesia for months and always come away feeling schooled and humbled by how little I know. I love it that this is the same man who brought Margarita Pracatan into our lives.

Winter mornings creeping in. I took this in February, and all of a sudden we are back here again. A familiar view on my morning walk to the train station over the next few months. As JP Rangaswami once said, “they could paint my house pink and I wouldn’t find out till Saturday.”

“You had one job…”

I’ve been enjoying A Podcast Of One’s Own with Julia Gillard. Really engaging, high-quality discussions between Australia’s former Prime Minister and prominent female leaders. The questions at the end of each chat are a great feature. There really should be more women in charge.

Reading Steinbeck’s In Dubious Battle and came across this song. So this is where The Scaffold got the inspiration for Lily The Pink from.

Excited to be seeing Snowpoet at a one-off gig tonight. I’ve not been to a gig on my own in years, but I couldn’t pass this one up. Tiny venue. Will need to find something inconspicuous to do before they start!

Up early to head off to the 2019 Hertfordshire School Governor conference in Stevenage. Last year I wasn’t able to go and felt I missed out. The conference is usually excellent, but I do come away with a feeling of guilt that I don’t do as much as I’d like to as a governor.