I’m with you, I don’t think he finishes the main series, but (and this is where I think we differ) I’ve found so much joy and interest in the rest of the world, the stories and even the lore around all of it that i can’t consider it a waste of time.

I absolutely love YouTube deel-dives about the characters and the world, I’ve spent hours looking over the maps and even more time reading Martin’s work in the form of Fire and Blood, AKOTSK and the larger reference type books that have come out since Winds was released.

I’m re-reading the main series right now, and whilst I’m fairly confident there’s no pay off I find being in that world, and reading those words to be gift enough to continue with it.

My Dad is fantastic, but he’s also 65, working a 6 day week (also warehouse) so I’m very aware that as much as he wants to help, he’s no spring chicken anymore.

My Mum has like, 7 grandkids and a load of other things aside. We don’t see nearly enough of her, but again…she’s so busy.

My partner’s Mum and Dad? Basically useless.

In 6 years we’ve had one night away from the kids, and that was a few weeks ago when we told our mum she was having them (at our house) and we went literally five miles down the road and got a hotel.

I love them deeply, but I wish they gave as much support to us as they received when I was a 5 year old.

The thought of even having a pension worth £14k a year seems so far fetched to me. Guess I’ll just drop my hours from 45 to 39?

She’s turning 6 in a few weeks.

After months of begging and begging me to get the softplay party, the second (and I mean, literally has a I ended the call booking it in) she goes ‘Daddy, I don’t want a softplay party anymore’.

Nah. YOU WILL HAVE FUN CHILD!

Men plan, god laughs.

We actually looked at one of those trampoline places. Issue was that I’d feel very unsure about having my toddler running around with Gen-pop (because they want you to buy the entire place out if you want a ‘private’ party. Maybe when he’s older…

That’s the thing. We don’t get paid sick. So I’m taking a £100 hit for this day off and it’s going to go down on my record.

Is the plan here to just make the country so utterly shit that Labour have to spend their first stint back in charge undoing everything?