Jeremy Parsons

@mikep_lbi Great shot!

Just a man and his dog out for a row ...

“Set an example. Treat everyone with kindness and respect, even those who are rude to you - not because they are nice, but because you are.” -Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Modern fatherhood would be unrecognisable to a 1950’s dad. “Compared to their Boomer parents, childcare time among Millennial dads has more than doubled. Compared to their Silent Generation grandparents, it’s nearly quadrupled. You will be hard-pressed to find any part of day-to-day modern life that has changed more in the last half-century than the way today’s parents—and fathers, in particular—spend their time. The new American dad is more present and more exhausted—but also, more satisfied with life.” — @DKThomp

“Work hard, do the best you can, don't ever lose faith in yourself and take no notice of what other people say about you." Noël Coward English playwright

New newsletter: MODERN FATHERHOOD WOULD BE UNRECOGNIZABLE TO A 1950'S DAD Compared to their Boomer parents, childcare time among Millennial dads has more than doubled. Compared to their Silent Generation grandparents, it’s nearly quadrupled. You will be hard-pressed to find any part of day-to-day modern life that has changed more in the last half-century than the way today’s parents—and fathers, in particular—spend their time. The new American dad is more present and more exhausted—but also, more satisfied with life. What's behind this half-century transformation? Today's piece combines history, economic analysis, and gorgeous charts galore from @AzizSunderji

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Ben Sasse: "What’s really happening is these superdevices in our pockets — the largest tools any median individual’s ever had access to in all of human history — allow our consciousness to leave the time and place where we actually live, the places where we break bread, the people who are living next door to us, the people that you can physically touch and hug, the small platoons of real community, and we allow our consciousness to go really far away"

Today at the historic Church of St. Porphyrios in Zaytoun, Gaza City. One of the oldest Christian sites in the world.

Take a breath, and read... • Lisel Mueller •

Marcus Aurelius wrote this over 1800 years ago: “When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

@terrynewman Amazing to see!

More Maya! Our sweet little girl finally got to enjoy the outdoors again today. We were able to bring her up to the patio for some fresh air. It was only about 20 minutes, but the sun was shining and it was such a beautiful moment seeing her out there ❤️

An aerial photo of Gaza—one of the most horrifying scenes of devastation of our time.

@bwiancko Totally agree. It's Leacock at his best.

I opt for Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town and urge you to do likewise. It should be required reading for Canadians.

In the winter of 1972, a television crew climbed the high ground of the Yorkshire Pennines to film what they believed would be a story about rural decline. Instead, they found Hannah Hauxwell. She lived alone at Low Birk Hatt Farm, a stone farmhouse exposed to wind and long winters. There was no electricity, no running water, and no modern heating. Light came from daylight and a single coal fire. Water had to be carried by bucket from a distant spring. In cold weather, it froze indoors. Hannah was in her mid-forties when the cameras arrived. To her, nothing about her life seemed unusual. Born in 1926, she had been raised on the same 80-acre hill farm. As a child, she rose before dawn to help with cattle and sheep. Winters were harsh, and the work never stopped. At first, she lived with her parents and an uncle. One by one, they died. By 1958, after her mother’s death, Hannah was alone. She continued running the farm. The income was small. Hill farming in the Pennines offered little profit even in good years. Selling the land would have meant abandoning the only world she had ever known. So she stayed, tending cattle, cutting hay, breaking ice in troughs, and walking through snowdrifts to reach barns in storms. Her home remained unchanged well into the twentieth century. Without refrigeration, food was basic and limited. Bathing required heating water on the stove. If the coal fire went out, relighting it in freezing conditions could take an hour. Some nights she slept in her coat. Isolation was constant. Weeks could pass without seeing another person. Snow often blocked roads. There was no telephone and no radio. Silence settled heavily over the hills. In 1973, the documentary Too Long a Winter, produced by Barry Cockcroft, aired on British television. Around 20 million viewers watched. The film did not exaggerate. It showed Hannah rising in darkness, carrying water, feeding animals, and eating at a bare wooden table. She spoke calmly about her routine. She did not complain. The reaction was immediate. Letters arrived in large numbers. Donations were sent. Viewers were shocked that such conditions still existed in modern Britain. Within months, electricity was installed at the farm. For the first time, Hannah had electric light and basic heating. The improvements eased daily hardship but did not transform her character. She remained practical and reserved. The animals still required care every morning and evening. The land still dictated the rhythm of her life. Additional documentaries followed over the years, tracing her gradual transition. By the late 1980s, decades of physical labor had taken a toll on her health. In 1988, she left Low Birk Hatt and moved to a cottage in the village of Cotherstone. There she experienced central heating, indoor plumbing, and consistent human company. She adapted cautiously to these changes. Though she became a familiar public figure and wrote books about her life, she resisted being portrayed as heroic. She often said she had simply done what was necessary. Hannah Hauxwell died in 2018 at age 91. Her story resonated because it revealed something many had not seen. Modern Britain contained lives still shaped by pre-industrial hardship. Her endurance was not theatrical. It was daily and repetitive. It came from duty rather than ambition. The documentary did not create her strength. It revealed it. For years, she carried water through snow and kept a farm alive on a windswept hill because there was no one else to do it. When the public finally saw her, they recognized a form of resilience that rarely appears in headlines. She had not changed history. She had simply endured it. #drthehistories

@alancornett @bgcts He's American so of course he must be the greatest. Deep analysis here!🤠

@bgcts Canada’s greatest military hero was William Faulkner.

Canada wins the Gold*

This @ebruenig piece reads like a gripping horror story. I could not put it down. theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/…

James Van Der Beek’s final message to the world is one of the most powerful things I have ever heard. Stop whatever you are doing and listen to this! 🥺

US trade with China: $582.5B USD (Representing 10.9% of total US trade) Canadian trade with China: $86.2B USD (Representing 7.9% of total Canadian trade) The US trades more with China - and Trump himself is trying to negotiate a trade deal with China. Data sources in thread.

I was a bit sniffy about some of Carney’s new world order comments in Beijing recently, but his Davos speech is a ‘cometh the hour’ speech. And an important lesson for anyone that’s not the U.S. or China. Read the full transcript of Carney’s speech globalnews.ca/news/11620877/…

@Allspitties Hunter coaches the Knights. London and Windsor aren't the best of friends.

This feels like utter disrespect. Yeah, he’s gonna be rotating in the lineup, but what did Greentree do to deserve this?