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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Series finale of Dempsey and Makepeace. Won't say what happens but I will say this: she deserved better. I've written a letter. Not going to send it but I've written it and I feel Glynis should know there are men out there who would have treated her right. Men with a timeshare. Nearly.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Saw Glynis Barber on the telly last night and had to have a sit down. Told Deborah I was tired. I wasn't tired. One day I'm going to be in the right place at the right time. A hotel bar. An awards do. Somewhere near the M4 corridor. It'll happen.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Dempsey and Makepeace is on. I've said it before and I'll say it again: she is far too good for him. American. Loud. Drives like a maniac. Makepeace has got a flat in Kensington, a decent education and a good head on her shoulders. What is she doing. What is she actually doing.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Kinnock on the news again. Just the voice. Just the voice sets me off. Told Deborah if that man ever gets into Number Ten I'm taking the timeshare money and moving to Portugal. She pointed out we've already given the timeshare money to a bloke in a pub. Fair point. Still. Not having it.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Snooker, Howard's Way, large glass of Teachers and the kids in bed by eight. Tuesday sorted. This is genuinely as close to Tom Howard's life as I've managed so far. Minus the boat. And Valerie. Working on both.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Gary says the Portugal bloke has been in touch and the resort is finished. Sent a brochure. It's in a different part of the Algarve to what we agreed and the pool is smaller than described but Gary says location-wise it's arguably better. Deborah is not taking Gary's word for this.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Drove past the school to check which saint it is. St. Andrew's. I knew it was an apostle. Told Deborah. She said Andrew's a saint not an apostle. Told her that's what I said. Neither of us is entirely sure. The blue gates are definitely right though.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

The kids wanted to come and watch the snooker with me. Told them they could if they were silent. Absolute silence. The girl lasted four minutes and asked if we could watch something else. I said no. The boy lasted six minutes and fell asleep on the dog. Acceptable.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Watching Tom Howard navigate a difficult board meeting and a complicated personal life with complete composure. That's class. That's what deck shoes and a good blazer does for a man. Made a note to look into blazers.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Parents evening at St. something. The one near the Londis. Deborah went. Apparently both kids are doing fine which I said proved my point entirely. Fresh air, don't fuss, let them get on with it. She said that wasn't quite the parenting philosophy the teachers had in mind. Agree to disagree.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Higgins versus Davis. Two hours forty minutes. Didn't move. Didn't eat. Deborah brought me a plate of something at half seven and I waved it away without looking. Some moments you just have to be present for. This was one of those moments.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Gary reckons the Portugal situation is definitely fine and the bloke has been in touch with his cousin who says the resort is nearly built. I said nearly built. Gary says structurally the hard part is done. It'll be fine.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The boy's teacher left a note saying he's been disruptive in class. Told Deborah to write back and say he gets that from her side. She didn't write that. She wrote something much more reasonable which I thought was a missed opportunity.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Howard's Way Series Two. They've got a bigger boat. Of course they have. That's what happens when you back yourself. Told the kids to go and play upstairs. The girl asked what Howard's Way was about. Told her: everything.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

The Embassy World Championship is on all week. Told Deborah I'm not to be disturbed between two and six unless it's an emergency. She asked what counts as an emergency. Told her she'd know it if she saw it. She did not look convinced.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Called the timeshare company about the Portugal fortnight. Number doesn't connect. Rang Gary at the Carpenters. Gary says the bloke is probably just on holiday. In Portugal most likely. Could be staying at the resort. Gary thinks this is a good sign.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

Watched Howard's Way again. Tom Howard built that boatyard from nothing. Nothing. A dream and a bit of capital and an absolute refusal to let Avril hold him back. Taking the Teletext off and having a proper think about my life. After the snooker.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Dropped the kids at St. Mark's. Or St. Martin's. One of the saints. It's definitely on the Farnham Road or possibly the Guildford Road. The one with the blue gates. They seemed to know where they were going which is the main thing.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Snooker's on until midnight. Told the kids they can stay up and watch if they're quiet. They fell asleep by half eight. Just me and Jimmy White now. Come on son. Don't bottle it. Some of us are living through you.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The timeshare in Portugal is absolutely going to pay off. Gary from the Carpenters knows the bloke personally. Two weeks a year in the Algarve, index-linked, transferable on death. Deborah says we paid four grand to a stranger in a pub. That's not how I'd characterise it but I take her point

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Had to pick the kids up from school. Went to St. Michael's on the Farnham Road. Turns out it's St. Matthew's on the Farnham Road. Very similar. The headmaster was quite sharp about it. I thought he was quite sharp about it.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Steve Davis. That's a man who has it sorted. Completely in control. Never panics. Potted the pink from the cushion last night without even blinking. Told the kids to be quiet during the final. They were in bed. Told them anyway.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Howard's Way is back on. Told Deborah this is exactly the life we should be working towards. A boat. The south of France. A woman called Valerie, who understands me. Deborah said I get seasick on the Isle of Wight ferry. Put another Benson on and didn't dignify that with a response.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

The boy asked why I smoke. Told him it was none of his business, then thought better of it and told him it helps Daddy think. He said his teacher says smoking kills you. Told him his teacher should mind her own business too. Lit another one.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

Checked the Teletext for the Everton score, the weather in Faro and whether my Dixons shares have moved. In that order. Cup of tea, Benson and Hedges, twenty minutes of peace. This is as good as it gets.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

That rabbit (hare?) off the Cadbury's Caramel advert is on again. Told Deborah I was nipping to the kitchen for a beer. Just standing here watching the telly from the doorway. The rabbit. Bloody hell.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

End of the month. SRi is good. Timeshare is progressing. Kids are probably fine. Deborah is Deborah. Petra is on the good chair again and I'm saying nothing. Doing my best.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Parents could have bought the council house. '79. Didn't. Maggie handed them the ladder, and they just stared at it. I said to dad the other day, 'When opportunity knocks, listen.' Poor bloke's deaf as a doorpost.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Howard's Way series two. The marina. The boat. A woman called Valerie who gets you. Currently: the SRi, Petra, and a timeshare in phase two. Progress.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Cleaned the alloys on the SRi. Boy came out and watched. Didn't say anything. But he stayed for twenty minutes. Good twenty minutes.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

Deborah bought a new cardigan from Dorothy Perkins. Burnt orange. She looked lovely actually. Didn't say that. Should probably have said that.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Met Ben from Curiosity Killed the Cat in the Feathers once. After rugby. He was shorter than you'd think. Good handshake. We talked. Not going into detail.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Put Minder on. Studied the Dennis Waterman fight sequence again. Stance is all wrong. Centre of gravity too high. I've said this before. Still saying it.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

The girl got a certificate at school. Something about effort. She showed me. I said well done and meant it. Good kid the girl. Fine.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Three pints with Dave and Mick at the Black Cat. Deborah rang the pub. The barmaid came and got me. I want it on record that I handled this with dignity.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Spotted a Cavalier GTE on the A316. Looked across. He looked across. We both knew. I had the SRi. He had the GTE. Different journeys.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Dempsey and Makepeace on ITV. Glynis Barber. No further comment. Deborah was in the room. Still no further comment.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

The boy asked me what I do at work. Explained perspex signage, the south east market, our position in it. He nodded. Good chat. Two minutes but quality.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Walked Petra past the Feathers. Gary was outside. He's heard from his bloke. Phase two is essentially done. Essentially is doing a lot of work there but alright.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Perspex order for Halfords came through. Biggest single job this quarter. Second biggest perspex signage firm in the south east. Not nothing.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Steve Davis on the telly. The man is a machine. Technically perfect. No emotion. Some say that's a flaw. I say that's discipline. Different thing.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Deborah pointed out I haven't spoken to the girl since Tuesday. I spoke to her Tuesday. She was fine.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Rang the timeshare people directly. Different voice. Said the same things as Gary's bloke but with more confidence. This is actually reassuring.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Put Brothers in Arms on after dinner. Told the boy this is what music sounds like. He went upstairs. His loss. Mark Knopfler understands me.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Petra got into the Lean Cuisine again. Ate four. Seemed fine. Possibly better than the kids on them. Not recommending this officially.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Deborah's brother came for Sunday lunch in the Quattro. Left it on the drive for two hours. Pointed at things under the bonnet. I've priced one up. Twice. Not relevant.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Took the SRi on the A3 this morning just to hear her properly. 72mph. Not speeding exactly. More like an audition. She passed.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Kim from the office organised the leaving do for Brian. Tremendous laugh, Kim. The girls all think I'm a bit of a character. Brian is leaving for personal reasons.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Had a Lean Cuisine situation. The girl didn't want hers. Supplemented with waffles. A waffle is essentially a potato. Nutritionally this is fine.

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Howard’s Dad @howardsdad1985.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Gary's bloke rang about the timeshare. Phase two nearly done. Said the same thing in March. And November. Portugal's not going anywhere. I remain confident.

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