There’s a fascinating article in today’s paper telling all fathers exactly what they need to know about daughters. But, like, who’s it for? Everyone who is a father of daughters already knows everything. And we had to learn it ‘from first principles’. And basically, if you have a daughter, or, like me and Spurs Paul and Dom, you’re ‘blessed’ with more than one, then you’ve really learned the hard way. And therefore can live without a double-page psychobabble spread in the Times validating itself by the inevitable ‘surveys and studies-have-showns’. Particularly as most of these studies took place in America. Where daughters aren’t same as here. They’re more… American, for a start. So they’re probably armed to the teeth from age of about 4. When the teeth whitening fixation starts. Though that’s not just American daughters but Osmonds too. Of any of the 5 main genders.

What the article says, reading between the 1,274 lines, is: spend time with your daughter and you will reap the rewards this side of heaven. Same as with any kid of any flavour, give them attention. They’re (little) women, FFS, they all want attention. And jewellery, cars, love, adoration and more gifts. In that order.

It said that fathers and daughters have a great relationship generally until about 12 years old (I’m guessing that’s the daughters; although in some parts of Oldham…) and then it turns to shit. Because fathers dread fear and hide from the whole female puberty thing. Well not all men. I got in touch with my inner menstrual cycle and pedalled like Bradley Wiggins on steroids right through it.

Just returned from the British Museum where we went to the see the Manga exhibition. Keeping that Japanese thing going. Since our return we’ve eaten sushi, been in a Prius, had a feng shui check on the garden and tortured some British PoWs. It’s part of our life now. So the Manga thing was just too tempting. Mel had a lesson in how to draw such things when we were in Tokyo but you don’t realise just how massive Manga is. And its not all about drawing images of sexually provocative little girls with massive eyes. It’s about stories. Manga is a comic book endeavour which started as political satire columns in newspapers and magazines. Now it embraces everything from Sci-fi and horror to love stories and kiddy tales. All illustrated so beautifully.

And we got caught up in Pride. All of central London was caught up in Pride. I was the only man not sporting a rainbow tutu and stiletto heels. And I regret it terribly.

Happy Saturday

A xxxx