Niccolò knew. Sadly Kier doesn’t seem to.

All of our advisers are busy speaking to other customers... *we have sacked as many people as we can get away with and put the savings into our executive team bonus pot

We are floating the removal of the ONLY tax break on cycles. (Yes, it’s imperfect, yes it misses out the chunk of population that don’t pay income tax). We are definitely not going to restore the fuel tax on petrol to where it should be. Remind me again why I voted for you?

Tonight’s experiment is a cod and prawn risotto. With asparagus, chilli, red pepper and saffron. And a cremant.

On this day, 7 years ago, I was in the Paris archive looking for PhD related stuff. Always willing to be diverted though. Here is the exact time in 1848 when what is now La Roche sur Yon stopped being “Bourbon-Vendée” and reverted to its Republican name of “Napoléon”.

@cyclestortford.bsky.social @bencrystall.bsky.social Walking on South/Potter/Market St in Bishop’s Stortford never fails to make me think of “before” photos from any number of European towns. Time for change.

On days when you’re feeling low and it’s too wet to even think about a bike ride to blow it away…make comfort food and drink red wine.

Does old age free one from such petty considerations of vanity or self-esteem, as the mind gradually distances itself from the devices and desires of the flesh? P D James. A dreary dull day. Under the blanket. Black dog sitting menacingly just out sight.

We can’t afford to do what every other country did years ago for our railways, but people need to drive their kids to school in a tank

Ridiculously warm in Essex still. Way too many layers!

So here we have the Farage/Reform & Rupert Lowe-Life weeping abscess racist lie burst👇🏼 Eight WHITE child sex offenders jailed for 100 years.. but their victims don’t matter to the far right wing, only victims of brown offenders matter for their agenda All victims suffered same horrendous trauma❗️🤷🏼‍♂️

Well well. Can France beat 14 and the bench in the second half?

Missus is out singing the Beethoven 9 with an impromptu choir and the Hertford symphonia. So I have had a day of rugby snacks. And this. This is dinner. Boat pushed firmly out.

So 3/4 home wins. England not perfect but have learned to play in the last quarter. Now the big one. Allez les bleus 🇫🇷

Still pacing myself…

Amazing game of #rugby in Edinburgh. Really thought the Scots would pull that off. The next two have a lot to live up to.

Half time in Scotland game. Pacing myself.

Is there a “best looking ref on the international circuit” competition?

Is there a better Saturday afternoon in from if the rugby sandwich?

Five home wins in the #rugby today? Ireland (by a lot) Scotland (a point either way) England (in the last 10 minutes) Italy (by 5) France (a point or two)

And here it is… Have a lovely evening.

I wish I could give you something original tonight. At least the wine - a Rousanne-Marsanne from Chile has never been on here before. Fish pie Friday.

Ah. You want to know more about THE BOOK do you? Well here it is. A first edition presented by the author to King Louis XVIII on his restoration and Napoleon’s first exile in 1814. And a picture of the lady herself looking very counter-revolutionary.

Dinner tonight was at Le Garrick in that London. In the lovely company of D2 and her young man. Perfect.

And here’s why it’ll be a lot less fun. The key text in the de La R story is the memoir written by his sister-in-law. The version everyone knows says: Henri was a reluctant leader, dragged to command by his loyal peasants, his dad would have been better, but anyway…

Inspired by @willpooley.bsky.social post this morning about AI in undergrad history teaching, I thought “what about post grad research?” When I did my first history degree - in the 1970s - almost nothing, including archives and library catalogues, was digitised. When I came back after 40 years…

Soup in progress

Soup two days in a row, you say? Well it’s almost winter and this IS my mother’s legacy soup. So, yes, soup tonight.

Fascinating that the best one day side in the country and one that regularly comes in the top 3 in cc #cricket have the sum total of one England contracted players. And Bashir is the third (maybe fourth now) choice spinner at that county.

Cars the U.K are up to 55% larger today than they were in the 1970s and there are twice the number of motors on our roads as there were 30 years ago, but anti-Low Traffic Neighbourhood and anti-cycle lane campaigners keep claiming they 'cause congestion'. Okay.

To think of this man In his hospital bed, Watching the hate-filled racism oozing across the media, Talk of 'Britishness', and panning 'immigrants', demanding the race of the attacker be revealed, Never once demanding the ethnicity of the brave man who saved dozens of lives #SamirZitouni

Do you think I should hide my Republican views slightly better?

Phew. I have to go there twice in the next week. So glad I don’t have to dig out the old stab vest after all.

Don’t throw away the stalks from the asparagus spears. Or the bones from the roast chicken. Bone stock (an onion, a carrot), some potatoes and asparagus, splash of single cream at the end. Enjoy.

I read that pensioners, young people, income tax payers, council tax payers and immigrants will all be worse off if Reform take power. So that leaves the incredibly rich, the racists and the insane as their core vote then. No change.

History. Famously responsible for not forgiving. Historians, what have you forgiven? (Eventually, I forgave the senior archivist who allowed the papers of Senator Henri de La R to be sold to a private collector).

Roast dinner anyone?

Facebook doing its thing locally. Colonist class is a new one though. Have to admit that I’d always associated “colon” with “pieds-noirs”.

“Selma van de Perre, a valiant Jewish secretary who during World War II covertly transported suitcases bulging with cash, seditious newsletters, identity cards and ration books to Dutch resistance agents, even penetrating Nazi headquarters in Paris, died on Oct. 20 in London. She was 103.”

Tonight’s entertainment is from Rossini. I’m told it’s not small and it’s definitely not solemn. So I’m looking forward to it!

God save the former Prince.

Just seen the Audi advert. Is this where the carists have got to? “Buy our car, you can sit still in it and decide whether to have more or less light, while you sing about moving”. Or you can by a bicycle and actually move. In the light.

Looking forward immensely to watching #ENGvAUS #rugby afternoon. Not so much #ENGvAUS #cricket later in the month.

Scientists from the University of the Basque Country have discovered a groundbreaking molecule, WIN55.212-2, that reverses early cognitive damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

I have no recollection of ever signing up for Academia. It regularly tells me that 4 whole people have seen my paper on Vendée memorials (which presumably they ripped off from the OUP open access site). If AI is as powerful as some say then I’ll have a flood of new readers begging me for more.

All hallows eve soup. No pumpkins were harmed in the making of this dinner.

One of the JSO protesters is a local man, so the Indie ran a story about it. Flushed out a “where are the people protesting about roundabout painting?” twat. I’m sure he’ll be pleased to see a jury of good British folk completely exonerated them.

Have I covered all the essential payday food groups?

What a brilliant thread - and the article is beautifully written, approachable and compelling. Thank you for sharing.