"But Geoffrey, if the Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy, Roman nor an Empire, what is there for one to hold on to in this dark age?"

I'm sure I remember when it wasn't raining every bloody day. #whorememberscheese

⚫⚪⚫ Mini Crossword @bostonglobe ⚪⚪⚪ ⏱️ 28 seconds ⚫⚪⚫ bostonglobe.com/games/mini-crossword/

⚫⚪⚫ Mini Crossword @bostonglobe ⚪⚪⚪ ⏱️ 26 seconds ⚫⚪⚫ bostonglobe.com/games/mini-crossword/

“I’ve reviewed over 50 sticky toffee puddings” is an incredibly powerful way to begin a video

I bet Penda of Mercia wouldn't have put up with all this. #Restoretheheptarchy

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⚫⚪⚫ Mini Crossword @bostonglobe ⚪⚪⚪ ⏱️ 17 seconds ⚫⚪⚫ bostonglobe.com/games/mini-crossword/

Football just hasn’t been the same since we lost New York Jets quarterback Flash Gordon back in 1980 when our planet experienced all those weird quakes and hot hail.

"I'm not sure Geoffrey, I still feel a Game of Thrones themed restaurant just serving hearty meaty meals called 'The Old Gods and The Stew' might just be a bit too niche for the modern economy."

Dominos takeaway, couple of glasses of Grenache Blanc and Time Team on the DVD player, another wild Friday night unfolds.

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My main takeaway from this Sir Ian McKellan business is where does he buy his cardigans? His whole ensemble very smart

Winding down the evening watching the first episode of A Murder is Announced (Joan Hickson obvs), cracking stuff.

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Off to Northumberland in four weeksish time so hopefully visting Bamburgh Castle and Vindolanda wall fort , so top proper history geekery ahoy. Harrumble.

⚫⚪⚫ Mini Crossword @bostonglobe ⚪⚪⚪ ⏱️ 19 seconds ⚫⚪⚫ bostonglobe.com/games/mini-crossword/

Was listening to 'Shatter' by Maggie Rogers earlier and if I ever reach the stage where listening to music like that doesn't make me park up quickly lest I disassociate completely whilst driving, then take me out back and scrap me for parts.

Anyway watching this Mark Lawson talks to Barry Cryer episode on youtube and BC was just wonderful wasn't he?

Watching this Arena documentary about Sir Tom Stoppard, what a fascinating talented man he was. Also the casts in these adaptations of his works that they'd showed clips from, blimey.

Since some people in the replies/quotes seem to think this is real, here’s what JBP actually said that in response to.

Watching Joan Hickson in the Moving Finger and imagine being the kind of monster who would skip the opening credits.

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⚫⚪⚫ Mini Crossword @bostonglobe ⚪⚪⚪ ⏱️ 22 seconds ⚫⚪⚫ bostonglobe.com/games/mini-crossword/

Watching the Schitt's Creek finale again on Netflix for feelings based reasons.

Spent some wonderful time travelling in deep space with my dear friend @paullitchfield.bsky.social as we assimilated some Data! Make it so!

Solicitor Jonathan Harker starting to wonder if these two months he has spent in an unnatural, horrible net of gloom and mystery encompassed about with terrors that he dare not think of could have been an email.

Watching the John Candy documentary on A-Prime and 20 minutes in, it's fascinating stuff.

Amongst the great sadness of the whole affair, it's been lovely to see my instagram feed so full of warm and loving tributes to Catherine O' Hara from everyone who knew or worked with her.

Watching this Phil Spencer show on C4 about these flash New Zealand homes and some fascinating buildings. Really good getting intelligent conversation with the architects too.

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Another wild Friday night here, watched an interview with Max Adams on youtube about 8th/9th century Mercia and now classic episodes of Queer Eye with a big mug of tea. Only another 47 days of January left.

This grindcore stuff just reads like the whole affair smells of wet farts of sad joylessness and sweaty desperation.

New book day today and am diving into a re-read of Conrad's Heart of Darkness. We'll get to his pancreas of twinkly twilight later. But 15 pages in and my hat we're already dripping in period atmosphere and language as one might well expect.

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⚫⚪⚫ Mini Crossword @bostonglobe ⚪⚪⚪ ⏱️ 18 seconds ⚫⚪⚫ bostonglobe.com/games/mini-crossword/

I wouldn't mind quite as much as to how buttock clenchingly awful British railways can be if more, or indeed any effort was made to explain to passengers why trains were being delayed or cancelled.

Back to back office days in Brum this week so starting the night at the in town Wetherspoons, 2 pints and a very decent pizza for supper downstairs now back in the room navigating Freeview and my hat. I mean I hate to break it to Great!TV but I suspect those aren't new episodes of MASH.

⚫⚪⚫ Mini Crossword @bostonglobe ⚪⚪⚪ ⏱️ 15 seconds ⚫⚪⚫ bostonglobe.com/games/mini-crossword/

One hundred years ago today TV launched with Alibi running repeats of Death in Paradise, and despite owning it on DVD and having access to it on the Iplayer, my father still opted to watch it on the actual telly, commercials and all.

Watching Temple of Doom, which at times is my favourite of the Indiana Jones trilogy due its weird otherness and strangeness of setting. Also in its opening 20 minutes it captures that glamour and danger of 1930s Shanghai far more than the Mummy TOTDE manages in about thrice the time.

This is my favourite joke about Tonty Blair and Robert Burns.

Watching Frances Pryor's Britain AD again on All4 because this history like the more recent and brilliant The First Kingdom' by Max Adams, is bang in my wheelhouse. I do hope St Augustine didn't have to do a Live at The Apollo set opening with retelling that "more like angels than angles" gag.

This weekend's Dry White Wine January adventure is this South African Chenin Blanc from Majestic. Not as moustache twirlingly vibrant as the Pinot or Sauv Blanc, but very pleasant and again no pain at all going down.

⚫⚪⚫ Mini Crossword @bostonglobe ⚪⚪⚪ ⏱️ 13 seconds ⚫⚪⚫ bostonglobe.com/games/mini-crossword/

Was on one of the Hitachi high speed trains that GWR run this morning and my word, no expense spent on the seating comfort is it? Very much in the covered ironing board category.

Wet and miserable out in Bristol today but did get haircut and then lunch at Not only noodles at Clifton Down where this bowl of soy glazed chicken and rice with can of coke zero cost me £12.49 the lot, bargainous in this day and age.

"I tell you Geoffrey, I've been buying up and saving up mickles all year and the amount you need to make a minimal number of muckles is ridiculous, you ought to be able to buy them premixed. I blame that bellend Burns, I bet he used to make soup with them."

Back watching the Avengers and the evil stockbrokers have invented the killer pager, thus predicting facebook but with talk of share options.