#GordonBrown The best Prime Minister we never realised we had.

Today I had lunch with my baby brother (also with my wife & Sister-in-law); what’s so strange? I hear you ask, well it was to mark him & his wife starting their retirement, so now all 4 of are retired; it only seems a few years ago he started in the infants!

My wife is on the phone to our daughter, they have been speaking for around 45 mins; yesterday my daughter spent the afternoon with us; what the hell do they have left to say?

What mug/cup are you drinking your tea/coffee from. This is mine 👇 My church (direct descendant of the non-conformists of the 17th century) ordained the rev Constance Coleman on 17th September 1917, the first of the major denominations to ordain a woman.

Sound on. youtu.be/oU7LOpQFOPQ?...

Brave decisions of individuals often don't make headlines. That doesn't mean they're unimportant. Photographer John Abernathy was tackled by ICE for taking photos & tossed his camera to a colleague to make sure it wouldn't be confiscated. Pierre Lavie captured the moment. #GoodMorning, everyone.

Sound on! #DefundIce

Good news on the dinner front! Rummaging in the freezer I found the shin of beef I bought before Christmas. I LOVE shin of beef.

What are you listening to / watching? I’m listening to the Threepenny Opera staring Lotte Lenya. Interesting fact many years after recording the Threepenny Opera Lotte Lenya stared as Colonel Rosa Klebb in the James Bond film From Russia With Love.

If there isn’t a brand of toilet paper with Trump’s face on every sheet, why not?

Board of Peace It smells like a scam, I bet its money ends up in the bank accounts of the Trump family.

I’m home alone & although I normally cook our evening meal, of late, being on my own I have had attacks of CBA. Tonight I gently softened 1/2 a leek, some chard and garlic, stirred through some chickpeas and a squeeze of lemon. I really enjoyed it.

My wife is visiting her Mum on the north coast of Sutherland. The sky is wild tonight.

Baby rescued from burning car. Check out the rescuer. Judge people by their actions and not appearance. www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

🎩📚♠️🎩📚♠️🎩📚♠️ This is ‘the day job’ ~ amazing how many parallels there are between 1860s Victorian London and London today ~ dodgy MPs, rich scammers, political shenanigans, oppressed working classes … it was all there. #history

I think the White House badly underestimates the strength of the pan-European folk memory of 1930s appeasement, and how deep it still cuts. I suppose this is what happens when you learn in school that WW2 started in 1941 in Hawaii.

#Reform #Jenrick #Cockroaches

Re Trump & Greenland Dear Greenland find a 1 lb rock, polish it,etch it with “Greenland, a gift for Donald, the best of Presidents” and send it to Trump. Problem solved. #Greenland #Trump #ToddlerPolitics

My granddaughter (4) drew my wife & me a card. For background her mum (my daughter) made His & Her cats in formal dress to top her wedding cake & this was the inspiration for my granddaughter. The writing is 100% my granddaughter.

Over the last 2 weeks we have been teaching my 4 year old granddaughter to play snap, at first when a pair shows we have prompted her with “snaaaaaaa…”, but just now she beat me fair and square.

My wife, her sister, respective spouses, children & grandchildren met up, my wife’s aunt and cousin also came, Helen (in the wheelchair) will be 101 in a fortnight’s time, Freddie will be 1 in February. I’m 3rd from left in rear row.

My granddaughter, aged 4, is busy doing sums using a set of cuisenaire rods.

I’ve just eaten my body weight in salad. #Diabetic #UltraLowCarbohydrateDiet

What just happened ... Comedy: Jamie Kaler

I’m having a John le Carré weekend, so far I’ve watched the BBC’s versions of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy & Smiley’s People and now I’ve started on A Perfect Spy all classic BBC.

I’m watching the old Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy series on iPlayer. Now I’m no spy but the characters all seem to be people I worked with when I was a young thing in the late 1970s.

Morning Femi! Just posted on Threads ….HNY big man!

Happy New Year

I’ve just completed my UK tax self assessment, a can kicked down the road since May. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that HMRC had already filled in the return with information from my various pension payers, the only people who haven’t told HMRC how much they paid me is DWP (state pension)!

@holland-tom.bsky.social I’m listening to your podcast about Emma Hamilton, as you describe her life and particularly her navigating a world of predatory men I suddenly thought I might be listening to a podcast about Christine Keeler.

So, Reform want Alaa Abd el-Fattah deported for unacceptable Tweets made years ago, despite Alaa Abd el-Fattah apologising for such Tweets. Very strangely they are silent regarding Farage’s historic antisemitism. Perhaps we should strip Farage of his British citizenship and deport him.

Watching Casablanca on BBC2 #IngridBergman #TheMostBeautifulWomanEver

I need help, I was given a gift from the Grinch - 2 odd socks. I’m 67: 1) what is the Grinch & 2) why odd socks - it seems odd and pointless. Should I be grateful or pissed off?

Today I have absolutely nothing to do.

As we are in the week before Christmas I can listen to this - my favourite Christmas Album youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Yesterday I spoke to a Ghanaian friend whose Paster FIL had recently died. We had hosted a remembrance service for him where I learnt that he had helped a remote tribe who at the time he met them went about naked. Now they wear clothes & are part of the modern road 1/n

My elderly MIL lives in a very remote village in Scotland, her local postman delivered her Xmas cards to friends in the village for free & w/o stamps. It’s initiatives like this that builds community.

Headline in today’s Guardian: Chrissie Hynde: “I pierced Johnny Rotten’s ear in a toilet“ Is this a euphemism?

Tonight I shall be travelling to Shetland accompanied by #Shetland

This is my favourite anonymous letter

Afternoon. I’m now sitting on a draughty tube train (doors are left open) at Chesham station waiting for it to depart. #FuneralRights

Up at silly O’clock as I have a funeral to attend the other side of London. I’m now sitting on the train I used to catch if I missed the train I planned to catch when working.

This is exactly what churches should be doing, calling out injustice. 📌 Lake Street Church Nativity: a bold social justice statement with ICE-like Roman soldiers, the Virgin Mary in a gas mask, baby Jesus zip-tied, Joseph on the ground, pushing viewers to think about immigration.

Watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” #ChristmasHasStarted

Donald Trump is such a twat. I don’t think I could sit in his presence and not shout out “Trump you are an idiot!”

On tonight’s trip to Shetland I shall be accompanied by a 12 year old Highland Park #Shetland

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree. Ate it.

😸💥😸💥😸💥😸 From Threads!

It seems painting roundabouts & shouting at hotels has a long history Check out around the 25th minute emea01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...