Three Hours is a real page turner, a thriller of a book about a seige in a school. The tension in the police command room gripped me in particular. The book's perspectives on life as a refugee and the radicalisation of young men felt raw and real but I found the ending almost laughable.

Slowing sanctions on Russian oil products so that British residents can have our summer holidays is an appalling decision. Can you imagine how it sounds to Ukrainians?

Yet again, the wrong calls when under pressure. I so wanted this Government to work.

A good circular walk, starting at #Arthur'sStone, up to #MerbachHill then back via #Bredwardine, much of it following a Drovers' route. Quite a lot of chat along the way.

An enjoyable, interesting and well-attended Conversation in the Chapel with Dai Smith talking to Peter Wakelin about Raymond Williams and his biography of him, A Warrior's Tale. Abergavenny doesn't do enough to celebate Raymond Williams. Until tomorrow...

A gripping and fast-moving story, well directed and produced and with an excellent performance by Tony Turner as George Smiley. Disappointingly, however, the central performances in 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold' lacked conviction.

Of the 40,000 UK slave owners who sought compensation for their loss of income following the abolition of the slave trade, 14 were from Monmouthshire and three from Abergavenny. Facts from another fascinating lecture courtesy of Abergavenny Local History Society. The lecturer was Roger Evans.

Rembrandt's house provided great incite into his life and character - a difficult man at best. The audio commentary was perfectly judged and the interpretative material explaining how Rembrandt painted was fascinating. Even the member of staff in the shop was great fan!

Yet more art in Amsterdam, this time at the Stedilijk Museum for modern and contemporary art. Some was outstanding but I doubt whether it will all stand the test of time. Either way, the galleries provoked emotion and much thinking. And I came out feeling much better than at the start of the day.

The #Rijksmuseum, #Amsterdam. In seven hours, we covered two floors out of four and 150 out of a thousand years of Dutch art. At times it wasn't so very different from scrolling on your phone.

Visiting the house where Anne Frank wrote her diaries was as upsetting as it should be. I am confident that visitors find the actions of the Nazis horrifying, unjustifiable and inexplicable - never to be repeated. Yet, two days ago, there was an attack on a Jewish school in Amsterdam.

Vincent van Gogh. The Amsterdam museum in his name tells his story as a painter. And helps you imagine his passion.

Nick Clegg's time as Deputy Prime Minister and when working at Meta may be controversial, but his experience is unique. It qualifies him to write about the future of the internet Realpolitik is the watchword but Clegg writes optimistically.

"Not derelection but history. Not shame but pride." Peter Wakelin concluded his talk about how #Blaenavon became a #WorldHeritageSite emotionally and with a tear. Another great event from the #Abergavenny Local History Society enjoyed by more than a hundred of us.

Reform in Wales has pledged that "museums must display history chronologically." I'm excited to know how the buildings at St Fagans will be re-arranged.

Five blokes walk into a bar carrying a book called Flesh. It's not a dirty joke but how our book club started - uncomfortably - this week. The Booker Prize winning book, by David Szalay, got the thumbs up.

The National Trust's Chartwell is a very enjoyable and stimulating day out. Sadly though, the interpretation and presentation of Churchill's life was more of a hagiography without reference to his political controversies, drinking or depression. None-the-less, highly recommended.

From 2000BC to the present day, from every continent and from the tiny to the enormous, the Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts presents an extraordinary collection of art. Curated to juxtapose cultures and eras, what comes across is a common humanity and a common inspiration in what we see.

My kind of pub. There are old copies of Hansard to browse over a pint.

The 1902 plans for the Newport Transporter Bridge placed it in Angleterre, as Monmouthshire was then. It was designed by a French engineer and, despite the total absence of hard hats and hi-viz jackets on the people doing dangerous work, not a single life was lost in its construction.

The Book Club gave it a thumbs up. The Place of Tides is a beautifully written book about strong women in a patriarchal world and the value of old ways of living battling against the economics of a modern world.

With a performance of Prince otherwise known as the Prince of Denmark, the #NationalTheatreLive #Hamlet was stylish and thoroughly enjoyable. I only wish that I'd watched it before seeing #Hamnet with an N at the cinema.

"He Banged The Leather for Goal" is the title of the first recorded football chant. It was written specially for Wolverhampton Wanderers fans by Edward Elgar no less. Elgar used to ride his bike from Worcester to Wolverhampton and back to see his side. From 'We Lose Every Week' by Andrew Lawn.

With another #BigGardenBirdWatch completed, I can report that we saw one blackbird, one blue tit, two house sparrows, one robin, three woodpigeons, three crows and a common gull. There were fewer tits around this year. Perhaps they've been eaten by our tawney owls.

Brooklyn Beckham's "feud" with his parents attracted 44.2 million plays on #TikTok yesterday compared to just 12.8 million for Trump's proposal to buy #Greenland. That statistic, from the excellent Fenimore Harper Daily News Briefing, tells you all you need to know about young people's interests.

You won't see a better table tennis heist movie but the film #MartySupreme presents the same overconfident swagger as its lead character. Despite its fast-moving plot and fast-talking dialogue, by the second half I found myself un-invested in any of the characters.

Another excellent talk at Abergavenny Local History Society. Simon Maddison described the evidence for a Roman bridge at Chepstow. The archeology involved wallowing in mud for the couple of hours available at low tide together with carbon dating, tree ring dating and Lidar, using light rays.

This interview of Fiona Hill by @meganjgibson.bsky.social is excellent and full of insight and zingers such as this on whether Trump is driven by his legacy www.newstatesman.com/internationa...

Swansea City 2 West Bromwich Albion 2 (6-5 on penalties). Very unusually, I watched the game from the first row rather than the back of the stand. The perceived faster pace and congested space add to the excitement. I have no idea how managers follow the game from the touchline.

As the credits rolled, nobody in the cinema moved. That was the emotional punch of #Hamnet - an extraordinary film with an astonishing performance from Jesse Buckley. If I woz more cleverer I'd have understood a lot more than I did. None-the-less it still gripped me and generated a tear or two.

Terry Yorath was one of my early heroes when he played in the great Leeds side and for Wales. I loved the fact that he wasn't one of the glamour stars and had to fight hard for his place at Leeds. He then had to deal with terrible tragedy. So sad. RIP.

After nearly 40 years living here it was time to see a film at the oldest film club in Wales, Abergavenny's no less. Santosh was both gripping and repulsive, telling the story of a corrupt and violent police force. The film captured conflict and tensions brilliantly.

Very different from the film - it's only really the idea which survived - it was brave to write #TheZoneOfInterest but it doesn't quite come off. A dark comedy about the management of a concentration camp, the book generates uncomfortable laughter but loses its way a bit.

Great story-telling alongside the usual stunning film, I'm sure Wild London will do no end of good in encouraging wildlife back. www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002hzg7 via @bbciplayer

The second day of the year and we climbed another mountain, this time a little higher to the top of The Sugar Loaf. If we carry on like this, we'll have conquered Everest by December.

Great quote: “The war in Ukraine did not start with weapons. It started with disinformation, propaganda and lies that prepared the ground for violence. “Disinformation must be challenged early, strongly and clearly, because hate spreads faster than facts." www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Preposterous but very watchable. #TheNightManager

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda from the top of a blowy Blorenge. It's the first day of a new year and the first time the wind has ever blown a woolly hat off my head!

The BBC's decision to downgrade Ukrainecast is highly regrettable. We could do with some of its analysis right now following recent developments but there's nothing despite promises to broadcast when there's significant news.

A play about alcoholism, organised religion, honesty and trust, The Fifth Step was both very funny and completely absorbing with subtlety and twists in the fast and furious script. Jack Lowden was mesmerising from beginning to end but Martin Freeman was not to be overshadowed.

A story of war, geo-politics, the desperation and exploitation of refugees, mercenaries, resistance...and love. 'Casablanca...A Live Radio Play' Live in the Theatre was an original, energetic and thoroughly enjoyable production by the Lighthouse Theatre Company. Go and see it.

Chris Patten's First Confession is an engaging account of an impressive career in public service. His adult lifetime has coincided, through little of his own fault, with the right-ward drift and possible destruction of the Conservative Party.

A Bookish day ended with Sebastian Faulks coming to Abergavenny to talk about his memoir, Fires Which Burned Brightly. He had a lovely voice and spoke with reason and humour about his life and books. He remembers has plenty more writing in him.

The BBC's international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, came to the finest hotel in Abergavenny to talk about her book, The Finest Hotel in Kabul. It looks at Afghanistan and its different governing regimes through the eyes of the staff working there.

To Hay again for the second day of the winter festival. We heard Vlatko Vedral and Paul Davies talk to Caroline Steel about quantum physics. Don't think for a minute that I understood what I heard but my learning points were:

Nick Clegg discussing 'How to Save the Internet' in Hay: * Soc med is not all the same * Little hope of AI governance system covering China & USA *Silicon valley tech bros will agree regulation is in their interest * UK needs to build AI co.s with Europe

I've not read this yet but it looks useful.

A story of a Basque family, the Spanish civil war and the consequences of the horrific bombing of Guernica. It was a page-turner which ran out of steam and left me feeling dissatisfied. I wanted to understand more about Basque culture and the politics of the civil war.

I cried! But that shouldn't put you off seeing I Swear. A film about ignorance and understanding, cruelty and kindness, it's very well written, acted and directed.