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.

The Book Club verdict on CloudStreet was positive. I enjoyed it, liked getting to know the characters, laughed out loud at times and got a strong sense of the environment in post war West Australia. However, I also found it too long, unevenly paced and at times a difficult read.

A weekend in Portsmouth so we saw the rash of English flags hanging from lamp posts and in some house windows. What we also saw were Hope not Hate posters as well as other heart-warming posters, stickers and signs - many home-made - promoting kindness, welcoming refugees and opposing racism.

Good to see Adam Idah's first goal for Swansea but it wasn't enough to beat two classy Leicester goals and a freak one. It wasn't a 1 - 3 performance and we were competitive for most of the game but losing ain't fun.

Who’d have guessed? Nigel’s ‘honest, decent, honourable man’ has admitted taking Russian-linked bribes💰

If Senedd Members cannot agree a budget for Wales, shouldn't they lose more than five per cent of their own budget? www.bbc.com/news/article...

An enjoyable watch for the neutral at Swansea today but very frustrating to only get a draw. The atmosphere in the stadium was disappointingly flat too.

This is a big story - a senior Reform politician taking bribes from Russia. Doesn't this make him a traitor to the UK? www.bbc.com/news/article...

Disinformation - what's new? Paintings of south Wales iron works in the industrial revolution were often sanitised for the owners who commissioned them. One of the many facts discussed by Merthy Tydfil's, Huw Williams, in his talk to Abergavenny's history society.

To ‘ultra-crepidate’ (19th century) is to lecture others on subjects you know very little about.

Two years after being captivated by Irene Vallejo at the Hay Festival I finished her enchanting book, Papyrus, appropriately while in Rome. Highly recommended, the book will stay with me for some time. I'm sure to dip in to it and to refer to it many a time to come.

Why are the American president's claims about autism the first item on British news bulletins? He's not our president, the advice doesn't apply here and he's not presented any evidence to support his assertions. So why spread these claims? What make this the biggest story in the UK?

A general strike has been called in Italy today in support of Palestine. We're in Rome and all services seem to be running as normal. However, we have seen the second big demo in three days.

As wildlife conservation slogans go, in my opinion the whale beats the duck.

We’re proud to support National Inclusion Week 2025. This year’s theme - #NowIsTheTime - is about urgent, practical steps to embed inclusion across PR and tackle the barriers holding the industry back. Learn more about our campaign and get involved: bit.ly/3I1TWGu #CIPRinclusion

I try not to use the word hate but the experience of checking in at an airport challenges me.

Peter Mandelson used to be held up as a master of communications and presentation but this is a disaster about to play out in slow motion. If he was well advised he'd be himself proactively putting out all the bad news now, preventing the drip feed to come.

British baby dies from whooping cough as vaccination rates fall

The slide continues www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

I propose a game. What is the most unlikely internet search result? You're allowed to search on unlikely company sites like this one.

Test cricket is the most wonderful sport. In physical skill and mental strength.

We are regressing. We drink coffee as though it comes in a child's beaker - through a small hole even when served indoors.

So much for international law and the role of the UN.