Right on cue I arrive at this quote in @iandunt.bsky.social and @dorianlynskey.bsky.social's book "Centrism". "Orwell and Camus both made the case that only a ‘United States of Europe’, preferably socialist, would have the political and economic power to stand up to Washington and Moscow."

🤔

Now young Franz he belonged to a clique About which he was not keen to speak There was old Mrs Trout Who preferred to say nowt Miss Miller and Andy Musik

A New Year present to myself via Kobo. @lilithepunk.bsky.social

Just checking the BBC 1 TV schedule and disappointed to learn that there is no Celebrity News at Ten.

How I'm walking out of 2025.

As good a reason as any to stay on Bluesky.

Plus ça change. Sigh!

I renamed my house "Guest House"; now I keep getting people knocking on the door and asking to stay.

I can sort of understand people who indulge in flagellation. They look forward eagerly to the pleasure that pain brings and then immerse themselves in it. That's the feeling I have with @chrisgrey.bsky.social's Brexit blogs.

Looking forward to next week's read at the Malaprop Book Club. I'm told it has a medical theme: From Ear to Maternity.

I've just received information from the Malaprop Medical Society about their London walk. We're to catch the Eustachian tube and meet at nearby St Pancreas.

A reminder of his reminder of his new blog post on Brexit reminders.

God tried hard to make feet that would suit And for waterfowl ones that looked cute But his large stock of webbing Very soon began ebbing And ran out when he got to the coot

A child said What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands; How could I answer the child? I do not know what it is any more than he. I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff woven. – Walt Whitman

"... th' whole worl's... in a terr...ible state o'... chassis!" – Sean O'Casey, Juno and the Paycock

Due to an admin error, we have lost our @oxfordforeurope.bsky.social account. (As you can see that account hasn’t posted for a while). So - after many attempts with the Bluesky team to regain the account - this is the new account. If you see this, please could you repost and follow back? 🙏

3 corporations in a trench coat... 😂

A management guru called Cox Spoke in jargon designed just to fox Till his staff in a state Stuffed him into a crate So he'd start to think inside the box

subversive, n. One who writes poetry under water.

I just want to write a haiku but can't be

If you've ever wondered why women need pockets.

An old friend of Samuel Pepys Said "I don't like the diary he kepys When he reads it aloud To a very large crowd He's so noisy that nobody slepys"

All my life I have been trying to improve my German. At last my German is better —but now I am old and ill and don’t have long to live. Soon I will be dead, with better German. – Lydia Davis

I see three men were charged in connection with the great Sellotape robbery, but the police couldn't make it stick.

Our church has a cockney divine Who thinks saying prayers is a pine For most of the day He refuses to pray And all he can do is compline

Anyone looking for a good EU-based cloud storage provider should take a look at Koofr.

Up betimes, and after dressing went forth into Beckenham, the morning somewhat rainy, and there stopped at @beckenhambookshop.bsky.social, where I did look over many publications, and bought one by @dannybate.bsky.social newly printed, which pleased me mightily. So home again, well contented.

Looking forward to reading my latest purchase from @beckenhambookshop.bsky.social recommended by a lovely lady I met on Eurostar.

I get home suffering from "See it. Say it. Sorted."repeated ad nauseam on the trains, open my email and find Google telling me to "See it. Select it. Search it." 😱😱😱

The philosopher Alfred J Ayer Was possessed of considerable flair In seeking to find Both God and the mind He doubted that either was there

Dial-a-Poem UK number: +44 20 4538 8429

"Then she lay on her back and gazed at the cloudless sky. Mr. Beebe, whose opinion of her rose daily, whispered to his niece that that was the proper way to behave if any little thing went wrong." – E M Forster, A Room with a View

GREAT BRITISH ROAD SIGNS Tuning fork ahead

Who at the BBC thought this would be a good colour scheme?

John Gummer telling Paddy O'Connell on BBC Radio 4 "We must recognise that water is not a cheap commodity that just comes out of the skies." No, indeed. It is a free commodity that just comes out of the skies.

delight, v. To switch off illuminations.

Happiness is getting a call from @beckenhambookshop.bsky.social telling me my "Beautiful Book" by @edithmayhall.bsky.social has arrived.

Not only Hercules. My speeches are nothing like Michael’s A friend who recites while he cycles But for gift of the gab There is one who is fab A Greek bloke whose name is Pericles

A cobbler in love once did fall With a girl in high heels and so tall “Please do marry me fast For my love it will last And I promise to give you my awl”

I'm having what I consider a sensible conversation with ChatGPT. @grahamsoult.bsky.social @dresserman.bsky.social

I'm going to make a document out of this thread* and stuff it up the jumper...I mean place it in the hand of anyone who tries to tell me what a great success Brexit has been and how it has improved their life. *With acknowledgement to Niall.

@gavinesler.bsky.social A friend has recommended Power Play and I'm looking forward to reading it. Not sure yet whether to ask for a share of the royalties or sue you for libel. 😁

as a paper boy I dated a gorgeous girl she blew me away

when I met my love I wooed her on the golf course she was won over

A nice Dorking wine to go with dinner. Cheers, all.

listless Being without the piece of paper on which one's grocery items are written.

written down the names of composers that I like it's my Chopin Liszt

the memory stick that I bought just yesterday where did I put it

Just re-watched on @talkingpicturestv.bsky.social a 1976 episode of the BBC TV drama series The Brothers about a family-owned transport firm. A quote: "It's Europe or a corner shop." How prescient!