a year is a long time in politics

Christmas isn’t over until Morrisons says it’s over.

The Winter Olympics works really well on the BBC, because, despite the broadcasting restrictions of two live streams, they pretty much *have* to show you all the stuff to fill the day. You might not get it in order, or it’s switched about the channels, but they will show it.

The athletes are loving Major Lazer in this Verona Roman amphitheatre, but it feels like their parents are waiting for them in the car park, asking each other if this is what passes for music these days.

Not going to pretend I love the result, but that’s some photo.

Great camera footage of John Noakes hurtling down the Cresta Run. That man was always up for the cup. What a guy: youtu.be/r7PzWIVwsFY?...

This USA-Canada ice-hockey final has been extremely enjoyable. Was worried it might be a terse, staccato, penalty-strewn affair, but it’s had lots of fast, open action. Great end to the games.

I know that weather forecasts at that range are a crapshoot, but the BBC local weather forecast is showing nothing but rain for the next two weeks. And it feels like we’ve only had one decent day this year.

The only people who want interviews with crying athletes straight after they’ve lost are the media. The public don’t want it. The athletes sure don’t. Leave them alone.

Congratulations to Canada in the curling.

As always every four years, big shout out to Nagano Winter Olympics 98 on the N64. Fairly confident in saying it’s the best curling experience available on the console.

The only cards in Gregor Townsend’s deck.

Not content with blowing our line-outs, we’ve now burned a decent play on a non line-out. FFS.

The greatness of that Scotland try has a hell of an ‘Annoyed Jonathan Davies’ multiplier on it.

Trying to focus on the halftime analysis during this light show in the Principality Stadium, and wondering how anyone with photosensitive epilepsy manages to go to any major sports fixture now.

It is legitimately good to see a much-improved Wales. It’s great for the tournament, and great for rugby. But none of that should take away from how honking a regression this is from Scotland. And in the space of a week.

Tactical subs 6min before half-time, 17-5 down, seem both too early and too late.

Scotland playing at the 22m line like they were 2m from the try line. Sometimes I miss the days where we were outright crap, because at least you knew what you’d be watching.

Personal taste, but I’d rather have in-vision adverts every 40 seconds than have to listen to Jonathan Davies co-commentate on a Wales fixture.

The women’s Freeski halfpipe final has been moved to tomorrow due to snow, which has also slightly (50%) scuppered the ‘Super Saturday’ narrative the BBC has been plugging all day.

I found a place in Gateshead this week called Rexys Reviews that is absolutely great and everyone should go support. It is a shop… that sells exclusively dinosaur themed things. Even the video game selection is entirely dinosaur/pre-historic related.

Will it yeah?

I need 10,000 memes of Marcus Smith’s fairly panicked look as McCloskey closed in.

BBC smashed the build-up to this game btw.

Itoje didn’t actually see that Ireland try, because he was still doing his Jeremy Paxman impression.

Get the feeling that the halftime analysis of the game is going to involve ‘Yeah, you could say that a couple of ropey referee calls have caused at least a 14pt swing, but never mind. How would YOU like to win £140k?!’

I’m struggling to believe it, but I think it might just be possible that the media have somehow talked this England rugby team up a bit too much. Huge if true.

Strongest will in the Winter Olympics owned by biathlete Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, managing to ski close behind Julia Simon, who committed over £1,000 of fraud using her card, and not giving her heels a little clip. Using the gun would probably be a bit much.

Currently watching the ice-hockey. USA in white, blue and red. Slovakia in blue, white and red. Both in blue helmets and shorts. Admittedly I am watching on an iPad from a distance…

Lost count of the number of slopes events where the BBC commentators Ed Leigh and Tim Warwood have shouted “SURELY THAT’S GOLD!!!”, and it has not been gold.

Clare Balding just dropped the fact that the Ford Cortina was named after Cortina. Reckon I could have guessed that one tbh. Though the old 60s advert of the Cortina being rallied down the bobsled slope was some good marketing youtu.be/F_XyqpD1_O4

it’s so cool everything is either a scam or designed to take away human rights or both now

I’m all for more pony and goat footage from the Winter Olympics.

Loving watching the Winter Olympics, except for the parts where this noisy ski lift goes past. Yes, I have been in the house alone all day.

Don’t mind Rob Walker on biathlon commentary, but I would like to see him introducing the athletes as well. ‘He loves a chalet - it’s Fillon Maillet!’

Was trying to read more about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on the BBC website, and accidentally ruined the Winter Olympics ski cross result for myself. I’m not saying it’s the worst thing he’s been responsible for.

Unfortunate when your name looks like something George Michael would be caught Googling in Arrested Development.

Solicitor: Okay, today's not been good for us. But it's not terminal yet. The car will drive out of here, we'll go somewhere safe & work out our strategy. I need one thing from you. There'll be a million cameras out there so whatever you do, don't look like a paedo cyborg rabbit on ketamine. Andrew:

“We aren't doing this to troll those of you who are Arsenal fans.” If you say so, lads. I’ve not got a dog in the fight, but it does feel like every Arsenal match since November has been followed by at least one ‘Will they bottle it?!’ article from the BBC. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

The enshittification will continue until morale improves.

Anyway, after the alpine events, it's back to the curling.

Ski Mountaineering (Skimo) has been a great addition to the Olympic programme. An event which features close racing and short races on a relatively small course, so it can be easily followed by viewers and spectators. Can’t want much more than that!

Somehow still seeing people bring up Italian snowboarder Roland Fischnaller's helmet with no context. He's been to seven Winter games. They're the flags of the countries that hosted. He shouldn't have put the Russian flag on there under IOC rules, but that's all it is. It's not a political stance.

I know it's easy to hate the administration as a whole, and I'm not disagreeing with that, but there must be so many people in Washington who are finding it impossible to do their job with any certainty under this sort of flailing leadership. It's genuinely whatever's in his head at any given point.

I imagine it was extremely disturbing

Still 40min to go, but Canada are certainly in a hockey game here against Czechia. Czechs 2-1 up. Good as a neutral to see Canada being challenged a bit!

Release the hounds. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/videos...

I’ve been working weird hours and dealing with a mix of stuff, and I have to be honest - my brain just wasn’t able to cope with the sentence “What pulls him home isn’t gravity, it’s prawns.” I looked at it, and my entire head shut off.

I’ve no major problem with Steve Cram’s curling commentary, but I think he should be banned from saying “kissing the stones while sliding it in.”

Best of luck to him, but it feels like a thankless task atm: www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...