Extraordinary that anyone other than Trump himself would consider him a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. But politics is politics - so now they need to come up with a special prize, just for him. I propose the "Tresleiv award" 🤔

Nice supporting words about the pressures on Lamine Yamal to play before he's fully fit - from Marc Cucurella, or to give him his full name: "Cu-cu-cu-cu-rella, se come una paella" 🙂

With "rare earths" in the news, it's possible some of us have forgotten what they are. So here is the complete catalogue from Tom Lehrer - including as a bonus all the everyday elements as well. You won't go far wrong with this by your side. www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2cf...

The surprise in Jenrick's conference speech is not that he thinks he should pick judges, but that he went to the trouble of acquiring a wig to wave around. And it doesn't look like a cosplay prop from Temu either. It looks like a full bottom horsehair, costing thousands. Could it be he's serious? 🤔

I know nothing of Catalan theatre - but was impressed to see this series of plays being put on in <Pesillà de la Ribera> near Perpignan, a tiny village but seemingly a Catalan oasis in a French desert. A lot centres around local historian Yves Escape, who does great presentations and guided tours.

I love the way local newspapers cover these things when they've just finished and it's too late to go along. There again - it's only food; who cares about that? 🤔

Bats are nice to have, not just because they are cute and furry, but because they eat mosquitoes! But this solitary one is a mystery. It's taken to hanging out just 2m away from our luxurious and lovingly installed bat box. Ungrateful bastard 🙁

Massive demonstrations around Europe in support of Palestine, with little or no reported trouble. Meanwhile, in UK, the police are busy arresting pensioners for doing essentially the same thing. It's a great look, isn't it? 🤔

The ubiquitous picnic table is one of those classic designs that we perhaps don't appreciate enough? Perfectly evolved! Anyone could make or assemble one - even a goat (at least I think it's a goat🤔)

Prepping for our Xmas concert in Maureillas church. This year, we are smuggling in 2 English carols, notably "in the deep midwinter", my all time favourite! Here's my arrangement, with me on 7-string guitar, imitating a lute but with jazz harmonisations, plus a 1-finger organist (for legitimacy).

I despair of this Labour government. A 1-clause bill could strip Baroness Mone of her peerage and send a strong message about corruption. With PPE Medpro's few assets having apparently been siphoned off, this may the only justice we ever see. But no, Starmer will spend his day chasing reform voters.

Brits used to think that Rabes was "a French problem", unknown in UK. In reality, it's rare everywhere in Europe now - but a recent death in our local town, Perpignan, is a reminder. If you're bitten by a dog that might be carrying, then you should vaccinate early. And if you're anti-vax, good luck!

With Tony Blair bidding to join the Gaza 'peace squad', I was remembering a detail in his Iraq adventure. Remarkably, UK law did not require a HoC vote before going to war! He had one anyway, knowing it would pass with his 2/3 majority. He then blocked a bill that would have made the vote mandatory.

First time I've seen Montpellier Sud de France, the parkway station built just 7 years ago. A lovely luminous concourse, supplemented rather surprisingly by a large outdoor terrace with views across suburban friche and tram tracks to ... IKEA. What more could you ask for? 🤔

La Grande Motte, outside Montpellier. An architectural phenomenon in 1950-something. Rather tacky today.

Cop attacks a protester, unprovoked, arrests him, then brings charges for assault. A video exposes the cop's lies! The cop keeps his job, but gets a fine of EUR 500 plus small damages to the protester. Not enough in my book - but can you even imagine a cop being sanctioned for this in the USA?

I'm a truly terrible gardener. This sad specimen is a Chinese "Kaki Hana Fuyu", famed for its succulent & non-astringent fruit. It has sat in the ground sulking for 10 years, doing absolutely nothing. Then suddenly, we have ONE fruit! The manual tells me I should "harvest" it around Oct 27th. Hmm..

IKEA gets its share of criticism as giant and pretty ruthless corporate. But the Alfafar branch made a lot of friends during the Valencia DANA floods by opening its 900-space elevated car park. With a similar red alert now in progress, they've done the same again. Credit where it's due!

Headlines concerning "port stops" under UK Terrorism legislation - which allows warrantless seizing of devices and 9 hours interrogation without a lawyer. In Gill's case, it led to a conviction, but not for "terrorism". 70% of stops are reportedly for BAME people. Is the power being used correctly?

They’re the same party. Literally. It’s the same Companies House listing So that clears up the “oh it’s a different party” nonsense👍🏼 7/14

Lunch at La Punxa, l'Escala - a basic but nice little seafront restaurant. A linguistic curiosity: ^ Punxa(cat) = punta(es) = pointe(fr) · Pun(cat) = punto(es) = point(fr) We tend to call both of these POINT in English, but they're quite different. 'Tip' vs 'dot' 🤔

UK is an outlier in not having ID cards. The subject has been debated over decades, with persistent reservations around civil liberties and govt/police abuse. Then Starmer, after 10 mins thought, realises he can score some anti-immigration points over Reform. Job done. Government is easy, isn't it?

So presidents don't have absolute immunity in countries outside the US ? 🤔

Match night tonight, with Barça playing newly promoted Oviedo - a club that faced bankruptcy a decade or so back, but have made a fine comeback. London fans can watch the match live from their new hangout in Covent Garden. I just get to watch it on TV (usually in Spanish, can't get Catalan here!)

Me, I wouldn't give you 10c for an ES-355! Archtop bodies make sense in violins, which are super-excited by the bow and need calming. But guitars are plucked - so the sound is a "plop", which they then remedy via a solid plank! The bridge also lacks individual string height adjustment. Crap design!🤔

Apple occasionally acts decently, eg when opposing government attempts to spy on its users - but otherwise has a long history of anti-competitive behaviour, deliberately blocking inter-operation with rivals. The headphones saga is just one tiny example. This latest volley is quite predictable.

Guitarists are never happy with their sound, so of course my first job with this Ibanez 7-string is to hack out the horrid piezo UST and fit a pukka wood-sound pickup (Schatten HFN). It's a "blind fit" inside the guitar, so I made up a special tool. The big yellow❓captures how I feel about this 🤔

"Prior Art", surely? 🤔

Nothing to do with RFK Jr's quackery, but note that Tylenol equivalents (notably Paracetamol/Doliprane) went "behind the counter" in the EU a few years back. I gather it's just that they have an overdose risk, so need to be used sensibly. Luckily, we are sensible (unlike RFK Jr, I hear you cry)

This image (credit NPR) just about sums up the Charlie Kirk story for me. Sanctifying a podcaster whose beliefs were not remotely Christian, and would likely have been slapped down by the Archbishop of Canterbury if expressed in the UK. And that cross, on Walmart trolley wheels...🤔

BREAK A LEG ! Brits will all know this "good luck" message. Strangely, French, Catalan, Spanish and Portuguese share an equivalent which is basically "much shit"! 🤔 Why am I telling you this ? Well, tomorrow, Barça are home to Getafe. When Getafe say "break a leg", they actually mean "break a leg"🦿🧑‍🦽

Just wondering if the US is still at war with Agrabah? Is that one that Trump ended? 🤔

Lunch at Ca l'Enric, l'Escala, known to some Brits as "the Builder's Bum" as it's a bit of a transport cafe (but good!). EUR 15 for 3 courses, drinks extra. Then you can stroll round the town waterfronts and pay respects to the fallen tamarisk tree, sleeping on the sea wall and somehow still alive!

What a cringing 24h in UK politics. Full state honours for a convicted criminal and sex offender, a royal banquet gatecrashed by oligarchs and police suppression of perfectly legitimate protests. Creepy and sinister, yet Starmer is apparently unembarrassed. Yuk.

Look who came with

Downing Street does a "full poodle" & excludes an accredited Ozzie journalist at US request. Pathetic!

Detain activists for something that's clearly legal, and immediately, it's all over the media - including the Catalan press, as here! Totally counter-productive. It also adds weight to the notion that the British Police do not serve the public.

Just worked out where the glasses came from 🤔

Hermeto Pascoal will likely be remembered for his more flamboyant moments, once famously taking a piglet on stage to make squealing noises! But he also wrote delicate ballads like "Montreux" with lovely harmonisations. This vocal version by Yoko Yokoi is worth a spin. www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBQ7...

With the anti-vax movement still on the rise, this famous photo from 1901 is worth upping. 2 boys, both aged 13. The one on the right was vaccinated in infancy, the other not vaccinated. Both were infected with smallpox from the same source on the same day.

Some of our US chums will be impressed that a UK network would considerer doing this - even though US 1A free speech protection is arguably stronger than UK's. But to put it in context, Trump told a documented ~30,600 untruths in his 1st term alone, around 21 per day. The Ch4 100 represents 0.3% 🤔

Interesting to read that the movement that finally forced an early end to the Vuelta (Spain's "Tour de France") actually started in our local town of Figueres! Small scale at first, then took off...

I understand this Belarus/Poland rail border closure is likely temporary, but isn't it a big hit for Chinese trade with the EU, via the famous cargo train (which carries BIG volumes and last year celebrated it's 100,000th journey). This puts useful pressure on Russia, presumably?

What a lovely idea: convert the flags of St George into slices of Battenburg cake! Most people are pro-cake, surely?

To me, recent events highlight the absurdity of UK's anti-terrorism laws. Remember the 2013 "port stop" of David Miranda, suspected only of carrying embarrassing documents, yet detained for 9 hours with no lawyer allowed? Yet Musk can make a speech advocating violent rebellion without consequence?

Glad this is all cleared up 🤔

Once the Helldive2 subreddit has been lost in the sediment of history, who on earth will make sense of Tyler Robinson's bullet inscriptions ? Sounds like a job for a future Yuri Knorozov, the Mayan script genius, in collaboration with his cat of course 🤔

We lunched in Montblanc once - a nice little town with its mediaeval walls largely intact. The name is a curiosity: it looks French but is obviously Catalan - and "blanc" does not mean snow-capped (at altitude 350m!) but rather 'free from vegetation'. (OK, I'll see myself out 😐)

I have to smile at this. When 'metrication' came to UK, I remember wanting to buy some brass rod. Previously you could buy a 'foot' which was 30.48 cm. Now sellers were offering a 'metric foot', which was 30 cm. 4.8mm less, but at the same price obviously 🙂

Denmark has chosen the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defense system over the US Patriot. Massive win for Paris and first clear consequence of Trump's European policy on arms sales. www.fmn.dk/da/nyheder/2...