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Had a lengthy journey back from Winchester than planned yesterday.

There was a signal failure at London Waterloo, which cancelled everything there, causing us to have to get off the train at Woking.

All the staff at Woking just threw up their hands and left passengers to figure out by themselves where to go from there.

After a bit of thinking, we went back to Basingstoke, caught a train to Reading, then London Paddington, then the tube to Kings Cross, then to Cambridge, where father picked us up.

It was only on the Cambridge train that the tickets were queried and the officer had to check that the fault had occurred, because obviously London Waterloo is in a completely different world to Cambridge and they'd never heard about it. They gave up reading about it in the end because it was too long. But that felt very offensive and officious, just because we dared to use what was laughingly called first class on great northern, which included in was our original planned journey. I say laughingly because the only thing to distinguish it as first class were some white squares of material stuck on the seats with velcro that said first class.

We were home by seven pm. Should have been home by two pm.

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Wimbledon to be shown on new TV channel to end BBC's 88-year monopoly | Metro News https://metro.co.uk/2025/06/09/wimbledon-shown-new-tv-channel-end-bbcs-88-year-monopoly-23370028/?ito=article.amp.share.top.native

I don't understand the logic of this. I know tnt probably paid the BBC a lot of money to show a highlight show every evening and share the finals, not all the matches, but why would you pay £30 to watch a match with adverts every three games, except the final set, - which is what they did during Roland Garros - when you can watch it without adverts on the BBC, for the price of a TV licence, which you have to pay anyway?

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Visited Elveden hall, Suffolk today. Gorgeous house. The photos do not do it justice. Fascinating tour by Lord Iveagh. I cannot recommend it enough.

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Apparently I talk too much about tennis, according to my mother, who talks about Lewis Hamilton and F1 every single fucking day.

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Bath part 2.

Dinner at The Circus, afternoon tea at The Pump Rooms, the house enclosed which can be viewed from the Topping and company bookshop.

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Bath part 1

Côte, Sally Lunn, St Swithun's Church where Jane Austen's parents were married and her father was buried. Fanny Burney also buried here along with her sister and husband. William Wilberforce married here too. The honey cafe is an undiscovered gem, tasty food.

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Jean Marsh, another favourite, fantastic actress. She was brilliant in Fatherland. It was a small part, but she delivered it so skillfully, it was utterly stand out and memorable.

1934-2025.

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Holiday in Edinburgh, February half term.

Holyrood house, the pipers rest pub, waffle and duck restaurant, Mackintosh at the Willow afternoon tea.

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Bradford NHS trust compares risks of cousin marriage to white women having children over 34

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/12/11/cousin-marriage-like-women-having-child-over-34-nhs-trust/

Do they have any idea how unbelievably misyso gist this sounds!?!

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I don't think there is a finale episode better than adow 3 episodes 7. There's so many satisfying moments, every actor is superb. I adore Trevor Eve, his casting was a masterpiece. All the casting was good, but that choice was a touch of genius.

I wish there were more, but there's no disappointment, no wish that they could have done better or changed things.

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Sky News: Donald Trump named Time magazine's Person Of The Year

My opinion of Time Magazine has lowered considerably.

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Watched A Discovery of Witches today. I can't remember when I last watched it. It's been a while, before the summer from hell at least.

Blown away by the power of the second season as usual. The first was incredible but the second was even more so with detail, story and cinematography.

Definitely my favourite television series of all time.

I love the fact that Susie Conklin worked on this as well as P&P. There's a lovely moment in season one that reminds me of a scene from P&P. The tone and style, even if they're completely different in genre.

Dad's off work today because he has issues with his balance which is possibly flu, which we're hoping not to catch. His timing is impeccable.

Mum worked herself into a tizzy this morning about work.

At least things were civil last night.

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BBC News: Barbara Taylor Bradford, one of Britain's most successful novelists, dies aged 91

BBC News - Barbara Taylor Bradford, one of Britain's most successful novelists, dies aged 91

In memory and respect from one female author to another.

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BBC News: Actor Timothy West dies aged 90

BBC News - Actor Timothy West dies aged 90

So brilliant as Sir Leciester Dedlock, Baronet, Rex Fortescue in Miss Marple, Pocketful of Rye, Reverend Cottrell in Poirot, Halloween Party, Lewis, Waking the Dead, Last Tango in Halifax, the King in Ever After. Every role he played that I have seen is memorable because he was so good.

Sympathy for the family, and his wife, Prunella Scales.

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Remembrance

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We at the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Love and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders field.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

John McCrae

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I see the idiots are voting in America again. The stupidity both amazes me and yet doesn't surprise me.

Really ashamed to be British with Starmer in power, idiot choice again, but glad I'm not American right now.

One consolation is this is the last time. He can't have a third term.

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Holiday in Virginia Waters, to see Osterley Park, Spencer House, Marilyn exhibition, Windsor Castle and Ham House.

The house was very noisy, last minute booking, especially after mother threw a tantrum earlier in the week and father caught a cold so naturally we both have one now too. A lot of things tend to happen again with holidays, colds and tantrums are a common theme at the moment. There's the threat of a fight every evening too, especially last night.

The house has a noisy heating and water scheme that comes on very early and seems impossible to change how we want it. It's also not far from the train station and Heathrow, because Spencer House and the Marilyn exhibition required public transport.

White bed linen, bin men at 6.45 am, uncomfortable furniture, no regular TV transmission only on demand. Outrageous fines if you break rules. Smart locks and ring doorbell, which parents don't quite understand what it does and doesn't see.

Osterley was good despite the conservation scheme, though the food hall has gone downhill like all NT places.

Spencer House was really interesting although it makes you want to go to Althorp again.

The Marilyn exhibition was a little disappointing, not a lot of real items, replicas that were not really identical. The audio tour was good, but extra and the shop was expensive rubbish.

The jubilee line was busy and a frantic nightmare.

Windsor was busy, there was a queue for the Queen Mary Doll house. We spent longer in the queue than looking at the house because you couldn't linger.

The state rooms were good. The Undercroft was too busy, though a welcome addition. The shop and guides were not at all helpful, rather officious, put me off buying things. I planned on getting a lot more than a bookmark, but felt it would be better online.

St George chapel and shops felt rushed because of the need to get back to the carpark. If there hadn't been a queue for the doll house it would have been better.

It's the last day and I feel like shit because of the cold, conscious of disturbing people with blowing my nose yet I've been awake since six because of the boiler.

The tablets worked for Ham House so I was able to enjoy it, although not all the rooms were open, which was slightly disappointing. I thought that was the case in the summer because of the heat, but apparently it's a lack of guides, but then the majority of them don't do that much anyway.

The food was the usual NT fare, though I enjoyed my stew and doughnut.

The journey back avoided the M25 circular, though we got back in the dark. At one point it's like the war, with no signs or lights except those from on coming cars which are too bright.