∞

I enjoyed Paddington in Peru, too

Preferred it to Paddington 2, although that might just be because Paddington now reminds me so much of the dog.

A bear wearing a red hat and blue coat is hanging from a boat filled with various people journeying through a jungle river, with the text "Paddington in Peru" prominently displayed.
∞

Very much enjoyed a folkie night out with Cara Dillon last night. It was just her and her other half, Sam Lakeman, but I really liked the intimacy of that, if that’s the right word

A woman stands in front of a microphone wearing a red dress, with text above her that reads "Cara Dillon Live at Cooper Hall."
∞

There’s a nice picture of the Salisbury ‘Spoons on the cover of their latest magazine

∞

A thought that consoles me a bit, hearing about the President Elect’s various appointments

Populists don’t tend to keep things together for very long

These people will soon have fallen out spectacularly and be condemning each other as incompetent, or closet socialists, or lizard-people, or something

∞

I went to see my footballing friend Fred Fieber’s fab friezes

A brightly colored tunnel features large, vibrant butterfly murals on both walls.
∞

I feel that Christmas songs are acceptable at any time after Remembrance Day

Other opinions are available

Two people are dressed festively, with one in a Santa suit and the other in a reindeer costume, surrounded by falling snow, holding presents, and standing under the text "Last Christmas Wham!".
∞

Calling monarchs by their first names makes them seem cuddly

I’m listening to this excellent podcast episode about Anne Boleyn.

It occurs to me that part of the reason that King Henry VIII isnt always seen as the monster that he was is that we refer to our monarchs by their first names

You wouldn’t often hear a historian refer to ‘Benito’, or ‘Joseph’ or ‘Adolf’, but Henry Tudor is typically just ‘Henry’

It puts us on first name terms.

I wouldn’t compare the two, but it reminds me of the argument that people shouldn’t have called Boris Johnson just ‘Boris’, as it made him seem more mate-y and cuddly than he actually was

uk-podcasts.co.uk/podcast/h…

history extra podcast episode
∞

How to post to a test instance of micro.blog with powershell

Source the micro.blog token

$BlogToken =  $(import-csv /stuff/GeneralParameters.csv | ? parameter -eq 'BlogToken').value


$headers = @{
  "Authorization" = "Bearer $BlogToken"
}

Get details for the micro.blog

$response = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://micro.blog/micropub?q=config" -Headers $headers

This is the bit to get the uid of the test blog - mine is a fairly simple variation on the name of the main blog…as below. The URLEncode returns ‘https%3a%2f%2fmattypenny-test.micro.blog%2f’

$response | select -ExpandProperty destination
$MpDestination = [System.Web.HttpUtility]::UrlEncode("https://mattypenny-test.micro.blog/")

build the Uri to upload to

$mediaEndpoint = $response."media-endpoint"
$Uri ="${mediaEndpoint}?mp-destination=$MpDestination"

Identify the file to upload

$form = @{                                 
  file = Get-Item '/home/matty/working/spotify/images/Bethany Eve - Emerald City.png'
}

Upload it

Invoke-RestMethod -Uri $Uri  -Method Post -Headers $headers -Form $form

And….hey presto

Auto-generated description: A geometric mandala design featuring green and black shapes surrounds the text Emerald City at the center.
∞

My last four posts have been about

  • the weather,
  • the class system,
  • the football, and
  • a saucy seaside postcard

As, ironically, Chandler Bing might have said…could i BE any more English?

∞

I read or heard a thing about the British class system recently. I don’t know where but it’s stuck in my head

if you shower before work then you’re middle class, if you shower after work then you’re working class

∞

#TodayILearned that this postcard sold more copies than any other

via Paul Sinha - Paul Sinha’s Perfect Pub Quiz Series 3 South London - home to Stanleys and Georges and two of the Magnificent Seven

Seaside postcard. Nerdy bloke and attractive woman sitting under a tree - possibly think Penny and Leonard. The bloke looks up from his book. He says, Do you like Kipling? She says, I don't know I've never kippled.
∞

I have to say I prefer it when we’re 6-0 up at half time #CheArs ⚽

∞

If I’m honest, I’m quite enjoying the anti-cyclonic gloom.

UK weather England has 10th of expected sunshine amid ‘anticyclonic gloom’, Met Office says - The Guardian

∞

I enjoyed the cover of this month’s Cfcuk…I remember a similar cover featuring David Luiz

Also, nice to know that at least a couple of the Undertones are Chelsea

⚽ #ChelseaFC

A magazine cover titled "cfcuk" features multiple identical black-and-white photos of a man arranged on a soccer field layout with a picture of Cole Palmer in every position
∞

Thoughts on this evening at Chelsea Vs Noah

  • Mudryk often needs to drop 5-10 yards. He’s fast enough that he doesn’t need to be level with the right back

  • it felt a bit mean to sing ‘we want ten’…but I did want ten

  • I would sing ‘we want ten’ at the Arsenal match on Sunday

  • Nkunku looked frustrated for a lot of the match. No balloon when he scored even

  • the penalty was a bit soft

  • I thought it was funny the way the players went over to watch the VAR replay, over the referee’s shoulder

  • Joao Felix MOTM…he hates the Arsenal

  • Noah were a bit better than 8-0 really

  • the 211 to Battersea Power Station, then the Northern Line isn’t a bad way back to Waterloo, and it was pretty at night

  • we’re Top of the League

⚽ #ChelseaFC

A football match is taking place at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge stadium, with a packed crowd in attendance.
∞

The view from under the banner in the Matthew Harding Lower , #ChelseaFC ⚽

A group of people is gathered under a large blue fabric, with some reaching up towards it.
∞

We had a good night tonight but managed to miss one of the highlights

there was some light relief near the home bench. Nicolas Jackson was very pleased with himself after balancing a cup of soup on Marc Cucurella’s head.

João Félix leads the onslaught as Chelsea hammer eight past Noah - The Guardian

⚽ #ChelseaFC

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At Chelsea Vs FC Noah

The players are coming out two by two

⚽

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Like James Brown, I’ve taken it to the Bridge

Not before time tbh
⚽ #ChelseaFc

A soccer stadium is shown with people in the stands and players on the field under bright lights.
∞

I feel that, if I live long enough, the stones will turn out to have come from Antarctica, or a passing asteroid or something

Seeking a Scottish source: Updating the story of Stonehenge’s Altar Stone In CA 415, we reported on new scientific analysis suggesting that the origins of the Stonehenge Altar Stone lay hundreds of miles from Salisbury Plain, in the Orcadian Basin of north-east Scotland.

The Past - Seeking a Scottish source: Updating the story of Stonehenge’s Altar Stone