New high jump record when a spider masquerading as ‘Scott of the Antarctic’, complete with balaclava, was inadvertently crawling inside the sleeve of the better half!

"The objective test of whether there is to be peace or war will be whether the borderland between Russia & the Atlantic states is settled by consent or by pressure,dictation and diplomatic violence" Looks like lot of pressure/dictation Shield of the Republic 1943 - Walt Lippman

One of my fav Falklands phots fm 7 years ago today - discussing the Argentinan invasion at Yorke Bay from a stand at Gypsy Cove. 5 mins later the weather was beautiful!

Well, Tolstoy did tell us that the 2 greatest warriors are ‘time’ and ‘patience’. 198,000th in the queue for Bayeux Tapestry tickets…

“There are decades when nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen” Attributed to Lenin, but may as well in geo-political terms have been Trump…l

One of the most powerful post-WW2 speeches was by Ronald Reagan delivered at the Ranger memorial at Pointe du Hoc on 6 June 1984. A values led America

Well, the Sanctioning Russia Act 2026 never got out of the blocks.

My favourite leadership quote is “the capacity & will to rally men & women to a common purpose, and the character that inspires confidence” (Montgomery). No contest.

I want a just and better peace for Ukraine. I think it’s clear what Trump wants. We used to talk of 3 planning interrogatives: - what have we got to do. - how are we going to do it. - how will it be commanded and controlled. The third looks musky dodgy today.

Without history there is no legacy, without a legacy there is no history. Heroes of the Merville Battery on D Day. One WW2 vet still alive aged 102 (too frail to attend).

The Dec 25 US National Security Strategy stated “the US was committed to UKR’s survival as a viable state, but prioritised improving relations with Moscow as ending the war is a core US interest to re-establish strategic stability with Russia” Farewell Sanctioning Russia act?

The US potentially ‘live-streaming’ a public execution reminded me that the last public hanging in Britain took place outside Newgate on 26 May 1868 - 3 days before the Capital Punishment Amendment Act forbade public hangings.

The talk of ‘Britannia Shield’ took me back to thinking of the picture of the Bloodhound AD system in this classic book that was in every school library in the 60s and early 70s!

Terrorism arrest stats in the year to Mar 26 show: - 94% of arrests are of Br/Br dual nationality. -Of the 273 in custody, 219 have British as their nationality whilst there are: 8 from Iraq (3%). 5 from Iran (2%).

Whilst you all search for legal, investigational or situational certainty surrounding RAF Fairford, this, from Jul 21, may be nearer the mark. (From the excellent ‘Plotters’ by Lizzie Dearden)

The Terrorism report fm Europol for 2026 reflects that the number of low complexity atks (bladed wpn, VaW) may reflect ltd op experience or the absence of a network that provides resources or ideological or op guidance. RAF Fairford is vastly different than that.

A 400m cord an at RAF Fairford tells you that any devices were in a van(s) and the safety distances. It doesn’t have to mean a VBIED - hence the stripped men because of potential for SVIED

Fol the battle of Arnhem, the survivors of 1st AB Division paraded at St Wulfram's Grantham: the centre of where the Div had been based. When the last member of @2PARA_HQ from WW2 died, their standard was laid up the same church. It is now mounted on a wall with an inscriptiion

Amidst the drumbeat of war, I always return to the historian of my youth that "nothing is inevitable until it happens, and that the 'concert of Europe' and the balance of power were what kept the long c19th peace. When those failed...

Fantastic Arnhem story of the non para @ArmyCatering chef who jumped with @2PARA_HQ as told by Ron Holt who, post war, founded the PARA2 Club that met yearly at Stoke Rochford. Horizontal cohesion at its best! @TheParachuteReg