Patricia Highsmith’s diary entry, 14th February 1953: ‘Valentine’s Day. It passed unnoticed.’

Numerous hipsters in SE London going about their business in Deirdre Barlow’s old specs. Stand still long enough and the world will come to you.

Ok, every train carriage now has one person on speakerphone/playing out audio or video. The battle’s lost – I (very grudgingly) accept it. But what’s it going to be like when everyone’s at it (or even 25% of people)?

Early Sunday morning run in the park: much dog.

4/10 (1, 3, 5, 6). Should have thought more about Q9.

A sorely needed element of jeopardy added to this journey to Liverpool by apparently being in the ‘life-threatening chest infections’ carriage.

Slightly shamefaced to have reached the age I have before making it here but better late etc.

6/10, plus a huge sigh of relief at getting no. 5 right.

Lot of boxing chat on the timeline suddenly.

Much more like it this week (by which I suppose I mean ‘easier’): 8/10. Could perhaps have guessed 1 but I didn’t get it or 6.

Predictive text changing “riled” to “Rolex”

8/10 after an absolutely shocking few weeks with this quiz. Didn’t know the Mr Man and couldn’t remember the name of the chancellor.

Very tempting, this!

Already too much mithering in this train carriage. Non-mithering carriages, like quiet carriages, should be an option. (By definition, they would also be quiet carriages, obviously.)

Can’t help wondering what happens during police training. At what point are new police officers introduced to this approach and told that this is what policing now is?

8/10! (Missed 6 and 9)

On this day in 1893, silent superstar Lillian Gish was born in Springfield, Ohio. In 1988, I wrote to her asking if silent films had actual dialogue written out in the scripts or if there was just a general description of what was being said. This was her remarkable reply.

THREAD! I studied Fleur Adcock’s poetry at university and liked it very much, but I had no idea about this!

I mean, fine

650-seat majority