After five lovely days in Canada, time to head home to a country where people head out into the rain and wind to paint scratty-looking red crosses on roundabouts. Yippee.

Here's a report on the Banff International String Quartet Comp, written by a five year-old for five year-olds: slippedisc.com/2025/09/they-t… And here's a more grown-up report: classical-music.com/news/poiesis-q…

Congratulations to Newcastle Utd who, in signing Yoane Wissa, have moved impressively quickly to fill the Spoilt Brat position vacated by Alexsnder Isak.

'journey'

What odds can I get on Andrea Jenkyns's 'Insomniac' being Xmas No. 1?

Happy Truss Day, everyone!

Chris Mullin hits the nail on the head here. As the Conservatives discovered, constant leadership changes do not go down well, especially when it seems like in-fighting.

If our lad does spend all his time on his phone and comes away from school with no qualifications and an inability to spell, he can always get a job writing headlines for the BBC website...

While my admiration for Max Wilkinson MP and Cheltenham Lib Dems knows no bounds, the appearance of Oxford commas in the latest newsletter is of grave concern...

Hoping for lots of goals in the Leeds vs Spurs game today. Not because I have any great affection for either side, but because every time there's a goal update on FiveLive, it stops Statman Dave's interminable drivel in its tracks...

Tomorrow, I'll be enjoying my first Latin lesson in 31 years from mary beard and others at the CheltLitFest. I never really got on with Horace while doing my degree, so hope that might change...

To prepare us all for the seasonal adjustment of the clocks going back, CrossCountry Trains kindly runs many of its trains late through October, including this morning's 8.52 from Cheltenham (40 mins late). It's those special little touches that make it such a great company.

Because the 8.52 CrossCountry Trains is now running so late, I will instead be getting the 9.32 which, because it is a CrossCountry Trains train, is also running late.

Thankfully, the CrossCountry Trains delayed train I've got on instead of the very delayed CrossCountry Trains train is standing room only, which is always a pleasure.

Trainspotter at Cheltenham Spa on his phone to his mate and getting hugely excited about the imminent arrival of the delayed CrossCountry Trains 8.52 to Bristol TM. Lord knows what he'd be like if he ever witnessed a CrossCountry train arriving on time.

Private Passions is my soundtrack to picking up Pound Jnr from pole vault training on a Sunday lunchtime. Particularly looking forward to this episode!

I guve my son a bollocking for being slow to get out of bed and being late for school too often. But then he reminds me that, after finishing A Levels, he has already been offered the position of Head of Schedules and Efficiency at CrossCountry Trains Trains. Fair play.

I'm sure that there's some sort of unlikely reason why my CrossCountry Trains train home is running 35 minutes late but, alas, the Excuses Cupboard at HQ has evidently run out of stock, so we're not being told anything.

Due to train crew availability, major disruption is expected on the Cardiff Central-Nottingham route tomorrow, as well as cancellations to afternoon services between Bristol Temple Meads-Birmingham New Street. Please check your journey before you travel crosscountrytrains.co.uk/service-updates

I think they mean 'lack of train crew availability'...