And because I know @pineappleshark likes a good spy story. I suspect the Rest is Classified will do a series on this. It was uncovered by the NYT (and then reported in the Times) about how the Russians used Brazil to create deep cover identities. Fascinating stuff, straight out of a novel. https://archive.ph/ZAzSt is the article and worth a read.
Thank you for sharing! I watched The Americans and the Russian illegals program is just incredible. These people go out and try to forge real lives that serve as cover identities. Just amazing. If you haven't watched The Americans, you should just not with children around. It is incredibly well done. You catch yourself trying to not cheer on the spies!
The Russians are so clever with this kind of thing. I mean to dedicate your whole life to being two (or more!) people for your whole life or until your cover is blown in 5, 10, 25 years is really impressive. The sacrifice and discipline it would take to be successful is just amazing.
I watched season 1 and bits of two but I couldn’t handle the lambs dying on clarksons farm . But 4 with the pub sounds fun.
Thank goodness clarkson had money because the only thing that seemed to work for him were potatoes. He really should have filmed the councils being complete dictators. They squashed everything he tried to do.
Thank you Michelle! I’ve read a bit of history around the War of the Roses and always find it interesting the differing opinions regarding the fate of the two princes. I thought it was generally accepted the princes were not the pretenders but I may not have read enough. Richard III would have had to have been a cold SOB to kill them.
Good to hear the king and Princess Kate are out & about. We are royal fans in our house and wish them both good health.
Yes I too thought the pretenders were not supposed to be the princes. Personally I think either the Duke of Buckingham killed them on Margaret Beaufort's orders (she was quite cold and ruthlessly devoted to getting her son on the throne) or that at least one was out of the tower and died quite early on from natural causes.
It is one of those historical mysteries which will never be solved.
Margaret Beaufort had perhaps the most apt sigil of all time; a portcullis. She absolutely could have had those boys killed. She was like a machine, terrifying and somehow admirable in her relentless drive.
By the standards of English kings of the time, he was not as inclined to seek his enemies' deaths. Part of the trouble I suppose when they found someone to rally around. Henry VII was indeed a cold SOB.
If you have not watched Clarkson's Farm and can do so, watch it. It is really lovely television which highlights the plight of the farmers, the petty tyrannies of bureaucrats and just every day life in the Cotswolds.
He can be a Marmite (either you love him or hate him) gadfly, but he is very good in this.
And no, it is not great to be woken up early in the morning. I thought I had passed that stage when my lot stopped being toddlers, but there is a certain resemblance between spaniels and toddlers...
And because I know @pineappleshark likes a good spy story. I suspect the Rest is Classified will do a series on this. It was uncovered by the NYT (and then reported in the Times) about how the Russians used Brazil to create deep cover identities. Fascinating stuff, straight out of a novel. https://archive.ph/ZAzSt is the article and worth a read.
Thank you for sharing! I watched The Americans and the Russian illegals program is just incredible. These people go out and try to forge real lives that serve as cover identities. Just amazing. If you haven't watched The Americans, you should just not with children around. It is incredibly well done. You catch yourself trying to not cheer on the spies!
The Russians are so clever with this kind of thing. I mean to dedicate your whole life to being two (or more!) people for your whole life or until your cover is blown in 5, 10, 25 years is really impressive. The sacrifice and discipline it would take to be successful is just amazing.
My pleasure. I just find the whole thing really fascinating. As you say the lengths some people are willing to go to is astonishing.
I watched season 1 and bits of two but I couldn’t handle the lambs dying on clarksons farm . But 4 with the pub sounds fun.
Thank goodness clarkson had money because the only thing that seemed to work for him were potatoes. He really should have filmed the councils being complete dictators. They squashed everything he tried to do.
He did show the Council being utter dictators (maybe season 3?). He ended up changing the law because of the Councill's antics. Because his piglets died (squashed to death), he created a ring which goes in the pig igloo and helps to save piglets' lives. He won some award. https://www.pig-world.co.uk/news/better-than-a-bafta-clarksons-delight-at-national-pig-awards-win.html
It amused me that there is a magazine called Pig World btw.
The pub bits should be good.
He is certainly inventive. His beer is now sold in over a thousand pubs.
The lambs dying bothered me so I don’t think I could handle the piglets.
Thank you Michelle! I’ve read a bit of history around the War of the Roses and always find it interesting the differing opinions regarding the fate of the two princes. I thought it was generally accepted the princes were not the pretenders but I may not have read enough. Richard III would have had to have been a cold SOB to kill them.
Good to hear the king and Princess Kate are out & about. We are royal fans in our house and wish them both good health.
Yes I too thought the pretenders were not supposed to be the princes. Personally I think either the Duke of Buckingham killed them on Margaret Beaufort's orders (she was quite cold and ruthlessly devoted to getting her son on the throne) or that at least one was out of the tower and died quite early on from natural causes.
It is one of those historical mysteries which will never be solved.
I thought the Princess of Wales' dress and hat in navy blue with white trim looked very good. She made an appearance at a Buck House garden party earlier this week. It was her first since the cancer diagnosis. Again the photos show her looking lovely in butter yellow. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2025/05/20/princess-wales-buckingham-palace-garden-party-since-cancer/ or https://archive.ph/U56gh
Margaret Beaufort had perhaps the most apt sigil of all time; a portcullis. She absolutely could have had those boys killed. She was like a machine, terrifying and somehow admirable in her relentless drive.
"Richard III would have had to have been a cold SOB to kill them."
Come, now. He was the English King. Said an Irishman.
By the standards of English kings of the time, he was not as inclined to seek his enemies' deaths. Part of the trouble I suppose when they found someone to rally around. Henry VII was indeed a cold SOB.
Hello Northumberland! Good to see You this Friday.
And good to see the NPCC come through. Biological sex wins again. But I agree that the ruling doesn't go far enough if they give in to exceptions.
I hope the hormones get banned. TY for the study on detransitioners.
And TY for the article on Jeremy Clarkson. I had never heard of him.
That was interesting about the two princes.
Good luck with the Regency. And Paddy looks great, as always. Although not so great so early in the day.
And, as always, TY Michelle. Appreciate You.
If you have not watched Clarkson's Farm and can do so, watch it. It is really lovely television which highlights the plight of the farmers, the petty tyrannies of bureaucrats and just every day life in the Cotswolds.
He can be a Marmite (either you love him or hate him) gadfly, but he is very good in this.
And no, it is not great to be woken up early in the morning. I thought I had passed that stage when my lot stopped being toddlers, but there is a certain resemblance between spaniels and toddlers...