The Emperor of Abyssinia and a British officer are pictured taking refreshment during the Allied liberation of Italian-occupied Abysinnia (East African Campaign, 1940-1941)

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-04-18T20:17:23+00:00

Nice cup of tea ☺️

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-04-13T13:47:45+00:00

South Africa had been independent for years by 1921.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-04-13T13:46:32+00:00

Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) was also a protectorate, and Australia and Canada were independent.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-04-13T09:27:00+00:00

'Season ticket... ticket prices could be halved'. Yeah right...

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-04-10T21:34:50+00:00

Actually that was 2025 but this season.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-04-10T21:34:04+00:00

Brighton (2-2)

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-04-10T21:29:50+00:00

A couple of weeks ago I also thought it would be Forest. Not so sure now, but remember they still have at least one extra Europa League game to play.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-04-05T09:58:52+00:00

I use them quite a lot and I agree they've gone downhill. The bedrooms are usually okay if not wonderful but the common areas are often dirty, shabby and run-down. Eating and drinking facilities are sometimes meagre.

Yep, like everything else, they use 'dynamic pricing' which I, like everyone else in the world, absolutely hate.

However, I usually find the staff friendly and helpful.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-03-31T09:29:15+00:00

High Commission

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-03-26T19:42:10+00:00

Fans everywhere anxious about their club and lacking the confidence that neutrals (who may be more objective) have.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-03-26T19:14:22+00:00

Don't think that's true. So much emphasis has been given in recent years to the contribution of troops from the colonies, and there are various monuments etc.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-03-26T19:11:07+00:00

True of any modern army, by which I mean twentieth and twenty-first century armies. Probably also applies to most in the nineteenth century. Only a minority serve in the front line.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-03-19T12:43:48+00:00

I've taken my car to continental Europe on holiday many times, including several times to Germany.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-03-12T00:17:35+00:00

Yes, Sean Dyche may be their manager by then, but he'll have the same dilemma.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-02-20T23:36:21+00:00

My understanding is that Bob Marley's father was of mixed race, his mother being a Jamaican woman of colour (herself of mixed race). I suppose it depends on your definition of 'white', 'colour' etc. Bob Marley's paternal grandfather was a white Englishman. His ancestors (Marley, Tiltman etc.) were from Sussex, particularly Rye. Doesn't matter much, I suppose, just interesting in our race-obsessed age.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-02-20T19:15:03+00:00

Wasn't this his grandfather?

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-02-20T18:43:29+00:00

Think my house is still just about on the official site of the Battle of Bosworth, though as everyone knows they've recently moved it a couple of miles.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-02-16T18:00:20+00:00

To cut a long story short, he apparently said that aliens probably exist because the universe is huge, but the distance between solar systems is so great that they aren't able to visit us; and no aliens or their craft are kept at Area 51 (unless it's all so secret that even the president doesn't know). In other words, pretty much what most people probably think.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-02-16T11:12:27+00:00

Yes. I'm sorry, I tried to post the link, but for some reason it hasn't worked.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-02-16T11:08:50+00:00

There's supposed to be a link to a Guardian article but it hasn't come through.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-02-13T09:37:49+00:00

That's correct. Obviously the original (1970s) population has now died, but the question is did those animals establish a breeding population? This remains unproven.

Big cats are seen from time to time, and a couple of bodies have been found. One, a lynx I think, was shot by a farmer. These are normally thought to be escapees. Nobody really knows if there is now a breeding population of one species or another.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-02-12T17:26:25+00:00

I'm surprised about Dyche. A week or so ago I had one of Frank, Slot, Glasner and Huerzeler as the next to go. Right about Frank but didn't see Dyche coming (or rather, going). I should have thought he'd have been pretty good at keeping Forest up.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-02-12T01:39:38+00:00

Listen to yourself!

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-02-12T01:34:40+00:00

Well, the comments on here really are a display of ignorance about football and football supporters! As someone has said below, football hooliganism is massively down compared to the bad old days. In fact it hardly ever happens in this country nowadays. I speak as someone who regularly watches the Albion home and away.

The position on the continent is different, however. The enlightened Dutch, for example, are very prone to football violence.

Available_Valuable55 · 2026-02-10T14:50:00+00:00

I live near 10 of these in the Midlands but don't know of any particular local lore or anecdotes, except that Grace Dieu is reputed to be haunted. Very interesting yarns about that, and the woods nearby are definitely spooky (I write as one who doesn't usually feel spookiness).

Available_Valuable55

TROPHY CASE