I'm sorry: this post is rather late, I fear, and I know that there are some of you, dear Followers, who can't sleep soundly - or go to bed at all - until they've read the nightly rambling from the lodgemeister. It's just that I've been putting the world to rights with two friends, one of whom is Jewish and the other of whom is French-Canadian, and we do tend to go on a bit, not least when discussing French authors' take on the world, with especial reference to the Egyptian goings-on. Mind you, Egypt is no stranger to controversy; wasn't it they who used to punish poeple by extracting their people's brains through their nostrils, or something like that? I think it was the fiersome Mr Burton who first enlightened me about that, in a history lesson in the 1960s. It was interesting to hear the outstanding journalist (imho) John Ligne, talking this morning about how he thought that the current Middle East situation equated to that region's 'Berlin Wall' moment: personally, I'm not so sure - any more than I'm convinced that the dominant wisdom that there is no middle ground between dictatorship and fundamnetalism is correct. It's certainly a pivotal point, and we shall see. I liked the slogan 'Moslem, Christian; we're all Egyptian', though, as I'm an ardent fan of religions getting together. Ecunemism is the word that sort of covers that, but it tends only to be used for the incorporation of Christian denominations. Oh, I could go on ....

Sorry again: far too heavy for this 'ere blog that deals mainly with jammy dodgers (the biscuits, not the inmates) and fruit.

It's been Mrs C's and my half day today, it having been (Wilding, eat your heart out. Sorry, Wilding, extract your heart), so we went for a very agreeable walk at Yarnton, after having tried unsuccessfully to re-tax my scooter - a long story, and one that I can't really cause to be interesting in any way. Thence to and with (gosh, accusative and ablative all in one!) my friends for the above-mentioned discussion at the staff room annexe,(Joe's wine bar in Summertown, for those new to all this in-house terminology) back for a brilliant episode of Holby (although Mr Malick is perhaps a little bit of a caricature - and a hyperbolic one at that) and now .....

to bed.

Goodnight.