Tom Duncan

Just upgraded to latest iPhone software. It asked me to retrain Siri. Half way through I wanted to grind my phone to dust. I know I have a very regional Scottish accent (rural Banffshire) but I’m sure Siri was just taking the piss. I had to repeat “Siri, play some music” eleven times. 🤬🤬🤬

Just watched Ep1 of The War Game. Was the dialogue of the main participants mostly scripted ? Or are those ex politicians really so totally unsuitable to have ever been anywhere near the levers of power ? Jim Murphy comes over so badly it’s easier to believe the makers had a vendetta against him. 😮

Nice campaign by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products. Enjoy!

Can someone preserve my sanity and explain why a heap of mouldy tat found in neglected servants areas of Buckingham Palace is on the national news ?

The smell of roasting gammon in the air this morning is sure making me hungry.

Just watched C4 news. My ears are ringing with the sound of prison cell doors slamming on Farage and his top lieutenants and it sounds so good. 🙂🙂🙂

Just finished “Careless People” by Sarah Wynn-Williams about her time working at Facebook. An entertaining book, well written, but oh my god, what a picture of a cabal of people totally bereft of even a scintilla of basic human empathy or decency.

Not much left of the £78k after he paid the electricity bill.

Vulcan XH558 engine run up. 3engines at 60% power, one at 90 %. The ear defenders were obligatory but did nothing to alleviate the stinging in my sinuses caused by the noise. 😮

Photos from yesterday’s visit to see Vulcan XH558

Just been to see The Odyssey. A terrific piece of cinema and great storytelling. I’ve been dismissive of historians complaints about the authenticity of the armour, though I can see why they were critical. I must admit that one line of dialogue intruded on my area of expertise and made me cringe. 😬

Dog lovers comment after watching The Odyssey, a movie about the horrors of war, depicting slaughter on an epic scale.

Last year, for my birthday my wife made a donation to the restoration fund for Avro Vulcan XH558 and got my name added to the fuselage. This year she bought VIP tickets to an “engine ground run experience” next month. I reckon she’s a keeper !

Keep putting one foot in front of the other 🤷‍♂️

The weather isn't the only thing making Farage sweat today 🥵

…….and counting down, three, two, one to the oligarch owned UK press rolling out their pre-prepared hit jobs on Sir Keir’s successor. ☹️

After the phenomenal success of my night fighter identity quiz, I thought I might try my hand at setting an Odd one Out quiz.

Some photos of Durham County Women in yesterday’s cracking Gill Burns division 2 final at Twickenham. www.flickr.com/gp/16645532@...

Whoop whoop, just got my Twickenham photographer’s accreditation for this Saturday’s Gill Burns County Championship Final between Durham County & Cornwall. Incredibly excited !

Today I have mostly been getting sunburned while photographing Durham County Women earning a final at Twickenham by beating Devon Women. www.flickr.com/gp/16645532@...

Durham County Women seal their place in a Gill Burns Championship (Div.2) Semi Final with a win over Cheshire. Photos of the match here. www.flickr.com/gp/16645532@...

Spent all day Sunday travelling to/from Mellish RFC to photograph Durham County Women v Notts/Lincs/Derby in the Gill Burns Championship. www.flickr.com/gp/16645532@...

Spent a drizzly Sunday afternoon photographing Durham County Women v Northumberland rugby in a friendly* match I say friendly but you should have seen the ferocity of the tackling 😮 www.flickr.com/gp/16645532@...

Off to the Gateshead Beer Festival tomorrow. Pray for me !

Photos from the Durham County All Girls Festival 2026 www.flickr.com/gp/16645532@...

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Photos from Durham v Northumberland PDG16s girls rugby. www.flickr.com/gp/16645532@...

Public Service Broadcasting with clips of the 1942 movie “Spitfire” set to their music. What’s not to like. youtu.be/_u4Md_aXVJE?...

Some U20s Women rugby photos. Durham v Yorkshire. www.flickr.com/gp/16645532@...

I see Question Time has reached its inevitable endgame. It was bound to happen.

Well, 2026 turned out to be an exceptionally entertaining Rugby Six Nations tournament.

Steeling myself for 6 nations super Saturday. Not just in the hope of the results going Scotland’s way, but for the fact I’m going to be in the pub from 14:00 until after the last match finishes at about 21:45. Going to try to pace myself to no more than 2 pints an hour.

Well that was a hell of a weekend of rugby !

🙄

Back home after a long weekend in London. So disappointed I completely missed out on the quintessential London experience. ☹️ (according to twitter) Didn’t even get mugged, stabbed or have my phone snatched once. Maybe next time 🤞😂

I’m sure I’ve seen this movie before 🤔😮

Delighted to have captured a photo of the old battleship.

Order is restored, nature is healing, the Calcutta cup is back in its rightful place.

Was in Bennett’s bar last night when the lights went out for over an hour. Nobody batted an eye, just kept drinking in the dark as if that’s a perfectly normal thing to do. Luckily the card machine kept working and a little light from the illuminated beer taps meant the staff could keep serving.

Yesterday after more than 6 weeks of hard graft I finally ate the last of the ludicrous amount of chocolate, cheese, shortbread and cake I received as Xmas gifts. The diet starts today* *or maybe tomorrow.

Every American needs to watch this:

Sorry, pardon, WHAT ? How penis injections became a Winter Olympic talking point www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articl...

I’m just over half way through S2 of “The Diplomat” on Netflix and it is just great. The dialogue is razor sharp & whip smart. The characters are engaging & believable and acted sublimely by professionals at the top of their game. I enjoyed S1 but this new series takes everything to the next level.

Honest Bob’s been caught Honest Bobbing. 😂😂😂

I ordered an item from a French supplier. I ad to pay taxes of £13 .80 before Royal Mail would deliver. Fair enough, I have no quibble with that, but I’m incensed that Royal Mail also charged me an additional £12 as a “handling” fee. What a total rip off.

Please quote this with the time you didn’t interact with someone famous. Once shared a lift in a Cardiff airport hotel with Bobby Ball, we didn’t interact. Once sat beside Paul Bettany at the US Embassy London, we didn’t interact. Once queued behind Matt Smith at Avignon station, we didn’t interact.

Festive aircraft identification quiz. Identify all four and be guided to the OoO. Reverse image search all you like, it’ll be bugger-all help. 😂

Tough day for children in the USA. US forces detected a load of un-tariffed contraband inbound to the USA and destroyed it with a missile strike. Two reindeer survived and were seen to be waving and calling for rescue but a second strike was ordered and they were taken out too. ☹️

The downside of having a bird feeder popular with goldfinches is that they are such messy eaters. All the spilled seed attracts a flock of pigeons. Luckily the pigeons eventually attract a solution to the pigeon problem.