Chris Watt

Just back from a week of sea kayaking around Ithaca, Greece. Wonderful, beautiful, restorative.

Solar eclipse videos and photos for your edification:

Bus fares capped and inflation down today, will someone please spare a thought for the poor political correspondents.

NASA Artemis 2 livestream is on the TV and I’m cracking open some whiskies from long ago travels and moments to celebrate positivity, diversity and science with humanity, for one evening in which we can briefly ignore the ignorance and stupidity of today - and appreciate the wonders we can achieve.

Eyryi national park on Saturday. Glorious

So, are the Dubai tax avoiding Expats going to pay for their repatriation flights, or are the rest of us going to cover that cost?

The narrow boat community of the Grand Union Canal stand with the people of Greenland in their efforts to maintain their rights of self determination, in the face of Tump’s imperialist threats.

Even if you are having a rough day, my advice to you is to not accept the Celtic manager job.

Taking a few days out of the London rat race. Visiting Feshiebridge and the evocative, abandoned Frank Bruce sculpture trail, which is returning to nature as he intended.

I was today years old when I realised that Gil Scott-Heron was the voiceover at the end of the Orange man Tango adverts of the late 1990s. The revolution won’t be televised but fizzy drinks will be.

The consolations of being 50 in a beautiful environment

Watching Scotland play football ages you somewhat.

Ryder cup tought. The president of the USA CHEATS at Golf. We all know it, his lackeys enable it. Can we have a president with the moral character to not have to CHEAT at golf to have a sense of self worth?

The An Teallach traverse is the most beautiful and impressive mountain day in the United Kingdom - and today was a stunning revisit after 15 plus years.

Nigel Farage looks uncomfortable as Jamie Raskin uses his opening statement to absolutely demolish him

What are people wanting to say when they put up a flag? They mean, this marks my territory. They’re saying, this is *our* England, *our* vision rules the roost here. They want their version of society to be imposed where the flags fly. It’s literally, taking ownership of the body politic.

Good evening. Abolish assylum system types. Did you have a good day? You don’t speak for me - and you never will. You failed today. The diverse and wonderful group of friends I love agree, your views are ignorant and venal, they deserve contempt, your attempt to co-opt a flag won’t succeed.

It’s okay everyone, averting the threat of nuclear armageddon due to an escalating crisis in the Middle East is safe in the hands of a senile former game show host.

Going with the Flow in Sutherland

This is like watching Manyoo versus Spurs in the Europa league final. Abject, embarrasing, but yet somehow compelling. And you wish both could lose.

In Canada on a work trip. Out at a restaurant. Server says: ‘Here’s the wine list, sorry, we don’t have the Californian Zinfandel’ - US SVP Ops responds : ‘I’m So pleased to hear that’ #internationalrelations

News websites live blogging the Conclave is the most amazingly pointless thing. Hey, here’s a chimney and some black smoke, more smoke news as we get it, meantime here’s a stunning insight that the New Pope will be head of the Catholic Church.

A bot of a wait and quite the postage cost, but it is here:

A quick visit to Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch.

A night out in Hackney! I got my far west London old person visa stamped, and they let me in. Nice to feel that they look after the elderly 45+ types. Heading home before the trendy nightlife alarm goes off.

One advantage of living in the UK is that the 🍊💩🤡 most likely hasn’t woken up before it’s Lunchtime here - and so there ought to be no fresh news madness to disturb my poached egg on sourdough. This post is sponsored by the department of lost hope.

Don’t mess with Heard Island

THE HAGGIS HAS ARRIVED. I REPEAT, HAGGIS HAS ARRIVED THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

Thinking about my Journalist friend reporting on the Inauguration for a quality UK newspaper and recalling Douglas Adam’s Electric Monk. Its on thing reading such shit, it’s another to have to process and comprehend it. I think we will have to get a session organised at the Whisky Society.

A Bhutan Society evening hearing all about Education and Hidden valleys. Politics meets Gross National Happiness meets Sustainable development in an Ask Local, think Global Big P policy framework. You could get optimistic about this stuff.

Part 98 of AI IS GOIN GREAT GONNA CHANGE THE WORLD news ( Cue the tech bros gloating when Littler wins the darts this evening ) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Scene from a misty walk in the Chilterns

In a cab from the airport. Loving the driver’s choice in music and that his display just showed he got a WhatsApp message from ‘Mum’

When Bashar Al-Assad has the inevitable unfortunate accident - falling out of a window in a penthouse flat - should that be considered a good thing (bye bye Evil Autocrat), a bad thing (Yet another Evil Autocrat escapes justice) or just one of those things that happen in Vlad’s Russia?

Charlie loves the underfloor heating

So, someone has let a Gremlin into my flat who has then hidden my winter mountain Paramo trousers somewhere very unusual, for the purposes of passing amusement. Kinda annoying when packing to head to Scotland to bag some hills.

Matt Gaetz as the United States Attorney General. That sound you heard was me in the drinks cabinet searching for the very decent single malt to go and forget all about the world for a bit, even though it's a Wednesday and I'm British. I guess I picked the wrong Wednesday to stop drinking.

When staying in Kyoto with your best Friend, may I recommend hotel anddoggy. 🐶 There’s a concept that could catch on. I wonder if they do any franchise arrangements.

This week - it’s been 6 weeks long. And I’m a white, straight male, so how do I know how it feels right now to be a minority, or a Woman? One thing I do know. That is, close friends remain excellent Friday night party hosts. Please, celebrate those people around you who make life better.

I’m in Kyoto on holiday. This is the Temple of the Dragon at Peace, also known as Ryoan-ji. The OG of Zen gardens. Take a moment to pause and contemplate the inexpressible amongst the doomscrolling.

On the Elizabeth line into London, someone siting opposite me in hiking boots, beanie, waterproof jacket, with what’s clearly a backpacking rucksack. Would like to ask where he’s been hiking but don’t want to come across as a London transport nutter so keeping quiet & avoiding eye contact.

Leadership contest AD1306: aboutmountains.substack.com/p/leadership...