Caroline D'Arcy

@HennieInglis @OldRoberts953 Yes I remember that one. It was a jaw dropper

@OldRoberts953 If I remember correctly from one of her columns she described being pregnant for the third time [having had two children] having her abortion was of on a par with deciding the work tops for her North London pad.

July 2024. “It’s almost as if Keir Starmer has hired … the best people for the job, rather than just someone’s wife or a mate from school,” said my friend, sounding palpably aroused. “I think he has a lot of really full box files with ‘DETAILED PLANS’ written on them,” said another, before excusing herself from the group chat. She didn’t say why she had to excuse herself — but we knew.”

I know I’ve posted this before but no apologies for posting it again because we all need a laugh at the moment, and also a gottle of gear

And in Caroline’s week of watching stuff on telly, Unbelievable on Netflix is both horrifying and compulsive. Having Toni Collette in the cast is pretty much a guarantee of excellence.

Very much enjoying The Madison on Paramount+ and have strong desire to go and live in the wilds of beautiful Montana surrounded by handsome cowboys and Sheriffs and no politics AT ALL ever being mentioned

@PaddyBriggs @stephenpollard @spectator In 35 years of having 5 cats, between them they’ve brought in the grand total of 2 birds, plus in one case dragged a magpie through the flap and got very much the worst of it before the bird flew away with all the honours. Mice yes, lots of mice. But birds? A rarity.

@stephenpollard @spectator Lovely piece Stephen. Our twenty year old Bengal Freddie passed in away in February. Yes in his youth he brought in the occasional bird, and squirrels. But he was not a predator hunting for food. He brought us enormous joy and we miss him. 😢

Here's my @spectator column, 'What David Attenborough gets wrong about cats' spectator.com/article/what-d… Here we go again. Last February I wrote about the latest wave of ‘catphobia’ – my new word, do use it – prompted by a report (more accurately, an anti-cat rant) published by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission. The report suggested the ‘compulsory containment of cats in vulnerable areas’ and the banning of cats altogether in some new housing developments. A wave of cat hate followed. For anyone who hasn’t been brainwashed by the anti-cat mafia that dominates the media and public life, I bring bad news. The majority of this anti-cat screed was easy to swat away as the nonsense it was. As for the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission…well, who cares? But, my fellow cat lovers, we now have a very different and altogether higher-calibre adversary to contend with. I can barely bring myself to report that tonight on BBC1 the latest piece of anti-cat propaganda is to be delivered by…Sir David Attenborough. And it’s not just any old new series of his; it’s one celebrating his 100th birthday. It’s as if the anti-cat mafia has decided it’s time to explode its nuclear weapon. How are we supposed to take on Sir David Attenborough celebrating his centenary? In the documentary Secret Garden, he argues that the 9.5 million pet cats in Britain kill 55 million birds every year. He suggests – assuming that this is, by definition, a bad thing – that cats wear a bell on their collars as this ‘reduces pet cats’ hunting success by a third’. As it happens, I don’t think it’s an outrageous suggestion; my cat, Louie, wears a bell on his collar, mainly so I can hear where he is. But that’s not all. In a recent interview, the series’s producer, Bill Markham, lets rip at cats on the bizarre ground that they are too well looked after. Having so many pet cats is, he says, ‘unfair on the prey’, because ‘they’re being fed every day. There’s no limit on their population. So the normal relationship between predators and prey falls apart.’ I’m struggling to understand the logic. Like most cats, Louie does occasionally bring back a dead bird for me. But it’s very occasional – perhaps once or twice a year. That’s because he doesn’t need to kill to eat. He’s just doing what cats do once in every while for fun. But if I didn’t feed him every day, he would do what cats do because he had to – and kill many more birds. If you’re trying to reduce the number of dead birds, how is making cats more reliant on killing them a good idea? Markham also says people should keep cats indoors during the avian breeding season in April and May. It’s not too outrageous a suggestion, although if you’ve ever had to contend with a stir-crazy cat for whatever reason – recuperating after an operation, for example – then you’ll know it’s not that straightforward. My real issue with the series isn’t the specific suggestions put forward. It’s the tone and the approach that we see all the time – that cats are somehow a problem that has to be dealt with. Usually they’re contrasted with dogs – ‘man’s best friend’ in that idiotic phrase, as if they’re loyal and bright while cats are self-centred. Anyone who owns a cat (or rather is owned by a cat) will know what rubbish that is. I’ve no interest in being slobbered over by a dog that runs affectionately at anyone. But when I’ve earned a cat’s trust and affection, as with Louie, that’s something I’ll take with me to my grave. I hesitate to take issue with Sir David Attenborough, but it’s depressing how yet again cats are being portrayed as a problem. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we just celebrated the joy, the comfort and the calm that cats can bring?

These Beatles retweets -sorry but they still mesmerise me. I remember as a kid putting my ear to the gramophone to listen and being amazed. Trust me, music didn’t sound like this before. The harmonies and the sudden hair raising high bits. They sounded like aliens

@sappholives83 Bit earlier than the medieval period, but the Merlin/King Arthur trilogy by Mary Stewart is pretty much unbeatable

Can anyone recommend me a good book either about or set in medieval Europe? Alternate history, non-fiction, and historical fiction are all welcome. I get these obsessions with different historical periods, and right now I’m stuck in the Middle Ages, having already explored WWII, the USSR under Stalin and into the Kruschev thaw, the American Civil War, and the Russian revolution. I know that’s not a long list, but I’ve read fairly exhaustively on each subject over the course of three or four years. I’d appreciate any suggestions, including books written in the medieval period, provided there’s an English translation.

⁦@chathamgirl97⁩ Really made me laugh xx

Is there some boffin out there who can invent a small handheld short range signal jammer for the volume switch on the mobiles of those unbearable twats who play stuff out loud on public transport?

15 minutes into the Huw Edwards programme and already the almost constant droning background music is unbearable.

First band I ever saw live (State Cinema, Kilburn High Road, London. Forgotten the year though. I was about 8...)

Please dear pals look out for our beloved friend Bramble 🐾 he is missing in SO45 4LP He is on medication so needs to be found asap. We all miss him so much and want him back safely with his mum ❤️🏡❤️

@BriefcaseMike I find her fringe irritating. It makes my eyelashes itch.

Huge amount of positive pre-publicity across all the media for the new Claudia Winkleman chat show. So this is one of those occasions to ask X: Am I the only person in the country who finds her intensely irritating? #r4today

@MartinBrammer Exactly what I thought, spat out my coffee 😂😂😂

@GBNews23653867 @isobeloakeshitt Garth Algar’s looking well.

🚨These two left a country because they didn't like its government jailing people over social media posts... ...to live in a country who's government jails people for social media posts.

IT issues preventing inquiry atm. Due to resume circa 11.45am. In the meantime a reminder of the innocent souls murdered at the hands of an evil monster. 💔 This is what this fight and this unending pain is all about… 💔 For Grace For Barney For Ian 💔 Please RT #nottinghaminquiry 💛💚

@MartinBrammer @afneil Yeah I think you're right

@afneil The war with Iran was a stupid thing to do. And It was started to distract from the files. Every sane person knows this.

ANDREW NEIL: Starmer has picked a fight with our most important ally at a time of grave global peril and a hollowed out British military. It was a stupid thing to do. mol.im/a/15615147

@chathamgirl97 He is MORTIFIED, poor boy. But honestly every time I take a flight I get a bug, so not his fault. Yes, you do live in crazy land, made me laugh. So sorry about the snow and the power outage - just what you didn’t need. Sending love xx

@Carodarcy Your poor nephew probably felt awful giving everyone that cold! 🤧 All ok for living in crazy land here. We had a huge storm last Sunday and lost our power for four days. We are going to have a mess to clean up when all this snow melts. x

I’m decades - DECADES - late to Everybody Loves Raymond (what can I tell ya, I’ve been laid low by a hideous virus, TV my only comfort) but my god how fabulous was Doris Roberts in that show??

@Inspired_Lives Quite! 😂😂

@Carodarcy Yikes and ugh!

@chathamgirl97 Thanks Tina - my nephew flew over from Oz for my sister’s big birthday celebrations, got a cold on the plane & gave it to every single one of us! We’re all on the mend now, but it was a snorter – literally! Great birthday party though, before we all succumbed. All ok there? X

@Carodarcy I’ve never seen it! 🙀 🤣 Sorry you have a virus, hope you feel better soon. xx

@Inspired_Lives On the mend now thanks but the coughing was EPIC!

@Carodarcy Ooo be well soon dear TwitterChum x