Al Walter

Happy #Caturday x.com/SlenderSherbet…

Remember you now need valid photo ID to vote in England this May. 🗳️ No ID? There's still time, don't lose your voice! You can apply for a free Voter ID Certificate by 5pm tonight. ✅

Today I have cleaned up a rather beautiful autochrome study of a windmill at sunset - taken in colour about 116 years ago - by the Belgian painter and photographer Alfonse Van Besten (1865–1926). It is an early colour glass-plate process and not colourised.

@RoyalFamily Interesting that this tweet begins "On advice of His Majesty's Government..." unlike tweets about other state visits. The King subtly distancing himself from a decision not of his making?

🇬🇧🇺🇸 On advice of His Majesty’s Government, and at the invitation of The President of the United States, The King and Queen will undertake a State Visit to the United States of America. Their Majesties’ programme will celebrate the historic connections and the modern bilateral relationship between the UK and the US, marking the 250th anniversary of American Independence. 🇧🇲 The King will continue to Bermuda to undertake His Majesty’s first Royal Visit as Monarch to a British Overseas Territory.

#OnThisDay 50 years ago Tube driver 'Julius' Joseph Stephen was shot dead at West Ham by an IRA terrorist whose bomb prematurely detonated on his train. A plaque was unveiled in 2022 in the presence of his widow and son after a campaign by TfL colleagues buff.ly/C3vpfzC

@The_East_End @MickWhelanASLEF Mention of Hendon (Central) but not Edgware suggests the sign dates from 1923-4, when Golders Green - Hendon was open but Hendon - Edgware had yet to follow.

C1925 - when we had style - one of the the entrances to Kings Cross Underground Station which appears to have taken its design cues from the Paris Metro… #eastend #history #london

@SylviaHopper1 @FrankRGardner Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Israel.

@FrankRGardner Where in the Gulf please. My daughter and family live there.

Iranian state media have confirmed the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, killed at his office during a US-Israeli attack yesterday. Iran is now attacking targets across the Gulf.

@Lost___London @MickWhelanASLEF @VinnieSull1van @BygoneBritain Decorations for either 1902 or 1911 Coronation?

6 Clerkenwell Close, 1900s

A very evocative autochrome plate for you this evening. Photographed 101 years ago by Friedrich Paneth, it depicts the sihouettes of his children at sunset in 1924. It is original colour, not colourised.

My latest cartoon for tomorrow's @Telegraph Buy a print of my cartoons at telegraph.co.uk/mattprints Original artwork from chrisbeetles.com

@tgjones your Crawley store seems to be entirely unattended. I even deliberately set off the security gate in an attempt to get someone to take my money and still nobody came!

The pariah formerly known as Prince

@AvantiWestCoast @diegeybiscuit "Sorry for the miscommunication" isn't good enough. I changed my plans because you clearly stated there would be no trains north of Preston on Saturday. I expect you to honour your promise of a refund.

@diegeybiscuit We're sorry for the miscommunication, Scotty. Trains are expected to run but please do check back. - Lucy

@AvantiWestCoast This is very different from what was on your website a couple of hours ago. That stated there would be no trains north of Preston on Saturday.

@FrankRGardner Yes, I'm always looking out for them and 7th July was my first this year. Usually sometime in July, even late June one year.

Ripe blackberries, growing beside the road… in July. Is this normal?

@JoeBrownLondon I've heard of this accident before but didn't know the cause. I suppose Railtrack weren't used to dealing with negative rails. It seems incredible that a shoe snagging could have such a dramatic effect, I thought shoes were designed to fall off if they met much resistance.

#OnThisDay 26 years ago, this District Line train derailed at Gunnersbury. Railtrack had done work to the junction but didn't replace the ramp that lifts negative current shoes over the running rails - the last bogie snagged and headed towards South Acton. buff.ly/OOfSNw2

@JoeBrownLondon Olympia shuttles were good if the weather was decent. Less fun changing ends at Olympia with no shelter if it was raining.

#OnThisDay 39 years ago, all-day daily District Line commenced to Kensington Olympia. Mostly a shuttle to High Street Kensington; Trains 151 and 152. You'd do 8 round trips in 4 hours, many drivers hated them but I was a fan (maximum downtime!): Wulfruna buff.ly/rY72L0o

Boris Johnson’s million-pound Daily Mail gig continues to be farcical. A recent column, confidently praising Trump’s Ukraine stance, was swiftly pulled after Trump and JD Vance launched a scathing attack on Zelensky. Even his usual slot vanished from Saturday’s paper. Meanwhile, his past takes, dismissing fears of Trump abandoning Ukraine as "liberal media hullabaloo", aren't aging well. Full story online and in the latest issue: private-eye.co.uk/news  For the rest, including cartoons, Pseuds, Dumb Britain and all the other regulars, you’ll have to buy the magazine.

King agrees to host Trump visit The new Private Eye is out now

Trump is posting images of a gold statue of himself - modelled on the dictator of Turkmenistan - presiding over an ethnically cleansed Gaza - with Nethanayu grinning beside him on a beach chair. Could Putin do anymore than Trump to destroy the US position in the world?