Behold the summer tomato harvest from the residence back garden. One year away from full self sufficiency I reckon.

Really enjoying this book. Struck last night by this paragraph about how the US Ambassador to London during WW2 liked his team to present economic data to him: “Give it to me in the form of shoes, in the form of clothing”

Felt compelled to come on here and say that if you are in the US or Canada and have a chance to see this Pulp tour, don’t hesitate. The most fun (and strangely emotional) evening I’ve had for ages. Jarvis still has it.

Such sad news. These are three of our family favourites. I spent many happy hours having these read to me when I was a kid, and now reading them to my children. Hard to imagine how much joy Alan Ahlberg brought into the world over his lifetime.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · last yr.

Allan Ahlberg, beloved children's author, dies aged 87

Latest in my New England literary journey: A Separate Peace by John Knowles (1959). Beautifully written coming of age novel set in a New Hampshire boarding school. Seemed like just the sort of novel that ends up being assigned to teenage English students. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing.

Checked the baseball score before the cricket score. Wondering if I’m still qualified to represent my country abroad.

Learnt today that the first official UK celebration of US Independence Day took place on 4 July 1918. The Stars and Stripes flew above Parliament and Westminster Abbey and King George V joined thousands of spectators to watch an Army-Navy baseball game at Stamford Bridge. 🇬🇧 🇺🇸

1961. The Foreign Office pneumatic tube room. I guess the novelty of launching messages into the tubes wore off pretty quickly

Latest stop in my New England literary journey: Arundel by Kenneth Roberts. Tells the story of Benedict Arnold’s march to Quebec in 1775.

Took the kids to visit the magnificently bonkers Ponyhenge near Lincoln MA One of the little guys came with a story. Godspeed Wonder-Horse.

Slowly making progress on my shelf of British ambassadors to the US. Lord Lyons (ambassador during the civil war) biography is best so far

One of the saddest scenes in modern life is kids in their swimming class excitedly looking up to check their parents are watching, but mum and dad are too busy staring at their phones to even notice.

On International Women’s Day, here are three recommended reads on the history of women in diplomacy. Any other recommendations?

Latest on the New England reading list. Not sure a chapter a night before bed is the best recipe for a night of peaceful dreams.

After six months in Boston, I think I may finally be pronouncing Fanueil Hall, Scituate and Bowdoin properly.

Just finishing off this wonderful domestic history of the Victorian Foreign Office. Never have I read a book more deserving of being made into a period TV drama. In case Netflix are reading, some thoughts on the first couple of episodes:

Love the idea of converting a spare room in an ambassador’s residence into a studio for visiting artists. www.thetimes.com/uk/obituarie...

Nick Elam obituary: British diplomat who promoted the arts

Adviser to Lord Soames in Rhodesia and later ambassador to Luxembourg

thetimes.com

“A frightful day in which everyone lays hand on every box they can find, crams into it all the worst and most complicated files, and throws them at my head” From the diaries of Foreign Office Permanent Under-Secretary Sir Alexander Cadogan, 84 years ago today.

If I ever write a book I hope my author photo has the same energy as E B White’s on the dust jacket of One Man’s Meat.

One of the nice things about going on a new overseas posting is that it provides a ready-made reading project. So my reading list in 2024 has been all about New England. Here are eight of the highlights, in no particular order (apart from the first one).

What a Christmas treat. My favourite books podcast and one of the quintessential New England novels. Death. The self. Nature. Bob Dylan. Burt Reynolds. Christmas cracker jokes. All the good stuff. 🎄

Backlisted Podcast@backlisted.bsky.social · 2y ago

New Christmas episode up now. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, with guests Jarred McGinnis and Erica Wagner @ericawgnr.bsky.social, with @iammilliam.bsky.social @johnmitchinson.bsky.social @birchos.bsky.social. THAR SHE BLOWS!! 🎄📚 🐳 www.backlisted.fm/episodes/229

British Diplomats often stand lost in the beauty and significance of Holbein’s Ambassadors (which is handily just down the road from our HQ). This brilliant thread explains it 👇 Thanks @davidclay.bsky.social for drawing my attention to it

Dr Bendor Grosvenor FRHistS@bendorgrosvenor.bsky.social · 2y ago

I don't see many long threads on here, but I'll try one - it's about Holbein's Ambassadors, his 1533 masterpiece in the National Gallery. It's often presented as a great mystery, but I think once we understand the circumstances in which it was made, its meaning becomes clearer. 1/

One of the great joys of a life in diplomacy is the opportunity to learn languages. Although I wouldn’t describe myself as a naturally gifted linguist, I’m currently deep into studying my seventh and though it might be helpful to share what I find useful (and get some tips in return!)

Reading a biography of Lord Pauncefote - the first UK Ambassador to the US - at the moment. Genuinely surprised by the trivial issues that came across his desk as Foreign Office Permanent Under-Secretary in the 1880s, apparently before the invention of delegation. 🧵

1949 Foreign Office advice for junior diplomats heading off to a job in the US: “To appear superior is the eighth deadly sin. Let Mr and Mrs John Bull be their natural selves and never, never behave as if their name was Mr and Mrs Cholmondeley Haugh-Haugh.”

If I carry on accumulating these at this rate, I should have enough to build a small fort by the time I leave Boston. (Great biography btw)

A bit outside my usual lane but aren’t these stained windows (by Irish artist Richard King) at Boston College absolutely stunning?

Happy 234th birthday to the British Consulate in Boston On this day in 1790, George Washington signed the exequatur agreeing to the appointment of Thomas Macdonogh as Consul within Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire. He was the first British Consul appointed in the US. 🧵

On the 150th anniversary of Churchill’s birth I thought I’d share a small exchange of poetry between Churchill and FDR In Jan 1941, FDR wrote to Churchill with an extract from Longfellow’s poem “The Building of the Ship” saying “this verse applies to you people as it does to us” 🧵

Thanks Evie - very helpful! Perhaps you might add all the lovely current and former British diplomats in my own fledgling starter pack go.bsky.app/LFoxg2C