Gareth Oakland 🇫🇷🏏🏉
@goakl.bsky.social
19th Century Vendéen memorials. Former PwC partner. Treasurer at the Society for the Study of French History. Trustee at Institute of Historical Research. Trustee at NHSRF. Active travel campaigner. Cricket, cycling, rugby à XV. France and England.
Pinned
Gareth Oakland 🇫🇷🏏🏉
@goakl.bsky.social
· Dec 30
My missus has a Times sub. Points out that they’ve led with “woke people get honours” today. A black man, a brown woman, a white man who wanted to recruit a diverse workforce, a woman who wants history to include all, women sports stars…
Outrage of course. How far that paper has fallen.
Outrage of course. How far that paper has fallen.
The Jesse Jackson tributes are wonderful. Aspire to be as good and influential as he was.
But, dear Lord, as I read them my heart sinks with every “posting on X, (s)he said…”. What are all those so-called progressive voices still doing on that nazi hellhole?
But, dear Lord, as I read them my heart sinks with every “posting on X, (s)he said…”. What are all those so-called progressive voices still doing on that nazi hellhole?
February 17, 2026 at 4:20 PM
The Jesse Jackson tributes are wonderful. Aspire to be as good and influential as he was.
But, dear Lord, as I read them my heart sinks with every “posting on X, (s)he said…”. What are all those so-called progressive voices still doing on that nazi hellhole?
But, dear Lord, as I read them my heart sinks with every “posting on X, (s)he said…”. What are all those so-called progressive voices still doing on that nazi hellhole?
In the excellent news: my eldest recovered her French citizenship today. (Not that she’d ever lost it, but she never had an ID card before). So at least one of us can escape plague island if we need to.
February 17, 2026 at 10:22 AM
In the excellent news: my eldest recovered her French citizenship today. (Not that she’d ever lost it, but she never had an ID card before). So at least one of us can escape plague island if we need to.
The fruit trees whispering softly “summer will come”.
🍎 🍐 🌸🍒
🍎 🍐 🌸🍒
February 17, 2026 at 9:01 AM
The fruit trees whispering softly “summer will come”.
🍎 🍐 🌸🍒
🍎 🍐 🌸🍒
Birds singing. Stuff growing (weeds mainly). IT might be just around the corner…
February 17, 2026 at 8:39 AM
Birds singing. Stuff growing (weeds mainly). IT might be just around the corner…
There’s a strange orange ball appearing at the end of the track. I think the ancients used to call it “the sun”.
February 17, 2026 at 7:17 AM
There’s a strange orange ball appearing at the end of the track. I think the ancients used to call it “the sun”.
Dinner tonight (and Wednesday and Friday) will be chicken soup.
February 16, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Dinner tonight (and Wednesday and Friday) will be chicken soup.
February 16, 2026 at 12:53 PM
A solo week in France. I try to do without a car on these short trips. The rain has been torrential locally and more to come so making the most of a dry day to get enough food for four days (two meals in the freezer). It’s a 10 mile round trip…
February 16, 2026 at 12:11 PM
A solo week in France. I try to do without a car on these short trips. The rain has been torrential locally and more to come so making the most of a dry day to get enough food for four days (two meals in the freezer). It’s a 10 mile round trip…
It’s a travel day. And I’ve been sniffed by a drug dog, had my stick checked for explosive residue and used the new shoe bomber machine.
February 15, 2026 at 10:18 AM
It’s a travel day. And I’ve been sniffed by a drug dog, had my stick checked for explosive residue and used the new shoe bomber machine.
Apparently today you have to consume pink fizz, chocolate and meat pies. It’s the law.
February 14, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Apparently today you have to consume pink fizz, chocolate and meat pies. It’s the law.
Apparently today you have to consume pink fizz, chocolate and meat pies. It’s the law.
February 14, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Apparently today you have to consume pink fizz, chocolate and meat pies. It’s the law.
Jim, Tommy and Dick, the immigrants were not allowed to talk about despite our legitimate concerns.
February 14, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Jim, Tommy and Dick, the immigrants were not allowed to talk about despite our legitimate concerns.
February 14, 2026 at 6:02 PM
February 14, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Ok. We are playing cricket.
England v Scotland
In Calcutta 😂
England v Scotland
In Calcutta 😂
February 14, 2026 at 9:25 AM
Ok. We are playing cricket.
England v Scotland
In Calcutta 😂
England v Scotland
In Calcutta 😂
The NHS can be utterly wonderful.
Someone I know found a lump. Worried for a day.
Saw a GP the next day. 10 working days after that she’d seen a specialist nurse, had two types of scan, seen a consultant and received a letter telling her she was clear.
Our taxes being very well spent.
Someone I know found a lump. Worried for a day.
Saw a GP the next day. 10 working days after that she’d seen a specialist nurse, had two types of scan, seen a consultant and received a letter telling her she was clear.
Our taxes being very well spent.
February 13, 2026 at 3:07 PM
The NHS can be utterly wonderful.
Someone I know found a lump. Worried for a day.
Saw a GP the next day. 10 working days after that she’d seen a specialist nurse, had two types of scan, seen a consultant and received a letter telling her she was clear.
Our taxes being very well spent.
Someone I know found a lump. Worried for a day.
Saw a GP the next day. 10 working days after that she’d seen a specialist nurse, had two types of scan, seen a consultant and received a letter telling her she was clear.
Our taxes being very well spent.
Today in mildly irritating news: the bike racks at Lidl are about 3 inches too close to the front window to lock properly. AND once you’ve unloaded your weekend shopping into the bags, the trolley park (got to get you pound coin back!) is around the corner. So you lose sight of bike and shopping.
February 13, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Today in mildly irritating news: the bike racks at Lidl are about 3 inches too close to the front window to lock properly. AND once you’ve unloaded your weekend shopping into the bags, the trolley park (got to get you pound coin back!) is around the corner. So you lose sight of bike and shopping.
Politically-correct, authoritarian childless women.
The list of people to be afraid of has been suitably updated.
The list of people to be afraid of has been suitably updated.
February 13, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Politically-correct, authoritarian childless women.
The list of people to be afraid of has been suitably updated.
The list of people to be afraid of has been suitably updated.
Reposted by Gareth Oakland 🇫🇷🏏🏉
slightly less well known than the Sam Vimes "Boots" Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness is the Sam Vimes "Onions" Theory of Nutrition
February 12, 2026 at 7:20 PM
slightly less well known than the Sam Vimes "Boots" Theory of Socioeconomic Unfairness is the Sam Vimes "Onions" Theory of Nutrition
And to illustrate this. People in our town are moaning about the £508,000 it costs to implement a 20mph zone. The total Highways budget is £102,000,000 and the council will spend £1,200,000,000 in total.
People don’t understand £508k, £102m and £1.2bn.
People don’t understand £508k, £102m and £1.2bn.
February 12, 2026 at 5:40 PM
And to illustrate this. People in our town are moaning about the £508,000 it costs to implement a 20mph zone. The total Highways budget is £102,000,000 and the council will spend £1,200,000,000 in total.
People don’t understand £508k, £102m and £1.2bn.
People don’t understand £508k, £102m and £1.2bn.
I have very little time for Your Party people, but I admire her writing out all the zeros in this text. We should all do that.
And she’s correct about parasitic billionaires shutting their gobs too.
And she’s correct about parasitic billionaires shutting their gobs too.
February 12, 2026 at 5:31 PM
I have very little time for Your Party people, but I admire her writing out all the zeros in this text. We should all do that.
And she’s correct about parasitic billionaires shutting their gobs too.
And she’s correct about parasitic billionaires shutting their gobs too.
Reposted by Gareth Oakland 🇫🇷🏏🏉
Should be in prison for attempted murder. But, for some reason, the law considers it a lesser offence if you try to murder someone with a car rather than a knife or a gun
February 12, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Should be in prison for attempted murder. But, for some reason, the law considers it a lesser offence if you try to murder someone with a car rather than a knife or a gun