Wednesday, May. 24, 2017 - 23:25

1. I did a good deed today - finding a left-behind young persons railcard and Oyster card in a little student wallet on the train when I was on the way home, I did a bit of internet searching (not stalking, if it's for a good and noble cause) and found out her academic e-mail address. Sent her a quick message saying I'd post the card to her if she gave me a forwarding address, got a reply twenty minutes later thanking me, and I've packed it up ready to go tomorrow.

2. After all this, I felt so virtuous, I rewarded myself with some battenburg for pudding. Work pretty busy but perfectly do-able today. Warm weather though, a delight to de-robe to just my underpants when I got home. I forgot to put my astronaut book in my bag today so read my reserve book (a wise-cracking and slightly silly Gregg Hurwitz).

3. Thirty-six years ago today, Ecuadorian president Jaime Roldós Aguilera, his wife, and his presidential committee died in an aircraft accident while travelling from Quito to Zapotillo minutes after the president gave a famous speech regarding the 24 de mayo anniversary of the Battle of Pichincha. I may have mentioned this before, it rings a bell somewhere in the depths of my mind.

4. Twenty-one and a half years ago, I went on an 'A'-Level Biology field trip. It was quite an eventful few days, but along with the more memorable teenage college social minefield activity excitement, my friend Matt and I had a conversation about ticks because a quiet girl (who I dated, eight months later) called Kate said she's found a couple of them on her legs that afternoon after we'd been doing some fieldwork. I also watched two girls called Lucy working an auger, one of whom I ended up in bed with (mainly platonically). This evening I watched a bit of 'Sun, Sea and Suspicious Parents' (OWTTE) which set me wondering about what would my folks have thought had they followed me secretly when I was seventeen? Probably not too much bad actually, I was a reasonably well-behaved lad.

5. Barpa Langass is a Neolithic chambered cairn on the Isle of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It measures about 72 feet in diameter by 18 feet in height, and is around 5,000 years old. The roof is constructed of two massive slabs with a third slab superimposed. The entrance is at the east side. Although the structure has partially collapsed, it is still possible to enter one chamber. The antiquary Erskine Beveridge believed that a second and perhaps a third chamber exist. In or prior to 1911, Dr Beveridge excavated within and near the cairn, and he found evidence of burnt burials as well as pieces of pottery (some with patterned lines), wood ashes, burnt bones, a flint arrowhead, a scraper, and a piece of pierced talc.

6. Four years ago today I had a message left on my mobile voicemail saying "Hi, it's Lynne from [business name], I just called to say that your navy blue gymnastics shorts have come in". I had not ordered any gymnastics shorts (or a leotard). I was going to call them back, but when finding some details about the company who left me the message, their website was riddled with typographical and grammatical errors, hence I considered them too shoddy to help - if they're shoddy enough to not have had that checked for correct English, and if they are shoddy enough to have called the wrong number, I opined that's no way to run a business.

7. Billy Usselton (July 2, 1926 in New Castle, Pennsylvania – September 5, 1994) was an American jazz reed player. Usselton was proficient on tenor saxophone, clarinet, and oboe. He began playing professionally in high school with Bubbles Becker. Although his parents wanted him to attend college in Pennsylvania, he wanted to play for a living. He then played with Sonny Dunham in the 1940s before joining Ray Anthony in 1948-49 and again in 1951-52. In the interim, he joined Tommy Dorsey's band and recommended Mel Lewis after Buddy Rich was fired. After his second stint with Anthony, he played with Bill Harris in Florida.

8. Happy thirtieth birthday, Belgian actress Déborah François. She is somewhat beautiful. I would happily have her come round for tea. I'd have to buy more battenburg though, as I've just polished off the last of the aforementioned. In 2009, she won a César Award for Most Promising Actress. The same year I went on an auditing course in Bradford and stayed in a hotel by the theatre near the bus station which had very thick purple carpets and nice food. I also saw frizzy red-haired Paula from 'The Apprentice' at Wolverhampton station.

9. I was wondering when the English cricket summer might start, seeing that a year ago, two years ago, three years ago.. there were test matches going on. Anyhow, the ODI series between England and Sri Lanka started today, Morgan got a hundred as the hosts posted 339/6 (Ali and Hales both got sixty plus), and in reply South Africa posted only 267 all out with five overs remaining - only Amla, du Plessis and de Villiers troubling the scorers with more than twenty (Woakes got 4/38 from 8 overs).

10. The Europa League final ended Ajax Amsterdam 0-2 Manchester United. Pogba's deflected shot gave United a first half lead against a Dutch side lacking a bit of composure and experience. Early in the second Mk'taryan flicked a corner past the keeper from close in. It wasn't a good game, there was a real lack of quality at times, but it was an important result for Mourinho.