Paul Probert

Lapsed historian. Golden Age crime fiction buff. When not reading books or drinking tea, found @chelmsjuniors

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

Sharing my year in #reading for the ninth time. 58 in total: 40 non-fiction and a rather meagre 18 fiction #books in 2025.

So many academic articles, blissfully not shown here, crowded out reading for pleasure - something I might look to address next year.

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

That’s my #reading for 2017 finished. An empty #BookShelf will beckon from tomorrow for the new year’s #books

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

It’s New Year’s Eve which means it’s time for 2024 in #books …

And it’s an eighth year in which non-fiction constitutes the lion’s share of what I’ve chosen to read.

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

Hey @greateranglia I know this fake GA account isn’t you because it’s at least pretending to be helpful before ripping me off.

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

Here’s an idea @greateranglia: why don’t you get some staff out and about exploring what is going on when you cancel all your trains?

I know customer service is foreign to you but just imagine you’re filling the concourse with ticket inspectors instead, heh?

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

@GiveBloodNHS - not quite an armful but Pint 85 is in the bag. #GiveBlood

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

@ArmyE0D @mikenelson586 Posting tweets is so much easier than reading books, isn’t it?

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

@dannydorling reading this and you begin by referencing an Oxford roundabout that demarcates not only place but also prospects. May I ask which roundabout? I remember seeing Iffley Church from my window in Rose Hill - not a roundabout but another place where two worlds met…

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

@GiveBloodNHS - pint 84 in the bag.
#GiveBlood, eat biscuits, get a medically-sanctioned evening of rest and relaxation

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

Overcrowded, overpriced and late. Never change @greateranglia, never change.

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

Plenty of ticket inspectors on your services over the last few days @greateranglia - got to extract every last penny before you lose your franchise, I guess.

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

@greateranglia Can you confirm rumours that they were celebrating the imminent end of your price-gouging franchise?

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

Can I put on record how God-awful a franchise you are @greateranglia ? £40 for cancellations, driver-less trains, and cattle-class travel.

The day you lose your franchise cannot come soon enough.

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

@AnonCatEnjoyer @Journo_Blair Are you a cretin?

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

@JHPAAP @panoparker Ha ha ha.

The poor fellow could have travelled the world for £230 but I assume he simply wasn’t able to book his rail ticket four years in advance using a Super-Combo-Call-This-A-Public-Transport-System-Actually-It-Is-A-Price-Gouging-Monopoly-Awayday-Online-Saver-RailCard

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

Pint 83 in the bag.

When was the last time you got the chance to save a life during your lunch break?

(And the lovely people @GiveBloodNHS even provide crisps and a sit down afterwards)

#GiveBlood

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

But the state schools don’t break up until late July…

Ah.

[Rachel Cunliffe @RMCunliffe]

Also, on the "but we've booked our holidays" point, this isn't as trivial as it sounds.

It's not just journos but MPs, spads, MINISTERS who got the green light from No10 that the summer was safe.

That's a lot of ill will to kick of a campaign with. From those on your own side

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

@maxdubler @_StefanHorn Problem is, obesity rates are now much higher so the prospect of adding a third or fourth grandparent into a small double bed is much tougher than it was back when Charlie was a boy…

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

@LBFlyawayhome Is there any truth that this book was Ladybird’s only foray into the scratch-and-sniff-book market? I’m sure this book smells of Brylcreem and liniment.

[BBC Archive @BBCArchive]

#OnThisDay 1960: A British schoolgirl cheerily told Judith Chalmers about her holiday, which involved accidentally getting arrested in East Germany.

[Paul Probert @thepaulprobert]

‘Join me as I guide you through 1500 years of Western culture or - if you prefer - on ITV, Val Doonican and Benny Hill will regale you with insights on the House of Bourbon as, dressed up in striped tops and berets, they cycle around France’

[BBC Arts @bbcarts]

Join @RobbieRinder & @Rylan on an Italian odyssey as they follow in the footsteps of romantic poet Lord Byron, immersing themselves in art, culture, bad behaviour and life-changing exploits.

📺 Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour is coming to BBC Two and @BBCiPlayer on Sunday 12 May.