Well when does the blasted thing begin? The issue of the New Year.

 Thank you for those who have reminded me that, dues to a diplomatic necessity a few years back the Koi Carp pond is sovereign Japanese territory and so has begun the New Year a little over an hour ago.


We will be keeping to the decencies of the thing and using Greenwich Meantime, even though the motion to move it to Greenwich Modetime was passed like AGM. As no one can work out what that means we will begin a burst of unwarranted optimistic cheering as near midnight as the 'Old Geoffrey' - the long case clock in the entrance hall can manage. This may mean we will be either ahead or behind the rest of London by up to five minutes.

The Upper Billiard Room, having been part of the Independent Colonies since 1783 will have to wait for five hours before they commence 2026, according to the time they keep in Boston.

The rumours, that one of the broom cupboards is part of the suburbs of Madrid is widely held but I have the Librarian checking that this wasn't arranged as part of the dowry of Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, when she married King Alfonso XIII. Some claim it has been superseded by the Treaty signed with Spain last September but best to be on the safe side.

Just in case a Feliz Año Nuevo to all of you for one o clock.

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