In the article <a href="https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/01/01/from-bizarre-rage-against-james-joyce-to-mi5-phone-bugging-why-i-collect-snippets-of-strangers-conversations/" author="Patrick Cockburn" source="CounterPunch">From Bizarre Rage Against James Joyce to MI5 Phone-Bugging: Why I Collect Snippets of Strangers’ Conversations</a>, the illustrious journalist takes a break from writing about the tragedies arising from near-constant, western meddling in the Middle East to relate more uplifting stories on this first day of 2019. Near the end, there's a bit that---to my admittedly tinhorn American ears---is one of the most British things I've ever read: <bq>Earlier this month we went for a drink and a meal to the wonderful Shipwright’s Arms, one of Kent’s most attractive pubs, which is located in the Ham marshes between Oare and Faversham, just below a dyke which protects it from the waters of the Swale estuary. We sat down in front of a blazing fire, got a glass of mulled wine [...]</bq> I have no further point other than that that sounds perfectly lovely.