'empire or republic, nothing really changes...'

'empire or republic, nothing really changes. it is annoying to hear people saying all the time: 'it is the emperor's fault.' if our generals have shown themselves to be inefficient, if our officers are ignorant, if our troops have had their moments of cowardice, that is not the emperor's fault...' 

it is the afternoon of the 15th when horsemouth types this. you will probably be reading this on the 16th when horsemouth publishes it. thereafter the chances of your reading it diminish drastically. 

september 1870 and edmond de goncourt is in paris (naturally he is keeping his journal),

the emperor has been captured by the germans, paris is about to be besieged. edmond makes a tour of the defences.

'today, I amused myself by travelling right around paris on the ring railway. it is an amusing sight, that vision swift as speed, afforded as one emerges from the darkness of a tunnel, of rows of white tents, of guns rolling along country lanes, of river banks lined with with little crenellated parapets of olden times... a vision constantly interrupted and blocked by a high embankment, at the end of which there reappears the familiar horizon of the yellow ramparts dotted with the little silhouettes of national guards.'  - the goncourt journals, 16th september 1870. 

there turned out to be a few more peas to be had (lurking in the weeds) and horsemouth dug up some carrots and potatoes, he grubbed up the wild-seeded tomato plants (never going to amount to anything now) and dug over a little of the space created. 

dense fog in the morning maybe? (not so much or at least not yet).

this evening the meeting of the communal endeavour with the discussion of the way forward with the decarbonisation. today at some point (dependent on the buses) a wander up the forge filling station and shop to pick up the newspapers and a few loaves of bread.