Bleurgh - the workmen supposed to be turning up at 8:00 to do some work on our roof are already at it

I remember years ago workshopping The Villages, which was then a short story, and someone said they thought it should be a novel, and I said I didn’t think I could write a novel, and Paul Kincaid said, “Think of it as a novella and just keep going.” Sound advice.

My new book of science cartoons, PHYSICS FOR CATS is out in a week! Order a copy today from you local bookshop or at one of the links here: www.tomgauld.com/comic-books-v2

My cartoon for this week’s @theguardian.com books

I grew a mystery giant beet on my allotment from volunteer seed. Banana for scale. The flesh is red/pink with pale stripes and tastes like a milder beetroot. Second photo shows it next to a normal beet - any ideas what variety this could be?

Just signed a copy of my novel STARS AND BONES for a customer after he picked it up and informed me, “He’s a local author, you know.” “More local than you realise,” I said.

Let me check I’ve got this right. Someone calling for entirely innocent foreign-born people to be burned alive at a time of serious social unrest is a free speech champion who must be feted. And some calling them & their hideous promoters in politics & media racist is a menace who must be silenced.

The new Banksy that Starmer doesn’t want anyone to see

Hmm, that's a decent scoring card in Sky Cards

Crossing the Atlantic in a ship this small would terrify me

It's just as well we've got three loos in this house

Hi! This is me, once again reminding you that substack is a Nazi bar. Please don't use it, or link to it. badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/im-leaving...

Eep! We've got a rainstorm over us with a >30 mm/h downpour rate. That's certainly testing the guttering

Oops, I don't think this BBC journalist meant what he wrote

UK folks, this petition needs boosting. The TERFs and their poison needs to be stopped. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...

2025 Hugo Final Ballot Voting Statistics Posted file770.com/2025-hugo-fi...

There are meals when the only kitchen knife I use is my souvenir from Alaska

In this version of London, marmite on toast ice-cream is edible but other food is not.

Oh my goodness

A tombstone in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, photographed by Andy Darby. Note the border inscription.

PSA: STOP USING SUBSTACK It's a Nazi bar. theracket.news/p/substack-s...

A fine shellfish dinner on a Baltic ferry - possibly the Gabriella - back in 2017.

I prosecute and defend the most serious sexual offences in our courts. The overwhelming majority of offenders are British-born. Overwhelmingly the victim is someone known to them, either a partner or relative. Anybody purporting to care about protecting women might start there.

Up at Duxford yesterday afternoon. No, this B-17 is not the famous Memphis Belle

Yes! We model other humans inside our head and expect them to stick to the script, of *course* we do that with something else that appears to use language

"I want the world to be simple," I said to the genie. "How do you mean?" "Good guys and bad guys, clear answers to all questions, everything is just one thing or another." "I don't think a world like that would work... No, wait, I know how to do that." And then he turned me back into a child.

The house battery is in storm watch mode - i.e. it's holding on to its charge rather than running the house, just in case the grid disappears on it There is a red warning for thunderstorms, so it's not unreasonable

Our proposed piggy back mission to Venus to look for potentially life-related molecular species is featured in Gizmodo - fame at last! gizmodo.com/a-bold-missi... @janegreaves.bsky.social

donate to Liberty who are actually working their arses off on this one

TFW a friend gave birth a little while back, and according to LinkedIn, the resulting sprog is about to start her second year at the University of York

It’s something when it’s The Verge that calls it out and not NYT or WaPo. www.theverge.com/policy/69730...

absolutely

And landed LHR

Boarding ARN

Fuck The Atlantic & fuck Helen Lewis very specifically.

That thing where you have a meal with a friend at a nice restaurant, and then buy them the cookbook from that restaurant And it's in Swedish

Having an early supper with @diane.dianeduane.com - there's a jackdaw perched on the beam above our table The food here in Åland is pretty good

The view from our hotel room

The view from our breakfast table

The view right now. Our ferry (Viking Grace) has just rocked up and is docking

It's the second morning in a row when we've had to get up horribly early. But it's a beautiful day out there today in the Stockholm Archipelago

Hello Stockholm. And hello Arlanda Express. Yes, I'll admit to my age for that discount

Boarding for Stockholm

And lunch, all the way from Hinckley

This is a good position. That's 8 boats in front of us that aren't going any further

By the Cam, for the bumps. Herself is wielding the parasol she bought in Japan. The one she bought in 2007

I think this is trying to be a Corgi Pokémon (@oldenoughtosay.bsky.social)

And home. It's a lovely summer's day here, which follows on nicely from the weather we left in Vancouver

Boarding YVR