Tony Harrison and Brian Patten within a couple of days. That’s a snug 89 to 92 Bretton Hall nest on my bookcase. Travel well, both, and thank you 💚

Apparently same price on Kobo. My absolute favourite read of last year. It’s a balm. I cannot write reviews, my head just goes blurblurblur, but there is no better way to splash 99p.

For Interesting Holidays would absolutely work for me.

Had a 💯 Blackpool overnighter for Harry Hill reasons (30 yrs since we first saw him for our first together thing). Went a couple of miles up the coast this morning, following some Andor info. This being filmed at Thornton-Cleveleys is the weirdest. He was just a tourist, Disney+. Just a tourist.

Across the pond with Britbox US? If you fancy a period drama that properly rollicks along, from fish gutting at the docks to getting far fancier pants, I think Hardacres might stream from today. Special mention (inevitably) to Young Master Harry Hardacre, who’s away at the mo, filming s2.

This Murderbot + Witch King and more Humble Bundle from @torbooks.bsky.social has raised nearly $80,000 for @wck.org World Central Kitchen -- Can we get that up higher before time runs out? #booksky www.humblebundle.com/books/martha...

Still available:

It’s new story day for me! “Dislocated” in @flashfictiononline.bsky.social is about a support group for sufferers of long teleportation sickness and certainly has no resonance with real world events. www.flashfictiononline.com/article/disl...

No one sums up the utter shamelessness of the British press and the ugly politics of Farage quite like Private Eye.

This is incredible

Gen X women managed to time menopause perfectly so that the answer to the question "is everything actually as bad as it seems, or is it just me?" is "yes" and "yes." We are The Greatest Generation.

Instead of ELO in London with Mol and J (please get all better, Mr Lynne) this evening G is seeing Superman with Zig. Making them promise to belt out Mr Blue Sky when the man takes off (rumour has it he can FLY). That’ll make everything better. Am sure everyone will cheer.

I have one white currant bush. One. My one blackcurrant bush is doing this in negative (but is being patrolled by stripy lads from the spicy corner so I’ll leave that for a bit). Plenty more left. Such an abundant year for berries and currants and butterflies. Mini fruit trees also bonkers. 🌿🐝🦋

Me: so that looks like a cactus but you can touch it. It’s called a pickle plant. Don’t touch the one next to it though; that IS a cactus and will hurt. MrX, age 9: why would I want to touch it? Me, age 54: good question Zig, age 26:… have you heard of something called ‘call of the void’?

It’s taken 4 whole calender months & a bit out of Feb & July, a heap of incompetence and fibs, but I’m delighted to say the nicest wheelchair fixer in the world just turned up grinning on the ramp, with the lad’s repaired chair. Let’s talk again about fixing the system, and not #TakingThePIP

Because there’s never a bad time to share Chuck Jones’s rules for the Road Runner, here are Chuck Jones’s rules for the Road Runner

Turned 90° right of where I’m watching Pulp on catchup for this pic. Places we or kids or friends have been, people, things, snips, holding up doc appointments and WiFi passwords. Plans and places here and there, them and us, woven and glued and knotted. Magnetic.

PIP review form dated 9 days before it arrived. It has to be completed, returned and received 1 calendar month from the date on the form & says it may take 10 days to arrive back. Form requires detailed, multi qs responses + supporting evidence. This is supposed to be too easy? #TakingThePIP

Hang on, so if the road less travelled makes ALL the difference would taking the more travelled one make NO difference whatsoever, so I can avoid the suspension-wrecking track and take the one with the M&S Food and regular loo cleaning and still have all the stories and shit, but with Percy Pigs?

Decent little haul. A bit previous, but no plans to be in the raspberry patch at half three tomorrow morning. Opening for fizz and g&ts 21/12/25 if you’re passing. (After this pic I spotted a small, confused bug in the bag. Released it into the cosmos. Am not Lord Summerisle.)

Accurate. I miss rural Suffolk.

Hi. A resealable tab on a food packet is a false friend. Pass it on.

Such a good year for garden golden raspberries. Any Summer Solstice pickings on Friday/Saturday will go straight in the freezer to be added to a glass of something sparkling on the Winter Solstice, to help bring back the light. (Similarly, there will be garden blackcurrants in the Christmas gravy.)🌿

Who amongst us two days off a reasonable credit card bill doesn’t have a senior cat become poorly just as the clock ticks over from normal vet time to super shiny premium emergency vet weekend time? All good vibes for Mr. B very welcome.

Well this couldn’t have come at a better time www.bbc.com/news/article...

Tea. It’s tea. The king and queen of meals.

Had leftover leftovers pie for tea. There’s some left over.

Our @zfw.bsky.social is a signatory here. We attended a lively listening session with our MP about the proposed benefit reforms a few weeks ago. ‘Reforms’ jenga-ed on multiple, cynical inaccurate assumptions about disability. Let’s see if we’re heard. #TakingThePIP

All these perfect drying days and this year once again our rotary drier is a poopy, rowdy starling crèche. Absolutely worth it. #NatureWriting #BackyardWildlife 🌿💚🦉

Same, rotten potato, same.

🤖😃 movieweb.com/apple-tv-mur...

Check what day it is with a boy.

Well done! You earned this. (sound on) Now, if we get 100, we'll make him play The William Tell Overture on his massive bald head.

if your sick wife is like three hours from death, busting her free to smoke meth and get railed to slayer one last time is fuckin awesome and sweet and you can't convince me otherwise

l read this as a teenager. Literally just realised that Arnold Rimmer had ADHD

Anyone I know interested in sewing and maybe being on TV? I’ve been nudged by the production team for the ‘Great British Sewing Bee’ to say they are looking for ND / disabled folk for the next series of the show. Sign up form is here: eu.castitreach.com/ag/love/gbsb...

A film that takes place where you’re from. Or rather, a break in filming that took place where I’m from.

Attended a meeting with our MP regarding the proposed benefit reforms today. Much talking around tables. Felt validating to be listened to: heard remains to be seen. Met some lovely, interesting people. Glad we became involved, although…

They’re baaack. When solitary bees aren’t. Something to lift the heart. (Sound for a snippet of busy NW England ginnel life: the fence backs onto one.) 🐝🏡🪴🌱🌼

Attention small theatres - still time to apply for this fantastic opportunity to have your seats refurbished by prestigious Race Furniture Deadline: Monday 28 April www.theatrestrust.org.uk/ssa

"Babe, I can't find the cheese!"

Just climbed up to water the giant fishbone cactus who lives, strapped in, on a wall cabinet under the skylight. As I poured, a sturdy spider leapt from behind the main cactus stalk, found the edge of the puddle and had a little drink. I, meanwhile, nearly fell off the kitchen worktop.

We'd like to confirm our adult admission prices: UK visitors: £13.95 EU visitors: £13.95 US visitors: £13.95 Rest of the world: £13.95 Are we doing this right?

Trying rudbeckia for the first time. Instructions say they are hit and miss. Sowed yesterday, froze overnight, put their marg tubs with grape tub hats on a sunny windowsill, said OH, IT’S SPRING, HOW LOVELY, and left them to it. Can but try 🌱 #gardening

WORLD-FIRST: Ground-breaking research published today in the Ornithologist Journal has, for the first time, translated common UK bird vocalisations into equivalent phrases in the human language. The results tell us a lot! Extracts below... 🧵

Happy Transgender Day of Visibility dear friends! We see you, we appreciate you and we can't imagine the world without you! ❤️

Convivial Diurnal Course to all Matriachs 💚 Deep gratitude, Mr Milchick and @zfw.bsky.social #MothersDay #Severance

Before you shake the yoghurt ask yourself, ‘Self? Is it possible the yoghurt only appears closed?’

Included here, in an extract from Book and Dagger by Elyse Graham (warning, has a particularly gruesome method of execution detailed which has changed me, just a little, forever). lithub.com/why-everythi...

Severance S2, penultimate ep. Haven’t been able to shake a protective fury towards Miss Huang (Sarah Bock is amazing). Want to beat the Lumon bus, screech up to the entrance in my ole lady Jazz, throw open the passenger door and yell GET IN, WE’RE GETTING OUT.