Pneumatic drills from the roadworks just down the road from me. Scaffolding going up on one of the houses opposite. Scaffolders playing their radio so loudly so I can hear it through the closed double-glazed windows. Scaffolders drowning out the radio by singing along. Ah, the sounds of spring.

I've had a conversation with someone in the middle of Waterloo Bridge, late at night, looking over the Thames at the lights of London.

Me, watching A Woman of Substance: E1: Burn it to the ground, Emma Harte! E2: Burn it to the ground, Emma Harte! E3-7: BURN IT, EMMA HARTE! BURN IT ALL TO THE GROUND, EMMA HARTE! E8: YOU SHOULD HAVE BURNT THAT HOUSE TO THE GROUND, EMMA HARTE! LIKE THE DOCTOR, EMMA HARTE!

She wants to be flowers, but you make her owls. You must not complain, then, if she goes hunting.

We are stuck togethir on a tinye beautiful driftinge rocke wyth nobodye outsyde and nobodye cominge to save us. We are the onlye ones heere yn a wild expanse of night and silence. We sholde be lovinge each othir all the tyme. We sholde be greetinge each othir "hey, miracle!" We sholde be daunsinge.

I’m cis and I don’t like how I look with really short hair but this sort of thing makes me want to get a buzz cut out of a combination of solidarity and cussedness.

Got some lying, fascist, racist, propagandizing bumf through the letterbox today, telling me to vote for them on the 7th. They can go fuck themselves into oblivion.

If, after you've had at your potatoes with a masher and/or ricer and/or pushed them through a sieve and then added whatever you add, you can pour said potatoes onto a plate, they are not mashed, they are potato purée, not mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes have self-supporting structure.

Got to meet up with my oldest friend, her husband and their two daughters (A levels and about to graduate respectively) for the first time in seven years, which was utterly fab. Quote of the day from the A level student: "Who's Anne Widdecombe?" #AshesUnderUricon

Share a preacher, nun or priest!

Thoughtful remarked on a childhood book I’ve been meaning to reread. Garner has a knack for mundane menace interwoven with mythic fantasy: Elidor left me with a lifelong side eye for radio static and flapping letter boxes, even when I have only faint memories of its grander narrative sweep

Politics has unexpectedly hit a special interest of mine so here is a quick rundown on the Avignon Papacy.

I very much enjoyed watching this series; a reminder of the persistence of beauty in the world.

A movie couple who would definitely have a podcast.

Anyway: something positive in a negative world - trans friends (and friends of trans people) - can you help us spread the word? Next Monday, Liverpool, free, good times, a good cause, and better than doomscrolling and feeling helpful. We'd love to see you there.

Marlene on the Wall by Suzanne Vega. 1985, so, yeah, just a few years before Shazam.

This household is divided between those of a Protestant (CoE) background who ate hot cross buns on Good Friday, after morning church, hot cross buns being only eaten on Good Friday and no other day, and those of a Roman Catholic background who didn't eat them/had no traditions concerning them.

Sutekh's many gifts.

If you see this, quote with an unusual image from your posting device without explanation. If you would like to. For whatever value of unusual that appeals to you.

It’s Transgender Day of Visibility and this tiny cranky middle-aged feminist just wants to say she loves you and our cause is the same cause.

My alarm clock woke me up this morning by making irregular sounds like a bird pecking at the window* and is now running half an hour slow. I assume this is a protest against having its hands moved forward yesterday in accordance with BST. *Not the usual sound of its alarm.

Rocher'd the heck out of my mashed potatoes tonight.

First ducklings of the year spotted at lunchtime! #ducks #birds

Words you do not want to hear from the person currently servicing your boiler: "Flamethrower" Pictures you don't want the person currently servicing your boiler to show you: Results of boiler flamethrowing that resulted in the technical bulletin that recalled that boiler part.

Today is March 25th, also known as Lady Day (or the 'Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lady' as written in this 16th century lease from the archive of @merchantshallyork.org). Until 1752 this day marked the start of the new year in England and Wales and it pops up frequently in archival records.

Ladybird flash cards poem

This is a dance off. Post a dance or you’re eliminated. (Or don't if it's not your thing. I'm not the boss of anybody and especially not the boss of you.)

The Duchess of Duke Street is being repeated on the Talking Pictures TV channel in the UK, starting tonight (21/03) at 20:00, for those interested in 70s TV drama.

Listen, everyone, this is a major event! Vonda McIntyre’s last novel will FINALLY be published, 15th May, by Aqueduct Press. It’s fabulous. Of course it is! @vondanmcintyre.bsky.social @clarionwest.bsky.social More here: www.aqueductpress.com/books/978-1-...

A reminder of the human cost of war, and of humanity which should unite not divide. An amateur metal detectorist who discovered parts of a World War Two Spitfire is searching for the family of the pilot killed when the plane crashed more than 80 years ago. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

One street in the Lego village is looking very spiffy in the evening light.

An absolute delight. Highly recommend watching this bit of queer joy. Watch it free on YouTube while you can! #theimportanceofbeingernest

In honour of the Oscars which took place last night we want you to get out your tux, put on your sparkliest frock as we say hooray for Hollywood! Yes this medieval guildhall is once again going to share some old photos of the mid 20th century silver screens which once graced our fine city of York.

🚨FIXED TERM ARCHIVE JOB KLAXON🚨 We are looking for an experienced archivist to develop and implement a scoping project to re-catalogue and make available the York Archdiocesan Archive (6 months full time, or 12 months part time). Full details at the link: jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/proj...

Excellent points in this thread.

Respect to the small child at the table next to us in the cafe this morning who was having four fat sausages on a plate for brunch and NOTHING else.

Welcome back 👀(if you know, you know). Photographed in our Terrance Dicks Archive #DoctorWho

Dear everyone, As per the post from the Bodleian librarian below, AI bots and scrapers are putting just about every website under great pressure, British History Online included. A lot of excellent tech staff are working hard to keep everything working, but outages and siruptions are inevitable.

AI is suffocating our systems part whatever

Catching up with #CallTheMidwife 😭 Gin and tonics all round.

Today's Bulletin Botanics: Still there Rain: Gone away Kingfisher: Still there Chat: With (landscape) photographer with long lens who said even his long lens wasn't long enough or fast enough to get a good photograph of the kingfisher Photograph of kingfisher he showed me: Not half bad, actually.

Today I want to talk about Jess’ Rule and Martha’s Rule, two new initiatives across NHS England that I think are really important and you should know about. Tl;dr: if your symptoms are not improving or getting worse, at home or in hospital, you have the right and Drs the responsibility to review.

Introducing JOHN HURT as THE WAR QUEER

The current seasons of Masterchef: The Professionals and Great British Menu are being brought to us by the words 'cuisson' and 'cartouche'.

Star Trek is a very serious sci-fi show about exploring space and the human condition. Also Star Trek: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZWa...

Wandered to the Botanics for the afternoon, admired the crocuses and mini daffodils, got rained on, had a cup of tea, wandered some more, watched the kingfisher perching and diving along with several other people all excited about seeing the kingfisher, got rained on again. Not a bad afternoon.

Finally some good news. Additional good news: unexpectedly* had my annual check-up at the dentist, including X-rays, and my teeth are all ok. *Dentist rang yesterday to say they had to cancel the appointment that was booked fifty weeks ago, but could fit me in this morning.

I am pretty sure this is one of the establishing shots used in the TV series 'Patience', series 2 of which I am currently catching up with.

I made a filterlist for uBlock Origin to remove Generative AI features on websites. Includes blocks for * Google AI Summaries * YouTube Ask button & chat summaries * GitHub Copilot * Facebook AI chat * X's Grok buttons * Deviantart DreamUp * Booru AI images * And more github.com/Stevoisiak/S...

The wonderful @junodawson.bsky.social will be giving the Philippa Pearce Lecture @homertoncollege.bsky.social next month. #DoctorWho www.homerton.cam.ac.uk/events/phili...