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...

Finished watching Pluribus S1 at the weekend. Still thinking about it. So many unanswered questions. So many intertextual references. (One does not simply walk into Panama.)

Jennifer Alison Philippa Sue

Ncuti Gatwa and Hugh Skinner as Algernon and Jack. 🥰

😆

I've Drunk Every Gin by Mother's Ruin Cabaret www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEI1...

King Charles googling 'Does malmsey still come in butts?'.

A certain news bulletin was broadcast on the radio during this morning's hospital appointment, and I may have chair-danced to the subsequent 80s tunes for the remaining duration. (Don't Stop Me Now, Losing My Religion, Daddy Cool, Time After Time, Invisible Touch, Hold Me Now, to name but a few.)

Happy #PancakeDay everyone! Here's an 18th century recipe for some tasty "Pan Kakes". The recipe is taken from a herbal notebook which contains remedies and medicines but also has a section on cooking and baking. Enjoy! 🥞 #pancakes #shrovetuesday

The CBC made this clever & cute video that uses kids to explain the rules of curling:

Love Sakamoto's choice of music, perfect for a farewell tour as the commentators tell me this is. Gorgeous performance all round. The Korean and Japanese teams appear to be having the most fun in the box when they're waiting to get their final scores. #WinterOlympics #TeamFigureSkating

Catching up with some of the team figure skating, and the commentator has just mentioned she's never seen a Zamboni on the ice in its home country before! The other commentator pointed out they don't know what brand it is, because this is the Beeb and other ice smoothing machines are available.

Last weekend was excellent with a couple of friends visiting, one of whom we hadn't seen in person since before the pandemic. We spent time talking, had a trip out to a nearby cafe, and played a bunch of games: Fluxx (Firefly), Tranquility, Tranquility the Ascent, So Clover, 6 Nimmt, and Dixit.

Really enjoyed seeing the Craft and Activism exhibition at the Museum of Edinburgh, yesterday, and even more so because I went with one of the exhibitors to see her work displayed. Rich displays and storytelling. Tea and cake beforehand was good too.

Can you scoop out your period all at once? Should you? No, and regardless of what Reddit and TikTok tell you, absolutely NOT. Please don't do that. Here's a quick fact check on a misinformation-riddled viral trend...

Don't Come the Cowboy With Me, Sonny Jim by Kirsty MacColl

❤️

FI-COAT. Totally worth the read.

Today seems like a good day to start re-reading Persuasion.

Website: Enter your postcode and select your address. Me: *enters postcode and selects address* Website: Your address is not valid. Me: *enters version of address without non-alphanumeric characters* Website: Your address does not match the postcode. Select an address that matches the postcode.

I've never used Facebook, nor Whatsapp nor Threads, but this is just another reason why today was a good day to delete my Instagram account. There are people I'll miss on there, who aren't on other places that I am, but enough's enough.

What was your first favourite song growing up? Harper Valley PTA - Jeanne C Riley It was on Radio 2 a lot in the 70s, and that was my parents' (kitchen) radio station of choice, with my Dad taking occasional evening excursions into the jazz on radio 3 on the living room stereo.

There was sympathetic unity between a shop assistant and me last Nov when I was returning a tunic. It was described online as having pockets and IT DID NOT HAVE POCKETS, NARY A ONE. I'd bought it to wear with a pair of pocketless trousers. We commiserated over both as her work trousers were ditto.

This is a beautiful thread of time and change and warmth and kindness.

After a lovely afternoon catching up with a friend I haven't seen in a while, enthusing about books, raging about the things that need raging about, today me is also very grateful to yesterday me who sensibly decided to make the macaroni cheese for tonight's solo supper yesterday.

Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42 and post the second sentence. "A fishing village near Pondicherry."

If you're having a bad morning I promise this will make you feel better (unless you dislike grumpy claymation penguins)

Reposting this (and attached post) in honour of Tom Baker's birthday, to brighten up the skyline 😊

I'm wondering if the people who put together the art-of-the-Albertina-coming-to-life-to-music segment of the New Year's Day Concert from Vienna had seen Ankles by Lucy Dacus? www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcW_...

We watched the first of the Royal Institution's Christmas lectures with Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock last night, as the moon, with superb timing, rose past and above the Christmas tree in our window.

Thread worth the read, in light of which I note that on the way back from visiting in-laws, one of the motorway services' loos were all out-of-order, with signs to use the loos at the petrol station instead. The loos at the petrol station were one unlabelled door and one door labelled 'Gentlemen'.

Quote with a GIF that depicts the energy you're going into 2026 with.

Happy New Year!

Got to see The Princess Bride on the big screen for the first time ever this afternoon, courtesy of a friend's birthday celebrations. Still a joy to watch. #RIPRobReiner

I'm either a multi-lingual academic who is deciphering Linear B in their spare time (non-fiction) or a debut writer who is quite annoyed about having to do more murders to cover up all the murders I did in the first book in which I appeared (fiction).

It's good to amplify this message whenever possible. The voices that drown out real issues with scapegoating and hatred really are a minority (as we see whenever it is put fairly to the test in e.g. WI or National Trust votes...neither notable hotbeds of leftist social liberalism).

Ruin two bands by combining them: Echo and the Bunnymen Without Hats

Gosford Farm #MakeAFilmCheaper

Lowland pandas!

Us, watching telly last night: JOHN ABINERI! We were not watching Doctor Who; we were watching Funeral in Berlin. #IYKYK

post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't nirvana, sound garden, pearl jam or alice in chains (Ob Elle Woods: What, like it's hard?) Yes, even the song that was number one for yonks, which doesn't stop it being an absolute corker, as well as inspiring the super French and Saunders parody.

All done with family and Christmas? Fancy a bit of escapism now you can stop masking? If you want to get away from it all with an alien planet, swordfighting, and romance, there's a new Antonan Chronicles short read available today on Amazon Kindle for just $2.99. books.fatpigeons.com/d4ystd6tpa

Seven hours to get to the in-laws, and twelve (TWELVE!) hours to get home. *falls over onto lovely sofa* Still, I am pleased to report that the Gloucester Old Spot pork pies from Tebay services do include the jelly.