Just walked out of 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple. It’s a relentless, high-stress watch. Ralph Fiennes is incredible, and Jack O'Connell manages to create a character full of humor and menace. Any concerns about the change in director were misplaced - this is a worthy successor.

I feel like something has changed with Tyskie – in cans, in the UK. It has a chemical taste lately and is giving me headaches, which a four-pack of larger shouldn't give me. It used to be a favorite, but I might have to find a new reliable supermarket lager. #Bskybeer

​I received a Japanese snack box for Christmas. Some of the flavors are unusual - like matcha KitKats - but the packaging design is very very very cool.

I watched Tron: Ares last night. Someone described it as a £200 million music video for the new Nine Inch Nails album, which feels accurate. It’s mediocre at best and might actually kill the franchise. Jared Leto’s performance was entirely on cruise control. 🎬🎥

I only lived in Macclesfield for about a year, but I’m so chuffed for the town today. It’s a place full of people working hard to make it a great place to live, and they deserve this moment. What a result for the #Silkmen.

Better late than never. Here are a few shots from Saturday in Hebden Bridge. The @foxandgoose.org was looking great, followed by a very cold pint outside the Oldgate. People say the first weekend after NYE is quiet, but Hebden was heaving. #BskyBeer

There is something uniquely satisfying about spending the holiday break working through a new Lego build.

An early birthday gift, cracked open for New Years Eve (Toulouse sneaking into the photo bottom left) . #BskyBeer

400-1066 BC is my favorite era. From Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and Viking raids to the survival of Wessex and the Norman Conquest, the history is pure drama. @marcmorris.bsky.social covers this fascinating period with incredible detail and flair. #Booksky #History

White Cloth Hall in Leeds- ran by the same people behind the brilliant Whitelocks Ale House. Nice pint of Kirkstall, great slice of Scillian Pizza in a very atmospheric setting. #BskyBeer

And finally on the beers. Dad sent me home with a care package yesterday, but was up early to drive to Leeds this morning so I resisted the temptation last night. Now it's on. 🍻 #BskyBeer

Merry Christmas everyone from Poppy & Toulouse. Both are full of festive cheer.... 🎁🎄

All I wanted was a pain au chocolat and some cat food. I expected a quiet Christmas Eve in Hebden Bridge, but it’s Manchester Christmas Markets on steroids with people rushing about. It feels like everyone from Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire is here all at once.

​Last day in the office and likely my last pint in Manchester for 2025. Good to see so much Budvar available across the city centre lately. #BskyBeer

Solid Secret Santa haul this year with some Star Wars themed beers. It is impressive that The Empire Beer Co has managed to avoid a Disney lawsuit with these labels and names. #BskyBeer

Surviving Manchester during party season. Balanced out the chaos with a few favorites - Corbieres and Beermoth - and a solid meal at Birria Brothers. Ended up at a few random spots just to find a seat, but it was worth it. #BskyBeer

Spent the afternoon in Levenshulme yesterday before the match. I particularly enjoyed the bar Nordie, which had HB Tegernsee available on draft. The pizza was also excellent. #bskybeer #pizzasky

Friday night football, arguably the biggest derby taking place this weekend as @wdcfc.bsky.social won 2-1 away at Abbey Hey FC thanks to a winner in the 92nd minute. 🎉

My job took me to the spectacular Victoria Baths on the outskirts of Manchester city centre. Opened in 1906, this incredible building won the hearts of the nation during the BBC’s Restoration campaign. A true local gem being brought back to life! #history

Rereading William Gibsons Sprawl Trilogy, preparing for the Apple TV Neuromancer adaptation. If the series captures the trilogy's geniuse-specially the chilling believability of Gibson's future world-it will be essential viewing. The lasting power of these books is their unsettling realism. #BookSky

Earned it. Navigated the crowds and rain in Hebden Bridge for this pain au chocolat. 🥐

​Time to stop throwing it away. It is frustrating seeing the batters do the hard work to get in, only to get out softly. We need to convert those starts into proper scores. Heads down, bat long, and grind it out. 🏏 #ashes

Living out a toned-down version of "The Bear" fantasy, unexpectedly in Hebden Bridge. Saltas Deli is serving high-quality, filling sandwiches. Today's was a massive, tasty Sloppy Joe. Not a Chicago Beef, but definitely hits the spot. 🥪

Hebden Bridge Picturehouse delivering on the festive cheer.

Navigating the Manchester Christmas Markets followed by a packed train has given me early Christmas fatigue. It is not even December yet. Northern running two carriages on the Leeds line right now is baffling. To quote Band Aid: Do they know it's Christmas?

Finback Brewery from Queens, New York is probably one of my favourite breweries. I don't get to have it that much, so it's always a treat when they can be bought in the UK. If I ever make it back to the US, a trip to one of their taprooms is a must. #BskyBeer

Top of the table Ramsbottom Utd v 2nd place West, but in the Macron cup. (Essentially our leagues, league cup competition). @wdcfc.bsky.social head into the Quarter Finals on a foggy day in Ramsbottom winning 2-1. #nwcl

Just finished the second collected volume of Clive Barker's Books of Blood. I genuinely consider these six volumes to be some of the best horror writing available. The short story format is perfect; the narratives are tight and genuinely creepy. #booksky

Recently eaten and highly recommended. Top left: Chicken Shawarma from Coin Hebden Bridge. Top right: chicken bao bun from Mackie Mayor Manchester Bottom left: Chicken karaage from Machine Mayor Manchester Bottom right: egg custard tart with croissant base from Lotties Bakehouse Manchester.

🚨 new brewery tasting alert. Picked up a few cans from Welsh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 brewer Cold Shelter Brew. Dark and Gothic can art, but with some light and hazy beers inside. #bskybeer

Tonight's beer is brought to you by Fuerst Wiacek, a Berlin 🇩🇪 brewey doing hazy and hoppy beers. A couple of solo efforts but mostly with some British brewery collaborations. #bskybeer

Idea for Manchester City Council. 🚨 A safe passage route for those poor souls (me) that work in the city centre allowing us to bypass the Christmas Markets. If one more person stops suddenly in front of me or I have to walk into the road to dodge a group deep throating a German sausage.....

I'd be really interested to.fimd out the combined hours lost in a 12 months period on the Leeds - Manchester Calder Valley due line to signalling issues. If I had more about me, I probably could.

The Turner Prize finalists are currently on show at Cartwright Hall in Bradford. It's free to see (but you need to book your ticket in advance) and well worth a visit.

All the coolest cans of beer So cool I'm going to have to give each can its own post. #BsjyBeer

The Marble Arch in Manchester is worth the walk a bit further out of town for a drink. #BskyBeer

Jumped on the Boddington's bandwagon tonight. Didn't get it in one of those fancy B branded glasses I keep seeing on social media. This was my first ever pint of boddies, despite growing up in Manchester. #Bskybeer

When the person you manage is also a fan of an early finish and a trip to the pub. So you combine their one-to-one with a pint. #bskybeer

The hills of the Calder Valley which Henden Bridge sits between, were hidden behind mist this morning. It almost made up for the wet Sunday we had to suffer.

Came across Dominic Cooper's The Dead of Winter thanks to @benjaminmyers76.bsky.social - Under The Rock. I’m glad I did. What a book. Cooper crafts something genuinely mythical here - the prose is beautiful, but the story is uncompromisingly brutal. It's a profound, melancholy read. #booksky

The @wdcfc.bsky.social away fans making some impressive noise in yesterday's 1-0 win at Atherton LR Football Club. West up to 2nd in the #nwcl 🖤🤍 #groundhopping #nonleaguefootball

The Gallows Pole by @benjaminmyers76.bsky.social First read it only knowing a few places when living in S. Manchester. Now I live in the Upper Calder Valley, and every hamlet and place name is recognisable. Reading a book set where you live hits different #BookSky

A very unique setting for a beer and book night, Verdant, Beak and Track at Manchester Museum teaming up with authors Phillip Marsden, Tiffany Jenkins and Rebecca Watson for 'A Night at the Museum'. #BksyBeer #booksky

New discovery in Manchester's Chinatown: Lottie's Bakehouse is officially open. Picked up a hotdog and a chicken-filled bun. I learned today that the hotdog bun is a Hong Kong staple, not just a Western addition.

Nightjar Bar in Hebden Bridge - conveniently located next to Hebden.Bridge Picture House for a drink before and after a film! #BskyBeer

So glad I picked yesterday for this hike! I started off visiting Jumble Clough Hole, then followed those fantastic old packhorse trails right up and over the valley. The scenery was incredible! Best of all? Only four people spotted the entire time. #hiking #nature

Rochdale is looking transformed thanks to the recent Common Walls International Mural Festival! The town is now an open-air gallery, with some really cool street art. #streetart

My dad's got really good at buying me hazy and hoppy beers, despite not drinking them himself!

Finally got a big stash of Weekend Project beers. Some very aesthetically pleasing beer cans. #beersky

I've always leaned towards the crisp, cold, and fizzy keg style, and honestly, cask beer felt a bit mysterious to me. But after giving it a proper go recently, my mind is changing! Enjoying this fantastic pint of Bruce from Bang the Elephant Brewing Co right now. #Beersky