Waiter? #Absolutely #Madness

Connections Puzzle #890 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟪🟨🟨 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟪🟦🟦 🟦🟪🟪🟦 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Of course a US-centric question in there that’s all but unfinishable for the rest of the world. Oh well…

Wordle 1.612 4/6 ⬛⬛⬛🟨🟨 🟨⬛🟩⬛⬛ 🟩⬛🟩⬛🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Four. Need to run now before they’ll impound my car!

Last but certainly not least, this group of trumpet cup #lichen (Cladonia fimbriata) for the lichen aficionados among us. My first time seeing them in the wild, so to speak. #fungifriends

The gills of a Lactarius pyrogalus, or fire-milk lactarius. You can see a few tiny drops of the milk-like moisture on the gills, which they release if wounded. The orange colour was stunning on the drab forest floor. #fungifriends

A lovely group of Trametes versicolor, or turkey tail fungi, sitting atop a sawn-off tree trunk. The colours made me feel warm. #fungifriends

This exploded common earth ball (Scleroderma citrinum) was sitting close to an as yet unexploded one. #fungifriends

More shiny ink caps (Caprinellus micaceus) in the twilight of their lives... #fungifriends

Love these shiny ink caps (Caprinellus micaceus) in their old age living peacefully together with some bracket fungi ❤️ #fungifriends

No idea what this species is. My determination app says it's Mycena pseudocorticola, but I'm not so sure. Another app is saying Rickenella swartzii. If anyone can help, I'd be grateful. #fungifriends

Also saw these for the first time, the jelly fungus Calocera cornea, still very young. #fungifriends

Went out today to look for fungi and was pleasantly surprised, really. But then I wasn't expecting much. Found this shiny mushroom, which could be Flammulina spec. but not certain. Too much of it had been eaten... #fungifriends

Still a long way to go in the game if incidents like this are happening. This certainly won’t help the recruitment and retention of women officials. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Connections Puzzle #889 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟪🟪🟪🟪 They’re scraping the bottom of the barrel with pink. Anyway, fun!

Wordle 1.611 4/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟨 ⬛⬛🟩🟨⬛ ⬛🟨🟩⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Four. A lesson in English spelling. I know how to handle a dictionary, fortunately.

If the autographs are not clear: the #referee is Reginal Mortimer, his two assistants are Victor Rae (left) and R.L. Aldridge (right).

A few more acquisitions. A Dutch guide for #referees, 8th edition, which I didn't have yet. Then an Italian book, in which the author lists thousands of instances of #referee abuse. And lastly a little gem: the Eve of the Final Rally booklet for the 1949 FA Cup Final, signed by the officials! 💙📚

Iemand groot fan van de kunstschilder Gerardus Maria Joseph 'Ger' van Vliet (1880 - 1972)? Heb twee erfstukken waar ik van af moet, geen zin om mee te leuren maar wellicht voor iemand handel. Net ff te goed om naar de kring te brengen

Referee: Augusto Robles (#Guatemala)

Het Museumplein in Amsterdam was eind 19e eeuw het internationale centrum van het schaatsen sportgeschiedenis.nl/schaatsen/he...

The #referee in the background appears to be Leo van der Kroft.

Connections Puzzle #888 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦 It’s called a full stop! Period. Bit of a bummer, this #888. High hopes were had for some special categories.

Wordle 1.610 5/6 ⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛ 🟨⬛🟩⬛⬛ ⬛⬛🟩🟩🟩 ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Five. And I knew after two what the word could be. Leave it to me to try the wrong ones first. Sticky stuff.

De vierde editie van het Fluitbulletin (vierde kwartaal is hier te lezen. Veel leesplezier! www.covsdenbosch.nl/fluitbulleti...

We’ve raised £200k to transform the Trafalgar St underpass, now we just need £7.5k for the final touches 💛 Help us finish: ✨ Restored columns ✨ Refreshed murals ✨ New doorway ✨ Anti-graffiti protection Support our Crowdfunder and help keep Brighton’s heritage shining 🚂💙

Connections Puzzle #887 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Got a feeling there were more solutions in the blue and purple groups…

Wordle 1.609 2/6 ⬛🟩🟩🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Two! Shocking!

The #referee is Wolfgang Riedel (then West Germany).

Connections Puzzle #886 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 “Foamy things”

Wordle 1.608 4/6 ⬛⬛🟨⬛⬛ 🟩⬛⬛🟨🟨 🟩⬛🟨🟨⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Four shades of green and yellow.

Connections Puzzle #885 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 Bono. Mono. No-no.

Wordle 1.607 4/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛🟩 ⬛⬛🟩⬛🟩 🟨⬛🟩🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Four. Didn’t ace it.

@refbooks.bsky.social & @refereeretro.bsky.social FA Cup 5th Round 1975-76 season. Leicester V Man United. 1974 World Cup Final #referee Jack Taylor from Wolverhampton. The two Linesmen were David Hutchinson and Trelford Mills.

Connections Puzzle #884 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Quickly found. Here’s hoping #888 will be a special one!

Wordle 1.606 3/6 🟨⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟨🟨🟨⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Three! And all my own thinking, no modern contraption like AI needed.

Dit verhaal. Balsem voor de ziel. "Zelfs de meest hardnekkige anti-azc’ers kwamen met zakken kleding"

Connections Puzzle #883 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟪🟪🟪🟪 No math, fortunately. Lots of Latin today, though. And I’m here for it!

Wordle 1.605 4/6 🟨🟩🟨⬛⬛ ⬛🟩🟨🟩⬛ ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Four. Had I followed my guts, it would have been three. Leaves me feeling catty.

Gills day today! Info on species in ALT text. #fungifriends

@kenstephenson.bsky.social Here's another mention of David Richardson, Ken.

The #referee is Aurelio Angonese (Italy).

Referee Wolf-Dieter Ahlenfelder, November 1975. @refbooks.bsky.social

The #referee who made an unfortunate tumble after colliding with a player is Walter Eschweiler (then West Germany).

Connections Puzzle #882 🟨🟩🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Well, I guess so. What the heck is ‘pufnstuf’, though?

Wordle 1.604 5/6 ⬛🟩⬛⬛🟩 ⬛🟩⬛⬛🟩 ⬛🟩⬛🟨🟩 ⬛🟩🟩⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Five. Drawing a total blank there.

Op 9 november 1973 speelde het Nederlands vrouwenelftal in Engeland de eerste interland, die door de KNVB werd erkend. Op 9 november 2025 plaats ik een kleurenfilm op Sportgeschiedenis van de laatste trainingen van Oranje voor die historische wedstrijd. Het Engelse team is hier ook op te zien.

The referee is Stanley Rous, FIFA President from 1961 to 1974. @refbooks.bsky.social

Two more books added to my collection (www.libib.com/u/benbalin). Árbitro, Cabrón! is a Spanish coming-of-age novel about a young #referee, written by a former ref. L'Uomo Nero is an Italian exposé by former top ref Claudio Gavillucci, about the hardships of being a top ref.