Preordered my copy of @helenebismarck.bsky.social ‘s Fantastic Kingdom- if you want to understand, lament, or find a way through the complexities and frustrations’ of the UK’s place in the world today, viewed from a place of expertise and affection, I strongly suggest you do too! amzn.eu/d/0dvKYxaF

Morning! I wrote about having my charity-shop-bargain suit (Paul Smith, £20) visibly mended and what it taught me about taste, power and masculinity, and transgressing all of the above as.ft.com/r/642b5c9d-2...

Not much beats an Irish beach on a sunny day

Ok, give me your most mildly irritated face….

An absolute joy to visit Battersea Dogs and Cats Home this morning to celebrate the fact that from next week, private renters will gain a new legal right to request a pet through powers in our transformative Renters’ Rights Act.

😬

Every time this tailor posts a photo of their workspace, it looks like their dog is a tailor and he's showing off the garments he made. IG z.o.e.y.a.t.e.s

I lost someone I loved dearly to pancreatic cancer. She died within months. This is tremendous news.

This

Goodness. Leo could almost turn me back to Catholicism giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Ugh - the Royal Marsden helped to save my wife’s life, and they’re trying to do so for many, many more people. And NIMBYs are trying to stop it because the lifesaving building is taller than they’d like?? Give me strength. (Via Looking For Growth)

As a woman, I offer my sympathies to the Pope who is now being told hourly by very many random men what he actually means

Agree. In part I think expectations have gone up, in part I think there are a lot of folk who are by any historic standards well off but don't feel it, but there's also those with insecure employment, obviously those with very high housing costs, and many other stories besides.

When nominative determinism brings glimmers of light to these dark days

Pre-sales mean a lot to authors and this book is a very good read. It's on Apple Podcasts here. 👇 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/b...

So, away from all the Trumpian madness, I had a Bank Holiday-friendly, long-form chat with @helenebismarck.bsky.social about her new book "Fantastic Kingdom" - a stranger's account of Britain: warm, insightful and - in appropriate measure - critical. Have a listen! open.spotify.com/episode/09Rb...

Matilda is setting the example by operating exclusively on solar

Friday

Bears will be defecating in the woods next.

It is absolutely stupid that a major focus of policy response to the Iran War is on the planned 1p rise in fuel duty in September (watching Trevor Phillips interview Bridget Phillipson). Of no help now to anyone to abandon it. Shows how trivial our political debate has become.

Matilda is on babysitting duty again

Quite the pic

My very dull yet exciting discovery this weekend is that doormats wash beautifully in the machine.

Major scenes as having not consulted the nursery’s “planner” I didn’t know it was “wear a hat”day. Have clearly damaged child for life.

agreed. as.ft.com/r/01b4bfa9-3...

Love love love this

My local pub (food not its strong point) served me a tuna sandwich in basic white slice (untoasted), tuna still in the shape of the tin and a squirt of mayo on top. Didn’t even bother mixing it.

Short and to the point

This is a cracking piece

Having my toddler draw my mother in law’s Mother’s Day card started with the best of intentions.

I am intrigued to this statement because so far the most massive impact I’m seeing is into the coding & tech space - a traditionally massively male dominated environment.

What next? No idea. But here are four possibilities. as.ft.com/r/56bb7bf6-6...

Hello! Are there any criminology lecturers or graduates here who wouldn’t mind my asking them a few brief qs for research purposes?

Hello, rest of world. Today in Britain the leaders of mainstream political parties have been debating whether putting native woodland creatures on our banknotes is emblematic of our tragic decline as a patriotic nation, and we hope things are equally weird with you.

This picture of my civil wedding just popped up- we had a humanist ceremony during Covid hence the need for a town hall version. My mum was one of the two witnesses and unfortunately, also the photographer. Makes me howl with laughter every time.

there's so much bad in the world but there's also people who lift up and carry an elderly bat around every day so he can pretend he's flying again, and that's the part of the world I think is worth fighting for

Coffee, straight out of my nose.

This is fabulously entertaining

Bloody hell, some parents really go all in for world book day don’t they?

Your regular reminder that the UK's North Sea gas production is down by two-thirds since 2000 and is set to drop by another 97% by 2050 – even with new licensing rounds it would fall by 95%

-nervously watching rapidly depleting stock of interceptors all over the region- "How could we have known Iran might have a lot of Shaheds!?"

I wonder if the Washington Post still thinks sacking its entire Middle East desk was such a great move now

willing to bet a tenner that the local elections in May feature at least one party accusing a minority group of eating pets

interesting that new Green MP Hannah Spencer talks almost entirely about public services, cost of living, NHS, the grind of making ends meet.... and hardly ever mentions ecological/environmental issues.... this is the pivot that scares Labour the most

well

Just came across an advert recommending tutoring your child 12 months before their 4+ assessment for London private schools. So starting at 3 years old. What the actual….??? And these people call themselves educators?

"I bagsy the top bunk"

The question may not be "why are British students taking so many useless degrees?" so much as "why can't the British economy generate enough graduate vacancies?"

#Andrew #JustUs #JustICE #Injustice

btw, America, this is a very good reminder that it is in fact entirely possible to hold even the most exalted (and formerly exalted) people to account under the law.