Forced myself to mow the lawn for the first time this year. Had to rewire the mower plug, its earth pin eaten by some copper chemical. Ran over at least one random turd, and a fallen bird feeder. Mower conked out two thirds of the way through. I'm sure the neighbours are preparing a wellness check.

Hello cryptic crossword fans and Unch solvers. A favour please: if you are in touch with other solvers and cryptic people outside of Bluesky please consider spreading the word. Thank you x

UNCH @unchcrosswords.com

Issue 2 is selling fast! Secure a copy at unchcrosswords.com

Ooh ooh it's @unchcrosswords.com - a little bit of tangible joy

Ok fine world, let me know about @unchcrosswords.com right after issue 1 has sold out why don't you

Today's soundtrack is Makthaversakan, the dreamy Swedish shoegaze soundtrack to a youth I didn't actually have but somehow remember fully and fondly? This is all @ycjygames.bsky.social fault. open.spotify.com/album/3g0FM9...

A lovely man. I was very lucky, as a junior hammering tech magazines into shape, to have Chris' excellent words to put in print - and his even more excellent personality on the other end of them.

I am unreasonably upset that i used a clue on today's minute cryptic

Sumo is Flipping Awesome, And Here's Why, a thread in which I highlight some of the exciting dudes ripping up the Nagoya July Basho, which is ongoing at the moment. I'll use their official Street Fighter character portraits from sumo.or.jp to illustrate this. 🧵

New episode out now! It's been a dark month for the beef industry, but we're here for you. We will not let Jacobinius Arse Syndrome beat us. Featuring @mikewozniak.bsky.social @mikeshephard.bsky.social @tomcrowley.bsky.social @linneasage.bsky.social maximumfun.org/episodes/bee...

@chinnyvision.bsky.social Not sure if you've seen this but I feel it is relevant to your interests archive.is/202506181218...

Removed my phone from my pocket to find I'd been calling a phone number I don't know for like 7 minutes. They heard: - A child throw another child's scooter - That child getting (rightly) shoved in return - Said child hitting his sister with a stick - Subsequent bollockings

You've seen this, I'm sure. But if you haven't, it's utterly perfect

so @spacekings.space is a complete genius huh supertry.itch.io/was

Everyone else is out thus chippy tea in front of Columbo, as it should be

Dear Reddit. The fact that I am subscribed to r/bristol likely indicates that i am based in Bristol, not that i am interested in the specific goings on of Sheffield, Coventry and, hypernichely, Ely. Sort yourself out.

Preach

One of my favourite bits from this issue of @thefence.bsky.social - chef James Ramden on the mid-life crisis that recently led him to join lost British indie rockers, Hope Of The States.

Played through this last night. It's lovely!

Without downloading new pictures, where are you mentally?

At some point I'll have done enough work that I'm happy to just spend the money and buy KCD2 and get stuck into it. At least that's what I keep telling myself!

Feels somehow antithetical to head to Bluesky, it being ADHD Zone A, to moan about my stupid noggin fighting my attempts to write at every turn but here we are, here I am, having a moan because nothing's right and I can't settle and what little I produce is awful and everyone's going to know

The California Fire Relief Bundle is live!! Benefitting survivors of the SoCal wildfires through the Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE). Featuring 400+ games: Tunic! Tangle Tower! Catlateral Damage! Hidden Folks! Cook, Serve, Delicious! And more! $10 minimum!! itch.io/b/2863/calif...

@franticplanet.bsky.social I'm quite sure everyone has sent you this already but Popbitch informs me that the entirety of Noel's House Party is here archive.org/details/noel... and it would be a dereliction of my civil duty not to inform you

The best bit about this is that I doubt ol HK even had any bullet points to work off. Proper "don't worry lads, d'you know, I think I can manage this one for ye." A pro.

Something about skyspace.me makes me want to do cryptic posts about my feelings and put up pictures of my awful really-trying-to-be-cool but actually clueless neurodiverse reverse mullet. Instead I've gone all swirly and obnoxious which I think is true to the spirit of the thing

Working remote - haunting Frome's most luxurious supermarket car parks - again today. Weirdly lonely, after the last year of generally having someone home at the same time as me. Went mad and bought a MacBook. That's SURE to fill the void eh

Bertha, lovely Bertha Someuhma muma machine! Wubba mah mah do do bah bah bah We'll have a do time A yabba do time We'll have a gay old time My grainy childhood memories are dissolving and intermingling and fading by the day. Everything is. Existential Bertha comes for us all

As if proving the promotional power of BlueSky, I've just spent a very pleasant lunch break playing the demo for this - what a glorious thing. I'm back in my three-door maroon Ford Escort with its blown head gasket, thrashed gearbox and questionable brakes. Can't be 18 again but I can pretend eh

Dark day for the old thinker, lads. Nothing to worry about, there's a path ahead and all that, but work is suffering mightily and I feel like I can't just not today. EW GROSS PERSONAL MICROBLOGGING shut up

Terrible news. I didn't know J Nash personally but he had a huge influence on young me and his unique methods of word monkeying helped lead me to do what I do now.

Been making polyhedral dice: aren't they cool?

ATTENTION: I am starting a charity bundle to benefit victims of the Southern California wildfires. Game (and other) makers, please submit your projects so we can do some good. There is a call for submissions of projects through the 18th, please share widely! FAQ below: itch.io/jam/californ...

Thusic Thursday: It sort of explains itself, but if you love the sort of Japanese jazz fusion that inspired countless video game soundtracks (and, indeed, I think some of these lads composed and performed the MK8 soundtrack) you'll want to fill your boots www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzy3...

Sign that I'm struggling: I keep checking my email to see if I'm in trouble with anyone. YES I KNOW ABOUT MY DEADLINES I'M DOING MY BEST

Newly teenage child really leaning into the neglected scarecrow look for his first day back at school. I expect a call from the authorities

It's almost time for shitmas, the ultimate white elephant gift giving event where my friends and I put a load of horrible things in a bin bag and show our appreciation for each other by willingly talking something out of it and, subsequently, home

Ordered cat cystitis medicine at 2am this morning shortly after cleaning up human sick from a daughter previously overloaded with pavlova and rich cake CHRISTMAS!

Son (12) has been picking fights at home recently, because he is twelve and full of peculiar twelve year old juice. I reminded his mum not to feed the troll. Apparently, says the lad in response, I am a 'fucking bastard'. Well at least now I know! CHRISTMAS! I GIVE YOU THIS PS5 RELUCTANTLY

"‘If it were up to me,’ announced the old man, Doom Bar spraying between his teeth like a broken shower head, ‘I’d put a bleddy great Gatling gun up on the Tamar Bridge. That’d bleddy show ‘em.’" A dispatch from Clive Martin that starts great, and gets better. www.the-fence.com/down-at-daym...

There’s an antiques emporium in Norwich of such unfathomable strangeness every visit produces fresh gasps of bewilderment and terror. Recent finds: 1. Mounted photo print of depressed steam train driver (£1)

It has been a, uh, difficult week but I have not laughed louder and harder at something in a very long time than at this.

Glasses mysteriously broke overnight. I presume I was biffed by some dreambullies

Well that was a cracking end to the FIDE World Championship wasn't it

Damn you Microsoft, that Indiana Jones game is such a gorgeous experience that you've convinced me not to bin off Game Pass. For now...

suddenly really angry at wizzard for the paradoxical line "when the snowman brings the snow" because it turns out i've had to put up with some sort of magic snowman blipping into existence without the presence of its component material for 43 christmases NO MORE, WIZZARD, YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME

Cat.

Shh, Americans eat Yorkshire puds with jam and cream pass it on no takebacksies en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popover

An important part of preparing any meal with Alphabites is seeing if my kids notice