Finished this new offering from @hutchinsondave.bsky.social, A book that demands other pressing matters are put to one side till it's done. Smashing read. It's a European spy caper of sorts crossed with elements of Christopher Priest's The Glamour. Get yourself a copy direct from NewCon Press. 🪐📚💙

Irish passport renewal is truly a thing of speedy wonder.

Ah we see your Blue Monday and raise you a Moo Blunday

I do love how the machines effortlessly improve our life is so many minor but impactful ways

Really not sure why bbc Surrey is featuring spooky stuff in January but any article that includes a photo of the banking at Brooklands is okay in my book www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Today I shall mostly be reading trashy vampire fiction from the 70s/80s. Slightly terrified that Saint Germain (the continuing saga of a Dark Prince of Love!) looks vaguely like Kier Starmer.

Somewhere in the house is The Palace by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and I am hoping I can locate it before we go to Florence in spring because Saint Germain (aka Francesco Ragoczy da San German) is the best vampire. Ever. Oh and yeah there is art and paintings in the uffizi and stuff. And pizza.

After going to see the flooded river mole, just had to abandon shopping in sainers due to a fire. Pestilence when?

Still remembering the absolute giddy joy of this youtu.be/HLhPRkbTuJg?...

Fab article as ever from ESC Insight but my goodness that infuriating and disingenuous comment from Martin Green that maybe some people are concerned about admitting they’re a Eurovision fan.

Detaching from Eurovision means far too much fixation energy manifesting in odd ways. Case in point buying a vinyl sticker from eBay to make our car more rattus

Russian Stranger Things Kinder eggs. A sanction says what?

Nine of Swords

My 20 minute dentist appt today cost me £23 per minute I was in the chair. I will at least earn about 3 nectar points for the experience.

Was listening to Splinter the other night and apart from all the Trent Reznor whispering it has _such_ a good run of proper Numan songs on it and also how on earth is it 12 years old already.

Clearly none of these organizations were sourcing their paper from Scandinavia which might have then involved a wholesome visit to a paper mill with a trip through the forest, meatball lunch and a can of fruit Ramlösa.

Unknown photographer, Management Centre, 1985, USSR North-Western Integrated Power Grid, Riga, Latvia

Also. Sorry mate but you are not sleeping in the house tonight.

Vacuuming up a huuuuuge wasp nest in the loft. My only task was to change the Henry hoover bag and I am terrified and twitchy. I don’t know how @wigfortuna.bsky.social managed it.

So no Eurovision means I’m finding it a whole lot harder to get excited about national selection season. Meanwhile I am enjoying spending money on other musical outings instead lined up: Die Toten Hosen in Berlin, The Stranglers in Toulouse, Rush in Toronto, Baz Warne in Leeds (!). Also I am broke.

Added to a school reunion WhatsApp. Regular repeated comment on there is ‘we should write a book about it all’ As far as I can ascertain, sole content of book would be 1. smoking in the toilets and 2. that one time Ken bunked off and went to Kensington Market to buy pressed jeans.

I dunno. In the knowledge that Duolingo is using more and more AI that twerking owl seems to be trying to be provocative in more ways than one.

Feeling very ‘need coffee to make coffee’ this morning.

Glasgow Lestat

Just got rumbled reading about the Franklin expedition at the dinner table.

Mr Fulci no

Post a famous bathroom scene

I don’t know how we segued via Andrew Gold but ending up with Fad Gadget Back to Nature and goodnight

Spending the night listening to an alarming amount of Gary Numan’s back catalogue.

I can’t believe my dad got rid of his ponytail. Especially without forewarning me.

Handing off on the school run kiddo tried to freaky Friday me so I’d go to school in her place. A quick run down of my day ahead convinced her that school was by far the preferable option.

Your house is my house did I hear you steal my silver

Bent copper alert

I can’t believe no one told me Back to Nature features in Stranger Things. I was sitting hearing the kiddo viewing from the other room and then oh those Fad Gadgetty tones.

Hope and Play are selling their 2026 calendars off at a discount (or at full price!!). This charity does lots of good stuff to help the children in Gaza shop.hopeandplay.org/products/202...

First Monday of 2026 out the way so celebrating with just one more evening with a glass of red wine and candles (and my beloved blue jug just out of shot)

My god, what an incredible piece. Satire feels harder in an age where real life is so ridiculous, but this is sharp as hell

Very sad seeing a cormorant with fishing tackle caught in its mouth. Local wildlife rescue place unable to help as they don’t have a boat (clearly they only do less adventurous rescues now they don’t have a tv show)

Blimey today is giving 110% Monday.

One of my favourite things about The Traitors is the post-show gameplay. You can see how some contestants have absolutely mapped out the type of fame they think the show will get them.

That thing when you want to keep up with international hot takes but also avoid traitors spoilers.

I have annexed The country Whose resources I wanted And which you Were probably Hoping I could identify a giraffe It was the best clock Anybody drew I like McDonald's Hey look, a bird

The only thing I have bought in the sales is cheese but boy have I bought a lot of it

Choice of footwear sub optimal

So are lemon pigs proof that the timeline changed because last year nada and this year it’s all lemon pigs. I know the timeline won’t back me up but still.

Bread and roses, lads. You don't work for permission to exist, you work so you can have a nice life. And Terry Pratchett didn't give us the Boots Theory just so you could not know it.

Miss Toots dreaming

Can confirm it really is bin night tonight youtu.be/pMxlMop8scE?...

Christmas decks are down but the Hallgrimskirkja tea light holder is staying up

For Christmas I got kiddo a signed Stranglers setlist from the Leeds gig we were at in October and still basking in 1. what a fab present it was and 2. what a crazy fun set they played. I love that White Stallion always gets trotted out.