Babe wake up, new industrial band five-album discography just dropped

Sunday solstice sunset last weekend

I am re-reading Turtle Diary by Russell Hoban. It’s so lovely. This bit made me laugh. I would like to think I’ll remember to say “nations do not ascend on such tomatoes” next time I eat a disappointing one.

Listening to Cantus Arcticus from this R3 broadcast last night and trying to think Arctic thoughts. Love all the bird sounds. 🪶 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

God. I could really do with Emu throwing me bodily into a supermarket freezer right about now.

Mostly annoyed with The Weather for putting me off a lunchbreak walk, which daily keeps me saner and healthier. It’ll still be on the PopTart-filling side of hot at 9pm. Sigh

Hydratez-vous, c'est la canicule

one of the first things I learned about hot-weather bookselling is "do not think that you can coax a goose to wait behind the till keeping an eye on things while you knock off to the park for a calippo"

10pm back door hedgehog, just after some heavy rain, roaming around and shaking off the drops 🦔

Today at the Test

Driving to Uig for the North Uist ferry on Friday I glanced across a loch adjacent to the road & noticed a Diver close to the bank & thankfully a lay-by. A quick stop was rewarded with close views of a pair of immaculate Black-throated Divers. Is there a more impeccable bird in the UK? #UKBirding

Walked through St Pancras earlier today and heard a piano being played inside a shed kind of building in the middle of the concourse, and it was @jayrayner1.bsky.social playing and it was all a bit surreal. But nice. #jazz

Am barely going to engage with that other thing but the national birds of today’s opener are the golden eagle (Mexico) and the blue crane (South Africa), and I’m struggling to choose between them.

10th June 2026 05.11

Plush limpets for everyone #springwatch

Norfolk, 2016 #otd

Loads of sand martins and a gazillion ox-eyes. Juuune

7th June 2026 05.58

Back at @wigmore-hall.org.uk and this is the first time I’ve ever seen The Fall and Henry Purcell on the same setlist

Now close to the Channel Islands! atlantic-explorer.com/FAQ

My all time favourite road name. Kirkheaton, near Huddersfield.

Half an hour into the Test summer and Jeremy Coney is discussing tea with cocaine in it, never change TMS

🎶 Test match starts today 🎶 (Cold. Rainy. Windy)

Air to Ground Message: HEY CABIN CREW ONLY HAVE 1 TEAPOT FOR THE WHOLE PLANE. ANY CHANCE TO HAVE 1 EXTRA IN LTN WOULD MAKE THEIR LIFE EASIER THXXX XXXXX AND XXXXX Area: Jersey, UK Type: Airbus A320 A: #a24db067b0c F: #fea36d98970

eavesdropping on a couple of english lit academics in st. john, i overheard confirmation of what is surely going to be the biggest literary news story of the year

30th May 2026 04.44

There are two cuckoos here, one a semitone higher than the other. Which I seem to remember happening last year? They sometimes get into Philip Glassian loops. There's a research paper in this.

Nice moon rising. Birds shuffling around inside the hedge. 10pm goodness.

▫️ the underneath ▫️

#springwatch reminds me to take stock of this year’s garden fledglings so far: Robins - 3, bumbling around unaided Sparrows - 4, being fed in the open Bluetits - 4, shouting from tree Great tits - 4, same Blackbirds - still unseen but being fed a lot Here’s to the harassled exhausted parents

Post-work hammock + ice lolly + book and things are really not so bad

Reminder that there is lightningmaps.org for all your real-time thunderstorm needs *gestures across Bedfordshire*

Go out! Look up! Enjoy the Moon! Watch how it changes from night to night (I've had a great view of the first quarter Moon from the garden the last couple of nights). Do not worry about 'special' events like a mini blue strawberry latte hedgehog Moon. Just go and look whenever you like! 🔭

Cow parsley time

@bcky.bsky.social 🎈🎉HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BIRTHDAY PORPENTINE 🎉🎈 I hope there is much cake, singing and dancing, banners, fanfares, fireworks

Other work of the Ladybird artists. ‘The Swallows’ Rendezvous’ (1937) Artist: CF Tunnicliffe

Baby robins in the garden. Grumpy demanding speckled little fluffballs. Parent birds dashing about. I am enslaved #birds

'Hyde Park' (1931) by Sybil Andrews

Gustav Klimt was 17 years old in 1879 when he drew (with charcoal and black chalk) this portrait of a young girl. His superb technical ability as a draughtsman is evident even as a teenager in the way he uses shadow to create a three-dimensional picture on paper.

I do love these guys

The day has finally arrived. You can now *officially* watch puffins live from the Farne Islands, 24 hours a day: bit.ly/4tRz72T Please enjoy these puffins kissing in celebration of this momentous event.

Breakfast with peonies

It is peony time and so I cannot pass by the florist. I have to go in

Glad Valborg to all who celebrate. Off with you winter and don’t hurry back.

@kirkdalebooks.bsky.social This will apparently be streamed “at a later date” and I for one will be watching. I know you are a Vikingur fan so thought I’d pass this on www.lucernefestival.ch/en/program/v...

Cherry moon 5.15pm

Den stora älgvandringen is back on STV. Slow TV at its best. Moose migrating through a Swedish forest. All day every day until May 8. #älgvandringen www.svtplay.se/kategori/alg...

The cherry tree has done its annual explosion and as usual I am surprised and amazed. Pink froth, pink snow

Waiting for a train. A collared dove lands on an overhead wire next to me and edges away along it verrry slowly in a way that attracts my attention before ducking under the canopy of the platform building. And there is the nest. Two sizeable chicks. Hope no one else sees them and disturbs them. 🪶

It’s That Time Again in the garden