“Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart”/ “I am no lunatic in a mad fit, but a sane man fighting for his soul”

Even back in the 70s and 80s when I could be hassled by the police for walking while trans, no one ever tried to stop me pissing in the Ladies or tried to make me change into my swimsuit among men. There is no dignity or respect involved in taking away rights I have exercised freely for forty years

Good news for once

Another extraordinary win today - don't let our natural negativity bias let the recognition of these miracles slip away

I know he’s awful, but you do *feel* for Mr Collins sometimes. It’s as if he can’t respond normally to even basic civility, because no one in his life has ever actually been kind to him.

Apparently a lot of ppl needs to hear this #bskycensorship

We’ve joined with other LGBTQIA+ organisations to speak out against the ongoing rise of the far-right and hostility towards people of colour, Muslims, refugees, people seeking asylum and migrants. You can read our statement here and the sector statement here: www.consortium.lgbt/lgbt-sector-...

There comes a bit with my fatigue where… you know that bit in Sci Fi shows where they say, “Divert the power from everything except life support!” and then the lights dim right down, and the ship stops moving, and all the background noise stops? That.

I feel like we use the word queer when talking about art to refer to “speaks to the concerns of the whole LGBTQIA+ spectrum” which is a good use of the word, but we shouldn’t forget that it also means “subversive, challenging, and strange.”

Instead of an account blackout to protest BlueSky’s anti-sex T’s and Cs update, how about you share content from adult creators whose work you love? We’re drowning. It’s not just me, I don’t know anyone who produces adult content who is doing well right now.

Merry equinox!

Which movie do you consider to be perfect?

Trying to tidy the house and… where do all these fucking *books* keep coming from?

Putting some snowdrops in to Woodland Walk bit of the garden, and discovered we’ve had a dragon move in:

Someone has wound The Alarm Clock.

I have just bought BULBS.

"I'd rather stay in and iron me sack" was a thing folk would say back in the day when they didn't want to go to the show.

Arrr, it be nice to see people embracing once more the spirit of #TalkLikeAPirateDay. Much needed in these dark times, me hearties.

“Disturbing” I think.

Imagine watching Rutland Weekend Television - Eric idle's low budget regional broadcasting spoof/surreal music-hall half-hour - on sleepy old BBc2 and Acttual Beatle George Fucking Harrison turns up in his Bangladesh Concert suit, plays the intro to My Sweet Lord, and then...

Tonight! Come and join us for some truly Gothic proceedings as we explore THE LEGACY OF DRACULA, with a look at Derby's place in the Dracula story and a panel with JS Barnes, Ramsey Campbell and Benjamin Kurt Unsworth!

A pirate goes to the ship’s surgeon to have spots on his arm checked. The surgeon says, "They're benign". The pirate replies, "No, no doc. There be 11. I counted them before I came here." Happy International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Wild, truly wild dreams last night - which may have been my fever breaking, but felt genuinely like a spiritual battle was being fought. Maryle was, of course, their in the person of a matagot cat - battling evil between the dark and the dawn.

Just heard my first skein of geese if the winter calling their way across the sky, so here’s a bit frim one of my Saint Poems: “It is unknowing that transforms wild geese from humble beasts dipping wings in abbey-skies to the lost-soul-voices howling through the fog”

Foraged a good stone of fruit today. Now I’ve got to work out what to fo with it all…

"Daily Alice couldn't tell if she felt huge or small. She wondered whether her head were so big as to be able to contain all this starry universe, or whether the universe were so little that it would fit within the compass of her human head."

The trouble with gentle parenting a very logic-focused autistic child is that, at about 3 you told them, “the reason we bring a coat is to avoid being cold and wet all day,” and that was sort of it for the next 12 years. Then, one day, they’re 15 and it doesn’t work any more.

I really, really hate coming face to face with the limitations chronic fatigue puts on my life. It makes me grumpy and strange.

🦋 Robert Redford has sadly passed away in his sleep, aged 89 Many will celebrate his film career, as a wonderful actor and director, but his significant contributions for over 50 years as an environmentalist must not be forgotten He will be greatly missed by many 🦋 #ClimateChange #Science

Also, have to say, always thought London people were fast walking, impatient, and aggressive, but that was before I spent four years doing the Back-to-School shop, in Edinburgh, in August. Pick up the *pace* please, people.

What if, instead of going to my shift, I simply went… to Edinburgh?

Bramble jelly made. Red cabbage for pickle brining. Fred… in quite an astonishing amount of pain. And there’s *still* the ironing to do.

The "Prosecco Stormfront" label isn't just a joke. It's exactly the same radicalisation as when neo-nazis and incels target lonely teenage boys. Find isolated, unhappy people - and new and middle-aged mums often have very good reasons to be sad and angry – and give them someone to safely blame.

5 things that make you happy, quick! 🌈 clean bedsheets 🌈 oak trees 🌈 the Maillard reaction 🌈 necking 🌈 making jam

Explaining to Sprog2 (who is by my reckoning Mildly Ill with Additional Skivalitis) the difference between Mildly Ill, Moderately Ill, Quite Ill, and Severely Ill. (Mildly Ill with Skivalitis is the most dangerous for parents - they might be Moderate Becoming Quite, or they may be Actually Well.)

God, it’s just chucking it down, huh?

One of my favourite recurring jokes in The Simpsons is that Bart is psychic.

Weird parenting opinion: I bloody love the “why?” phase, and I miss it. It makes you think about your own reasons for doing things, and - even if it is a bit mischievous- if treated gently and seriously, can be great for both parties.

Dessert mode ACTIVATE: Best pie: Apple 🍏 - a classic for a reason. Best ice cream: some mad flavour of gelato. Best donut: custard Best bar: tiffin Best cake: Victoria sponge Best other: Creme brûlée. (Or one very specific mint choc roulade.) I think I’m a basic bitch.

Owls finishing dinner like

And if you do, it’s *really* difficult to find comps, because a fully developed voice is - by definition - kinda unique.

starting out as an author is really rough because publishers and readers like to find other writers to compare you to for marketing, but what happens is your fledgling work of 1 year ends up being compared to whatever that author did at their 40 year best, and you can imagine how that looks

No one would bother writing a column complaining that racists aren't welcome in the Scottish Greens, regardless of how much they care about tackling the climate emergency. Why do so many journalists struggle with the idea that we take the same position on anti-trans voices?

I have, unfortunately, finished my book, which is annoying because I was enjoying it. This also happened yesterday. And the day before. No, I don’t want to be reading something new, I want at least one of these books to be *longer*.

When 100 thousand trans people rallied in London it was only worthy for the "local news" section.

There’s a whisper down the line at 11:49, when the night Mail’s ready to depart….

Why are the announcements at Euston so needlessly fucking loud?

God, I love the East Coast line.

Well, this is fascinating!