Hello. I’ve finished The Meece’s interpretation of Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. *collapses in a heap* (If anyone can advise on iPad colour settings to put a kind of old fashioned green tinge to it I’d be very grateful because Lightroom doesn’t want to do anything for free any more.)

Current situation.

If you have a friend with Long Covid, be aware that it's a tricky beast that comes and goes and has some odd symptoms that vary from person to person (eg I often struggle with vision and swallowing.) Be understanding, and check in with them, remind them that you care, and understand when they flake.

Mothers’ Day in hospital with the mother. Who is being a delightful premadonna, as is her prerogative.

Good morning

So many wonderful Lauren’s pieces in Palermo. Seek them out if you’re ever there.

Just to reiterate what everyone already knows, GWR WiFi is utter, utter shit.

Huge love for this.

I'm sorry ma'am, but your son perished on Kharg Island in a valiant effort to create Wii Bowling meme videos for the White House X account. In the face of danger, he was not cringe; he was based to his last breath. Please have this commemorative Epic Fury challenge coin. Yes that's Punisher, ma'am

Funeral of a lovely friend gone way too young. There was a skylark singing over the grave, and the sun shone just long enough. Back to London and my mum’s hospital bedside (she’s doing great) tomorrow, in spite of my urgent need to be here at home.

1%, 2% tax on wealth assets is bullshit. It should be 90% on anything above, say, 5 million. We need to eliminate the wealthy as a social and economic class, not tickle their tummies.

I’m back in Devon for a friend's funeral tomorrow, then back to London. I’m amazed by how well my mum is coming through this whole thing. Post-op and she’s already in a chair. Macedonian warrior woman!

We could have him on a banknote and it would still be a beaver* *archaic alternative usage

Well, life comes at you fast. Currently in hospital with my mum, which had a fall yesterday and a hip operation this morning. She’s surprisingly chipper but life’s a funny old fucker, honestly.

“Ma’am, my partner and I have done a thorough inspection of your property, and I’m afraid you’re going to need a new flowerbed, several bushes, and you will most likely need to reseed the lawn. If you want, we can work up an estimate and get back to you.”

Stop scrolling! Pixie is here, delivering slam dunks

Some days I just feel like this Edward Gorey bird gets it.

Right. Back from settling mum in what we hope is her new home. Hugely comforted and cheered by the professionalism and loving kindness of the staff. I left her sitting down to dinner with three other residents and I swear they were talking about men.

Perhaps if politics could be conducted as ANYTHING other than following the most insane nihilists on 8chan or wherever, this shit might happen less.

oh just a thought if your plan for overthrowing the Iranian government depends on the Iranian public rising up, you likely shouldn't have defunded the American government run news agency that speaks in Farsi.

You stopped seeing white dog shit around the same time you stopped seeing proper binmen. Now, I don't want to jump to conclusions...

Twerkers at the barbeque get priority parking 🫡

One of my favourite paintings, by one of the most fascinating painters.

Tomorrow we’re taking mum to a care home - an exceptionally nice one - for a two-week tryout period. It’s time -probably long past time- that she got looked after by professional carers and it is genuinely a lovely place (otherwise there’s no way we’d be doing this) but it’s still extremely strange.

At least we still have dub...

Random London/Soho question but: is Wong Kei any good these days (for the absolute basics)? Is there a single old-school Cantonese, roast-meats-in-the-window, cheap won ton soup joint left in Chinatown?

Feels like this needs a caveat. I loved most of the kitchens I worked in: cooking is innately satisfying. Feeding people is an insanely intimate, human activity. I made good friends, had a lot of fun. My creativity flourished. But it's gruelling, often invisible and bizarrely thankless work as well.

i think that one of the things that nobody in the mainstream talks about (yes i know we complain about it on here all the time if you think this is the mainstream oh boy) is how successfully politicians have divested themselves of any responsibility for anything at all

I mean yes, obviously, but when did we start to think that this WASN’T exactly what war has always been?

Anyway I've been reading this chick called Evelyn Waugh. Pretty good!

Beginning to be slightly alarmed by the amount of Nazi memorabilia on Vinted.

*depresses your Os*

This is so incredibly fascinating! Indian tourists in Roman Egypt!

Please, Bluesky friends, do not tell my Mum I shared this. I promised not to swear or share filth online. This was too good not to share. Our secret, right?

Vietnam famous for its restrictive, minimalist rules of engagement, of course.

I was just on Bible Gateway for a bit of research and I swear this is the only site I've been on lately that doesn't have a built-in AI assistant. Don't want it hallucinating random thoughts and claiming it's the Word of God, that could go badly wrong.

There’s tiny dick energy and there’s this. Nano dick energy. Planck length dick energy. Quantum froth dick energy.

Is there a hotel full of refuge-seeking tax evaders from Dubai that we can picket?

oh no it has escaped into the news scraper wilds but also I think this is my favourite headline (my vanity search google alerts are popping off today - I guess that's my #DigitalFriday contribution!)

The Utter, Utter Joy of Wall Furniture, Rome

When Walter Benjamin spent 5 months in Naples (1920s), he wrote about poverty, inequity and the mafia, and most stop there, but he went on to its anarchic vibrancy, courtyards, streets & stairways, a new theatre, an unforeseen constellation where nothing lasts forever. iPhone 17 | Leica Lux Pro

Drinking whisky and listening to Yanqui U.X.O. again. I can give no clearer insight to my state of mind.

And I find this is such a quintessentially English attitude. “You can still VISIT Italy! What are you complaining about?” As if you’d be mad, or tainted in some way, to want more.

Coincidence corner: Printing MMR nonsense and the UK losing it's measles-free status.

well, today in floridly depressing news: the French helpline for female victims of male violence is facing "coordinated" attacks from men's rights activists, who keep calling up in the hope of making it harder for women to reach their services