A somewhat rusty tribute to British engineering excellence, and a sculpture of the Avro Lancaster.

Ann Widdicombe lived in a village called Haytor (subs: please check spelling)

He was born in France to French parents then grew up in Wimbledon. Very much a cross-channel Fery.

Harvest is underway today, 8 July 2026, in Nottinghamshire. Farmer told me it's "the earliest I've ever known it". #climatecatastrophe #climateemergency #harvest #Nottinghamshire

If Reeves and Starmer had shown a little more of this sass over the last couple of years, they wouldn't be in the mess they are.

Take me down to paracetamol city, where the morphine's smooth but the aspirin's gritty

I'm afraid people are getting ahead of themselves saying that Clacton by-election will be Farright versus Binface. Parliament hasn't even set the date yet, then nominations will open, and remain open for a while, and some time after that the actual poll takes place.

I have no interest in football, but I really hope Belgium humiliates USA tonight and sends them home crying.

In case any of you want to get me something for Christmas

I ran an absolutely 100% human, zero AI-involvement at any stage passage of my writing through an "AI detector," curious if it could really tell human from AI work, and it said my own writing was "84% AI written" then asked I wanted to pay to have it "humanized." So there's that to keep in mind.

"public trust in science and scientists is high...The idea that there’s a pervasive lack of trust is completely unfounded...But trust has dropped in certain groups...politically right-leaning groups" Maybe it's not science/scientists that's to blame... 1/2 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Excuse me if I don't have complete faith in the quality of these instructions

Low band of noctilucent clouds seen on the northern horizon just now, 01.40, from Nottinghamshire.

If you want advice on looking after your indoor house plants, I'll be doing a talk on the subject at Broadway Cinema tonight www.broadway.org.uk/whats-on/not...

Low band of noctilucent clouds seen on the northern horizon just now, 01.40, from Nottinghamshire.

Pity the poor non-sports fan who prefers terrestrial #TV (me), who finds next week's schedules include not only wall-to-wall football but also wall-to-wall tennis and bonus cricket and rugby* thrown in. *supposedly a winter sport, like football.

friend at a big tech co just told me that her company's chatbot and their client's chatbot have been caught in a mutual support loop for several days that has generated nearly 20k emails

I wonder if @space.com is using AI to create its posts. Somebody or something is putting the alt txt where the content should be.

Just been asked to complete a feedback form from an event I attended recently. It is of course 'fully anonymous'. The very first question, red-starred so unavoidable, asks for my post code.

I'm aware of funnel-web spiders from long ago travels in Australia, and was surprised to find this funnel web today in central England. Don't panic, it seems to be lair of the labyrinth #spider Agelena labyrinthica. I think this is the first record at this location. Who should I tell? #wildlife

Have been out, not through choice. Car read 39C on entry and stabilised at 36C en route. Steering wheel too hot to hold, so deployed the winter driving gloves. Feeble aircon made little difference. Tell me again that climate change is a myth, or a blip.

It seems that #pterosaur wings probably had much more varied shapes than previously depicted. Fossils records are few but researchers at Bristol UK just published in Palaeobiology saying that different lifestyles would have meant different wing shapes, just like in modern birds. Makes sense to me!

This is a job ad for a communications role at a UK university. Annual leave! Sick pay! Company pension! (all statutory requirements). Discount on what? Tuition? It's a university.

By 'eck, the nights are really drawing in.

All the tributes to Starmer, including his own to himself, focus on his victory in the last general election - without acknowledging that this election, more than any other in recent history, was much more about the Tories losing than Labour winning.

Ed Davey's full statement: The British public are sick of the merry-go-round of prime ministers. Can I have a go now?

Spent this afternoon at an event for writers, with a number of speakers on topics around publishing. The event included a break for networking. Picture the scene: dozens of introverts mumbling excuse-mes as they cautiously reach for a biscuit, doing their best to avoid eye contact. Networking.

Currys is currently advertising its huge TV sets as 'football ready'. I mean, WTF?

Nearly bumped into a Monty and Frances at Gardener's World Live. Did my best to be inconspicuously in shot for Monty's opening dialogue. Fame and fortune can't be far behind.

Just thought of a worthwhile use for AI: automatically detect and hide any BlueSky posts related to football. Somebody do it please.

Because every service station needs an F1 Ferrari on the ceiling. On the A19 in North Yorkshire.

Time for me to repeat one of my ‘sayings’. If you try to solve a problem by passing a law, but people don’t obey the law, you now have two problems where you used to have one.

Ta-da! Wordle 1,821 2/6 🟨⬜⬜🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Apparently Doctor Who has gone all woke and gay. Tell it to the Dalek. Pic by me in Matlock, Derbyshire last week. Happy #Pride month. #doctorwho #dalek #matlock #derbyshire

I thought it was very sensitive of #BBC #R4 to devote so much time this morning to amplifying JD Vance and frogmouth Farage's incitements to racism and violence. Just what the family of Henry Nowak asked for.

Not sure I can watch HIGNFY tonight with that fucking arsehole Gove on the panel.

UK publishing generated £7.4 billion in revenue last year. Compare that to: Premier League football: £6.6 billion Home entertainment: £5.6 billion UK film industry: 2.8 billion Now tell me again why authors don't deserve fair contracts and better pay.

Am on a train in Derbyshire, and have been given a booklet from Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage. In Matlock Bath, I read, in the early 19th century, visitors could hire a rowing boat from the Boat House Inn and, for an extra charge, hire the innkeeper's daughters (1/2)

Am on a train in Derbyshire, and have been given a booklet from Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage. In Matlock Bath, I read, in the early 19th century, visitors could hire a rowing boat from the Boat House Inn and, for an extra charge, hire the innkeeper's daughters (1/2)

A little factoid to make you happy.

Typography matters

Look at this little beauty, found indoors and now returned to the wild. Small Magpie moth Anania hortulata. Fly, my pretty.

HIGNFY has this week chosen a magazine called Global Cement to ridicule. About a thousand years ago, the editor of World Cement had the desk next to me. I have no idea if the two titles are related, and I'm not interested enough to find out.

We've been re-organising our library and discovering some rather wonderful knitting journals from the 1970s. Happy Friday everyone.

Apparently there's a thing called #fingerpostfriday and I humbly submit this for consideration. A post with its own name, on Exmoor.

I see the war criminal with a god complex (the British one) has an opinion. Yeah, fuck off.

I see the war criminal with a god complex (the British one) has an opinion. Yeah, fuck off.

And it sounded so human, until it didn't

the hungry observatory

Every summer I repost this article on how to spot drowning. Please read it and pass on. In the last few years I’ve had SIX messages from people who saved a kid’s life after clicking on the link from my feed. slate.com/technology/2...