Peter Ustinov smiled at me at the Stadium of Light.

Had the most fabulous afternoon tea at Castle Howard as part of the "Wizard of Oz" display. Those bloody monkeys are still terrifying but the Witch of the North is beautiful - as all northern lasses are.

Just watched the #beyondparadise Christmas special. Even though Ade made me cry twice it was absolutely lovely.

#DuvetKnowItsChristmas has raised over £26k. @rhodri.biz you absolute bloody hero. Again. Thank you

Working my way through @janjonesauthor.bsky.social Fencross Parva Mysteries over Christmas. Loving them and I want them on the telly.

Breaking with tradition and having Lancashire cheese with the Christmas cake. And very well paired they are. Sherry on the side.

Chicken, sausage, stuffing, cranberry. Extra roasties because vegetables are important.

It's over. They've all gone home with bags of presents and massive food parcels. I've taken my bra and make up off. Bliss.

I'M A TREE!

✨️✨️✨️✨️✨ ️Merry Christmas lovely people. Xx ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️

Please don't tell Sister Veronica I got that wrong. I can feel a slapped leg coming my way. 🤣

Pre-roasting veg and slow cooking beef. I've reached the stage of Christmas food prep where early indoctrination comes in very handy. "Sancta Mary Berry, ora pro nobis. Sanctus Nigel, ora pro nobis. Sancta Delia of Norwich, ora pro nobis." Extra points if you can remember the music.

Just checked on Sky - Santa's in Russia. Yes I'm 63. What's your point?

Christmas Lights. Mark Benton and Robson Green's friendship shines through.

The visiting son is leaving to see his girlfriend on Christmas night and the one who lives local is taking the famalam boy for a contact visit after tea. A busy day and a peaceful night sounds just about right.

One of my Christmas Eve traditions is to post this old ghost story of mine. You don't have to read it or anything but you can if you want.

Tomorrow evening it’ll be my annual duty to vaguely shepherd the activity on the #duvetknowitschristmas hashtag and urge people to give small sums to charity. 7.30pm? Something like that?

@janjonesauthor.bsky.social happy birthday xx

1970s Christmas cake.

I'll miss you, Michael. Rest in peace.

I've declared Christmas open and had a Betty's mince pie. Might have some chocolate money as a second course.

@lynnnothegger.bsky.social Thank you for translating my food allergy into German Lynn. I screenshotted it and used it in Vienna. Didn't want my dumplings to kill me!

The wonderful @wombat37.bsky.social has been part of the lives of so many of us for so many years. A cheerful and kind force for good, Michael cast light over us all. From sausage leagues to sundaypix, tweetups to twanta. He'll be missed and remembered with so much love.

Sainsbury's email says there's nothing missing from my order. Vienna's been lovely but not having to get the car out for carrots has made me super happy.

I've been to a concert under the Mozarthaus and another in St Francis of Assisi's church. And seen so much great art. It'll take me a week to process it all #Vienna

#Vienna has been lovely. Christmas markets, pretty lights, and so much art & music. Exhausted now.

I've been out out and determined to avoid the strictly result. Lasted all of a minute. Delighted with the result so I'll still watch it.

I've just stuttered through a piece of sight reading and they put a B# and a C next to each other. Totally threw me. Unless I'm wrong it's the same bloody note. Sneaky buggers.

I can't remember which of you said "Don't forget to order your repeat prescription" but I had forgotten. THANK YOU. I HOPE YOUR CHRISTMAS IS WONDERFUL. (Just been to the chemist to collect a truckload of Christmas meds.)

Bless. Disabled replies. Prick.

They're also cutting Parish Council grants to the poorest areas. And I'm really not interested in seeing another smug prick saying "that's what they voted for." A lot of us fucking didn't.

*** PSA *** If you are lucky enough to be able to afford a new console for your loved ones this Christmas then please, do me, you, and them a solid and UNBOX IT (carefully), CONNECT IT TO THE INTERNET (to update it), and then RE-BOX IT before wrapping. Servers will be slammed on Christmas Day x

Just had an email from Allergy Uk warning against Dubai-style chocolate. If, like me, you're anaphylactic, it might be worth reading the FSA statement.

Dunno what made me look at amazon (it's the only real-time indication I have) but there seems to be a Christmas bump of my book sales. Even though my long-promised fifth one in the series has been builder-delayed. They are a) perfect stocking fillers and b) available from anywhere other than there 🎶

25 'MOST BLUESKY' POSTS OF 2025 Here's my selection of the 25 Bluesky posts that most impressed me this year. They're quite varied, but doesn't that reflect the thriving, harmonious site this really is? Yes. It does. They've been anonymised anyway, who cares?

I've just found @ianmartin.bsky.social 's 25 'MOST BLUESKY' POSTS OF 2025. So funny I almost tapped a sign.

Reproducing one of the best pieces of parenting advice I have ever received: if you are giving any kind of electronica as a gift, set it up and do any necessary software downloads *before* you wrap it. And as below, make sure you have batteries.

@adamroberts.bsky.social Happy Hanukkah all-the-Roberts x

Gloomy afternoon - perfect for watching Hercule Poirot's Christmas...again.

#Aglow in Bishop Auckland. Excellent display and so well organised. I was explaining the plot of the Nutcracker to the OH and accidentally gathered a crowd of little girls. I had to start again and WHAT WAS THE LITTLE GIRL'S NAME AND WAS IT CHOCOLATE CAKE AND ARE THE MICE NAUGHTY? Once a teacher...

I've just watched #STUFFED with Guz Khan. It's a perfect bit of Christmas telly. Funny and sad at the same time. Lovely to see such genuinely nice characters.

I don't know how florists do it. I've made 2 of these this afternoon and my fingertips are shredded.

Christmas nails!

Same. I loved California with its natural beauty & friendliness. New England's history & museums were fabulous. And don't get me started on how much I adored New York. We'd be here all day. I'll never go again. Trump & his ilk have totally ruined my view of the USA.

If you’re not thinking about what people actually want and need, and you prioritise pomp over dignity, then you need to have a little moment of reflection. Poverty is horrible, not an opportunity to live out your Victorian philanthropist fantasy and feel all toasty with goodness.

A couple of years ago, a big company had been asking shoppers to donate gifts for children. They phoned and said they could deliver what we needed. They wanted to do a big photo shoot of the delivery, for their marketing. Obviously, I told them to get stuffed. Bunch of ghouls.

A few days ago a local charity delivered a pile of presents to school for families finding Christmas tricky. Without fanfare. Quietly. Since then my TAs have been working late wrapping them. No one has asked for overtime. Everyone will get what they need. This is gentle, behind the scenes goodness.

Has anyone had their eyes lasered? And if you did, did you go with Optical Express? I'd rather go somewhere recommended.

Off work now till 7th January. Paid all the invoices a week early so all the suppliers love me lots.

I've been wrapping Christmas presents. Broke a nail on the string. No idea how. Inside someone's parcel there'll be a sliver of forest green thumb shard.