The Poor Wit and the Rich Councillor. A certayne poor wit, being an-hungered, did meet a well-fed councillor. 'Marry, fool,' quoth the councillor, 'whither away?' 'In truth,' said the poor wag, 'in that I have eaten naught these two dayes, I do wither away, and that right rapidly!'

Here’s a poem called ‘What Don Corleone Did Next’. #worldotterday

"Transplants the atmosphere of a Grimm fairy tale to a small town in Scotland, simultaneously evoking the antiquarian terrors of M. R. James and the golden era of dark fantasy." —Maria J Pérez Cuervo, founder/editor of HELLEBORE. pspublishing.co.uk/steal-me-sig...

Some years back I asked my son what he wanted to do on his birthday and he said urbex. So we went to this ruined 19th C mansion and sat in the courtyard in hot sunshine eating canned fruit with teaspoons and listening to Hallelujah Money. It genuinely felt apocalyptic. Five stars, would do again.

Son is home for the weekend. We just went for a 13.5km walk and now he is making a late lunch for everyone and he is just THE BEST.

You want to see Norway men’s national football team’s official photo for World Cup 2026 www.nytimes.com/athletic/733...

Son is home and the tiny dog is in PAROXYSMS of delight

Today in Things I Had Forgotten Until Now: according to my paternal grandparents, we had a distant relative who went to the States and vanished presumed dead in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

As it’s #NationalCrimeReadingMonth there’s also this up for pre-order, out in just a few weeks! #crimestories #revenge #crimereads www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Served-...

I *love* places like this. You ring the bell and a boat comes and takes you over to an island with a castle on it. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Wild. ""I ain't worried about it all these years, I wasn't worried about it yesterday." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

When the quest for a mysterious lost movie leads to a remote Scottish mansion, a uniquely terrifying experience results. Stately paced blood-curdler from @helengrantsays.bsky.social, our uncrowned queen of the supernatural. Exquisitely written, and packed with fearsome antagonists, living and dead.

👇 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

"warnings emerged that a region of unique biodiversity and cultural heritage was at risk of being destroyed" www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Daughter & I are watching THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1939) with Basil Rathbone as Holmes. I was commenting on the fact that it was much closer to the era of the hansom cab etc etc than we are now & therefore ought to be very authentic. So I googled when the last hansom was retired. It was 1947!!

"Contractors for the housebuilder Hill Group carried out the demolition of Regent House near Dorking station in Surrey over the last few weeks, during the nesting season which runs from 1 March to 31 August." www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I was sorting through some old photos yesterday as I was making a new photobook for my old dad, and I found this one of the CalMac ferry to Gigha in 1985!

Tomorrow 7pm at Strathearn Arts in Crieff: I'll be talking about getting your book published. Details on the website. All welcome! www.strathearnarts.org

182 years ago, on the 3rd of June 1844, the last two confirmed Great Auks were killed off the coast of Iceland on request of a merchant. Their colony had been close to 50 in number in 1835. The pair were incubating an egg when killed. #otd #history 🗃️

Our campervan has broken down, & OH currently has a repairman round (it was not easy to get one because the van is an import from Japan). They are talking about capacitors & battery cells & I'm doing my best to look fascinated because I don't wanna look like a technologically hopeless woman, BUT...

Daughter and I were in absolute hysterics this morning. OH helpfully put athlete's foot powder in her ancient and holey Dr. Martens and he evidently overdid it.

OH went out for a run about 20 minutes ago and just now there was thunder followed by absolutely torrential rain 😱

Just had to stop and tell the dog what a little precious petal she is

I feel we need to bring the term "slug-abed" back into common parlance

It's a living. #grickledoodle #horror #mouse #cats #writing #cartoon #art #drawing #funny #humor

Feels like an honest article! My ten-pennies'-worth is: try reading one chapter a day. I'm now over halfway through WAR AND PEACE doing that. www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...

If you're near Crieff: this Thursday I'll be talking about getting your book published, 7pm at Strathearn Arts! Gets some tips, and truth from the book submission trenches. Details on their website www.strathearnarts.org

Rewatched Del Toro's THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE last night. What a truly superb film that is!

I said hello to a really cute little Dachshund this morning and it went into a paroxysm of barking. I did not TOUCH this small dog, nor make any attempt to touch it, so I can only assume that "hello" is a grave insult in dog language.

Alongside all the 50s B movies we've been watching, I rewatched CRIMSON PEAK last night. What a truly fabulous movie that is!

Back in 1998, I once stepped out of a hot shower, wrapped a towel around myself... and a HUGE spider ran out of the towel and down my arm. (small 🧵)

NIGHTMARE ABBEY 10: includes my latest story, "The Bane of Colmonell", about a couple of Scottish tour guides whose intentions towards their clients are not what you'd expect... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GXFVGCR...

The time the dog saw some sheep.

Just a reminder of this upcoming novella with a stunning cover by @johncoulthart.com! Legends bookshop - pray it doesn't open near you... pspublishing.co.uk/steal-me-sig...

I thoroughly enjoyed Resurrection Blues by @marieoregan.bsky.social It's compelling and haunting and beautifully written. It looks great as well, but one would expect nothing less from the excellent @blackshuckbooks.bsky.social

Now watching CURSE OF THE FACELESS MAN (1958)

You can always tell when The Stranglers have been in to return their books.

Watching THE PHARAOH'S CURSE on Tubi. Quite entertaining! The hero is called CAPTAIN STORM and already he's had to suck poison out of a scorpion sting on the heroine's arm.

This is great! Get some holiday reading...

"A walker who had a suspected adder bite at the Whangie" - okay, STOP RIGHT THERE news.stv.tv/west-central...

Currently doing No Mow May, though *cough* we probably also did No Abridge April, No Mow March, No Fell February and No Jettison January. Pretty soon the garden will swallow the house and I will have to type by the light of my laptop screen.

Watching THE MONOLITH MONSTERS on Tubi. It is highly entertaining.

New arrival for the creaking bookshelves: Nightmare Abbey #10. A who’s who of my favorite writers on the TOC and just a really cool package in general as a physical magazine.

Currently writing a short story which really wants to be a novella. It can't be one, because it has to be 7k words or thereabouts, but I'm tempted to do a longer version some time down the line...

There’s a book for everyone in Legends—a book that will encourage their worst impulses. Steal. Fear. Burn. Kill. It’s not long before Rowan’s small town is descending into mayhem. Rowan could try to cut and run. Or she could make a stand . . . pspublishing.co.uk/steal-me-sig...

It's very hard to caption this without being vulgar *cough*

Went for a 13.5km walk (I have feet of fire like the blimmin Wendigo now) and saw bluebells, mallards and a heron.

Watched WEAPONS last night - brrrr. Aunt Gladys is simultaneously cringe and terrifying.

As announced by @pspublishinguk today - the latest titles from #absinthebooks! #stealme by @helengrantsays.bsky.social , #houseofwyrd by @splinister.bsky.social and #thelampinthewindow from @tommeadauthor.bsky.social To order, head to pspublishing.co.uk/absinthe-boo...