Wakes up. Checks cricket score. Wow, England avoided the follow-on! That’s two games in a row…

Cheeseboard featuring Brefu Bach (circular, sheep) from the foothills of Eryri, Gorwydd Caerffili & Pitchfork Cheddar from Gwlad y Haf, Abaty Glas (blue) from Aberystwyth and our local star, Bryn Sinodun (square) made from the milk of fairy goats.

It is a long time since I did the LotR EE marathon for Christmas. Here’s hoping it still holds up.

Well that was a lot of cooking, but here we are

Turducken in the oven. Eldritch carols playing. Time for breakfast.

Bah, humbug! 😉

Book Quote Wednesday's word is 'easy' #BookQW Since we're hosting a big family gathering tomorrow, finding time to do this has been a challenge! I'll be taking the next week off, and I hope it's more relaxing that Dan and Fin's break. With very best wishes to all, however you may be celebrating.

I’d be grateful if folks followed this project on Kickstarter 🖤 Aiming right now to go live in January, depending on when I get all my materials ready. We have some exciting invited authors and @mspencerdraws.bsky.social is on board for interior illustrations.

It is Book Quote Wednesday and the word is 'easy'. In Dust Up at the Crater School by Chaz Brenchley it is Christmas time on Mars and Charm Buchanan is telling her dorm a famous Martian ghost story. Things are not going to end well. #BookQW wizardstowerpress.co...

It's #BookQW and it's time for a threatening rendezvous in a warehouse. #BookQuoteWednesday wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

My takeaway from this: 62% of British parents would be supportive of a trans child. And yet our government behaves as if having a trans kid is almost the worst thing that could happen to a family. (The worst being having a kid who is anti-genocide, of course.)

Hey Wes, Labour’s supporters hate gays more than Reform supporters do. Shouldn’t you be thinking about defecting…

AMERICA! "The Fortunate Fall" by @lateonsetgirl.bsky.social is on sale for $2.99 for Kindle (and possibly Nook, Kobo, Apple, Google, etc) today!

Gender critical organisation Sex Matters has begun its attempt to force Hampstead Heath Ponds into banning Trans+ people from the single sex areas, despite the membership organisation overwhelmingly voting to be trans inclusive 🧵

Our first event of the year. We will be at the Jan 3 event. Maybe at the others if there is interest.

It isn’t too late to buy an ebook, and ours are DRM-free so you can give them as presents.

New Review - two excellent novellas in one volume for you exploring choices Wiz Duos 3 - The Sheltering Flame by Ruthanna Emrys and Walking A Wounded Land by Andrew Knighton is strongly recommended! Out now via @wtpress.bsky.social www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2025/12...

It is that time of year again. My annual Year In Review column is up on the Aqueduct Press blog: aqueductpress.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...

Holiday self-promo thread: if you're looking for last-minute gifts... For the person who wants their cozy fantasy heavily anticapitalist and queer, with a dash of sexy incubus: wizardstowerpress.com/books-2/nove...

Some thoughts on the Levy Review: - it's mostly but not entirely okay - if you're in England, opt out of data collection - it avoids confronting the biggest problems - it ignores 15 years of health research - there are clear examples of better practice - move trans health to primary care already!

Welsh pirates FTW! 🏴‍☠️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Changing Roles and origin Stories, and stealing Children: White Colonizers' crimes against native women and children are not discussed enough. youtu.be/bLUYHLNeSkM?...

Over on Patreon I've posted three short stories—my gift to those who've supported me this year. If you'd rather, you can just buy the PDF or epub, WHAT MATTERS—monsters and heroes, dragons and princesses, and a young girl's chemistry experiment going global—for $9. Happy Solstice!

For indomitable Celts everywhere, wild boar slow cooked in cider. Happy Solstice!

Adding to the Solstice music offerings www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQet...

They're wrong. And we have the receipts. library.oapen.org/handle/20.50...

Heuldro Hapus pawb! 🌞

Many thanks as always to Clare Tuffy and Frank Prendergast for their excellent hosting of the broadcast #NewgrangeSolstice

Lovely archive footage from the original excavation at Newgrange featuring archaeology students from the universities of Harvard, Uppsala and Cork. #NewgrangeSolstice

A poem for Winter Solstice: "The Shortest Day" by Susan Cooper, author The Dark is Rising and numerous other luminous books. The image is from www.thelostland.com. The poem is © Susan Cooper.

Musicians with a Solstice Tree puppet, and two of the three folkloric Obby Osses who danced down the aisles of our village church at this year's Winter Solstice gathering. Photographs by Claire-Shauna Saunders. Dartmoor, Devon, UK.

Upon my sickle I catch the sun And by my power I cast it on Across the sky The light to bring To rouse the gods To send the spring #WinterSolstice #Solstice #Midwinter #PlaymobilInfestation

Happy midwinter from Newgrange! vimeo.com/1148063287?f...

Quick, catch the path of the solstice sun at Newgrange. It's so incredible and quite, quite moving, even if the sun doesn't shine. www.youtube.com/live/lRgumO6...

Good morning Ireland, looks like a lovely day for #NewgrangeSolstice 🌞

The head of the EHRC Mary-Anne Stephenson donated to this case Alison Bailey finally lost against Stonewall. Looks like she supports the power imbalance in the legal system that wealth produces & of the kind that has been used to exclude trans girl guides. The rich punching down with their money.

Just to remind you that the livestream of the solstice sunrise from Newgrange starts 12 hours from now. heritageireland.ie/visit/newgra...

This is a bit unimaginative, but I had missed Saturnalia day so I needed an excuse to break out the vino rosso.

I’m ridiculously late to this because I don’t pay much attention to bourbon, but apparently Jack Daniels now make lesbian (or possibly transmasc) whiskey

Oh look, Rees Zammit special! 🐻🏉🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Do you know how many generated and partially-generated stories authors have tried to submit to Clarkesworld over the last three years? Thousands upon thousands. But they all check a box saying their story didn't use it. It's no longer just side-hustle crap and it's really depressing.

AI summary of the Epstein Files: D[redacted]d T[redacted]p

Those of you involved with running charities, please note 👇

This is a bit of technical legalese, but the basic point is that if the UK forcibly outs trans people then it will probably be in breach of its trade agreements with the EU.

Maybe the earliest Japanese SF story is about Japan invading Britain, as Eli KP William explains in this new essay . Subscribe now (AUD30) to read - and get the July-Dec ebook with TWO exclusive essays! www.speculativeinsight.com/subs (~GBP15 or USD19. Ish.)

Absolute daylight robbery, but the Arms Park is still ours. 17-21 #WestIsBest 🏉🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

At last!

It being that time of year, I'm making a start on the festive cooking. Today, grilled lobster tails in garlic butter on sourdough toast.

The British Medical Association appears to be fed up with Streeting and his TERFy nonsense: www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-s...