I saw Daughters of Darkness (a 1971 let’s be honest EROTIC horror) years ago late night on the BBC and it has stuck with me ever since. Not like that. It’s set in a deserted seaside hotel in Oostende. I **love** out of season North Sea seaside towns by the way. (“Everyday is silent and grey.”)

“Red sky in the morning, Really quite lovely indeed”

It’s amazing to think Nigel Farage was once exactly the same.

Absolutely over the moon with my new slip mat from @gailmyerscough.co.uk. You should go check her stuff out, it’s aces.

After too long hemming and hawing, picked up All The Haunts Be Ours, an astonishing compendium of folk horror containing 20 movies from around the world. Started the centrepiece documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched and wondered how I’d get on (it’s 3’15”). It flew by; amazing piece of work.

“On a willow twig a kingfisher perches. It watches the eels with interest, but these are well-grown and too big for him to catch” ‘What to Look for in Autumn’ Artist: CF Tunnicliffe Writer: EL Grant Watson

I’m giving an online talk on Thursday evening at 8pm (UK time) about Birds & Flight. It’s free to RSPB members but anyone can join for a donation. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/talk-by-le...

Gail is great, for proof look at all her cool stuff FFS.

And now…It’s been a while since I last watched Se7en, but here we are.

I’m rewatching Late Night with the Devil (which is great- David Dastmalchian is *fantastic*) and I’ve just realised it has a great mirror in the contemporaneous “3x3” episode of Inside No.9 (the one with Lee Mack, also brilliant).

Next time someone tells you that train drivers "just push buttons" show them this from the BBC

I may have missed a memo, but Amadeus still (ahem) rocks. Almost zero cultural footprint these days, but it’s still wonderful.

I feel like if you had to ban social media for any group of people for their own protection, you should probably start with people over 60.

Revisited this spectacular Kaleb Horton paragraph about crows this morning. "I have met crows that should be in jail" is one of those sentences that's so good you're initially furious you didn't write it yourself before circling back around to just being glad you got to read it.

Over on the Other Place I would occasionally put this thread together, most recently during lockdown, four years ago in fact, and I realised I'd not done it here. So, bear with, and feel free to mute as this is an epic (genuinely, I’m not sure we won’t reach hitherto non-invoked thread limits tbh).

Evening, everyone. I am watching The Quatermass Xperiment and isn’t that just a cracking image?

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis... Hello everyone…just a PSA to say that all nine hours of Shoah is available for free on the iPlayer. Astonishing.

We need to go back to idolising the FA Cup and treating it as the last and only truly great competition in the game. Plus, they still sing Abide With Me, which, after Nearer My God To Thee, is the best hymn.

Lauren Bacall © John Engstead

There’s a lot wrong with the world, so maybe we could start with this guy and move outward.

One more share for this. The sea, refugees, flags, and helping the people who are helping.

Years ago, Tokyo did a commission for me of my daughter and her new pooch, Belle, as a pup. (There’s also Cleo the hamster sat on her shoulder if you look carefully.) He’s a great talent and a lovely man…you should take a look at his shop if you can.

Please help support my TINY business and either purchase something from my shop (stickers are only £3) or please share this so I can reach new customers. Thank you! www.infinitebacon.com

If you believed the producers of King and Conqueror, you'd think the original source material for the Norman Conquest was virtually nonexistent. In fact it's one of the best-documented events in medieval European history. You can even spin a 400+ page book out of it. www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/k...

Might start popping back here. Hello everyone, I trust you’re all well?

Once more for luck. Then I'll shut up about it (for a bit).

My new FREE TO ALL substack post is up. In a brief diversion from the main structure of these posts I'm taking a break by reading two long-time favorites: Elmore Leonard's VALDEZ IS COMING & Donald Westlake's KILLY. Lots to talk about with both! Please click billryan64.substack.com/p/you-aint-b...

Hobbys at Lakenheath. More acrobatic than swifts. Ripping dragonflies in half and chomping them in mid air. Bloody great. Sometimes they stopped and took a breath #birds🪶 #ukbirding

Bill’s always been great on books and movies…this is different and very moving. I wish you well my friend.

For the record I fucking hate Steely Dan because of Steve

“If the dumbest person is on your side, you’re on the wrong side” - Steve Albini Steve Albini has died. Which is shit. His last few years of public growing-up were impressive. If Steve Albini could work out how the tools work, where the sharp bits are, who might get hurt, so can all the Edgelords.

Also, in #ukbirding and #birds🪶 news, the best pic I’ll ever manage of a blackcap (he was too busy warbling away to be worried about me).

They’re back. They’re back, they’re back, they’re back! #TurtleDoves #ThatsMoreLikeIt #TFFT #ukbirding #birds🪶

Charles 'still best known for The Quincunx thirty years later' Palliser's new novel is a rather good tension-building story of a family caught by war and authoritarian government - and does a better job of it than Prophet Song. Me on Sufferance:

A gadwall, the king of ducks, and a bullfinch, after the rains cleared this afternoon #ukbirding #birds🪶

Back is fooked once more (fire all of your guns at once and explode into space, Al; don’t mind if I do lads) so binging on Saxondale.

So I’m watching 2001 and there can’t be anything new to say about it, other than it’s FIFTY SIX YEARS OLD. Look at it.

Norn Iron folk! How does one pronounce Boneybefore, please?

Hey @gralefrit.bsky.social if you’re ever in need of an incredibly minor semi-pro electronic musician to appear on Comfort Blanket (love the show) I am more than happy to gabble away about my love for Jean Michel Jarre or Around The World In 80 Day With Michael Palin.

Went for a little explore today. Found this. I do like a holloway.

A superb yellowhammer and a very chatty chiffchaff ushering April in through the birch trees #ukbirding #birds 🪶

Hey, I know this Isn’t what #wildflowerhour is for, but I thought you might enjoy the wonderful folklorist and historical botanist Roy Vickery talking charmingly about plants on a tramp around Tooting Common podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/f...

#Goodfellas. Again. From that perfect opening to every other perfect scene, it’s the greatest Easter movie. Well. That’s what I’ve decided anyway.

I’m watching Lake Mungo and I may need all the lights on forever.