Emily has confessed that there were TWO dead mice, that another visiting cat (Simpleshanks) was seen with a third in his mouth this morning and that a red kite just flew over with Life in its claws why am I living in a David Attenborough o God

today the visiting cat seemed jaunty and then I found a dead mouse on the patio. I screamed DEAD MOUSE DEAD MOUSE and fled with my necrophobic self to the front room. Emily dealt. I told the cat he was a villain and disgraced but he just ran up and down the garden and rollicked.

I’ve given this a great deal of thought, trying to come up with the perfect joke for this moment, and this is what I have so far - POPE LEO: our religion teaches that this war is bad VANCE: wow, who died and made YOU head of the Catholic Church?? POPE LEO: well, you should know, you were there

I have painted nails and my baby is very censorious. Keeps examining them and sighing like a Calvinist aunt.

The Humorous Historian #skystorian #academia #academicchatter

Going to the Oliviers with team NT tomorrow. Agog.

Spring once again signalled by the reappearance of elderly ginger cat on south-facing bin shed roof on our street. He is immortalised on nearby mural but I love his mortal form and its predilection for scritches.

Today is, I think, my last day with the Hamlet company at the NT. First met the core of this lovely company when I was pregnant. Now F is 1. The company in all its forms has been so delightful. The NT’s 2026-7 programming is irresistible with LOTS to look forward to, but I shall miss this show!

US about to destroy Iran but honestly in any circs I would be so uninterested in stupid Artemis and stupid moon/space business in general that my boredom makes me angry. What is point.

The linked posts are a joke, right? They have to be a joke. Somebody is rage-baiting me into feeling what I’m feeling now. This is late leftover April 1st content, SURELY

Les Liaisons Dangereuses press night tonight! I saw the preview on Monday and it is looking sensational. Very excited for another viewing and for the marvellous company.

My life would be unworkable if I hadn’t got over train sickness (as long as I can always face forwards!).

Today I’m grateful for: friends who come to walk round the park with me and F; seeing neighbours in gorgeous Eid outfits; Dr Beckmann’s carpet stain remover for when F, teething and windy, necessitates its use.

This afternoon, whenever we attempted Second Nap, the baby wailed until I returned to her bedroom, then laughed uproariously.

Thrilled to announce that the baby now has a library card!! I have promised that she will obey the laws of the library. Rash.

I’m not Muslim and I’m pretty sure it’s in britains national interest to stay tf out of another American war

Dramaturging this (King Lear, Ian McDiarmid, dir. Titas Halder!) later this year. Thrilled to announce, etc!

Today, our Director Indhu Rubasingham delivered the 2026 Jennie Lee Lecture, making an impassioned plea for risk-taking as the lifeblood that fuels British creativity. Read more here: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/news/indhu-rubasingham-delivers-2026-jennie-lee-lecture/ 📸 Katya Ilina

The baby can be conned into finishing her bottle if you show her the snowboarding or the ice dancing or some sufficiently whooshy skis. She has woken up with the roundest face and a pleased smile.

Easy to laugh at Helena and the rest in Midsummer Night's Dream #MoonMad. But - on this day - here's Sinéad Morrissey's & Forgive us our trespasses (from Parallax, Carcanet, 2013), which I've long loved. (Partly prompted by finishing Sarah Perry's beautiful Enlightenment, SO good on the unrequited.)

I never manage to take photos @nationaltheatre.org.uk press nights but MAN AND BOY is fabulous; clever and cool; the cast esp Ben Daniels having a lovely time and while we all thought it spoke to our time, my GOD that’s only intensified since it was programmed. Great gang great play.

Sir Guenter Treitel came to the UK on the Kindertransport. He became the foremost authority on English contract law. Famously, he held the Rolling Stones to their contract to play the Magdalen Ball in 1964 for £100 - they had suddenly become superstars after being booked as unknowns in 1963.

🚨History Job: Assistant Professor in Early Modern British History (Permanent) 🗃️ Come work with us at Warwick! You will join a group of excellent early-modernists and one of the nicest bunches of historians around! 👇👇👇 @uni-of-warwick.bsky.social warwick-careers.tal.net/vx/lang-en-G...

I have started seeing online prose (threads, substacks, articles) which due to their authorship I would SWEAR was not AI-written. In their tricolons & pacing they sound AI. I worry that the near-ubiquity of AI commentary is making non-sloppers echo the rhythms of emotionally manipulative slop.

I do regret that I have never climbed the Great Tower, but anyone who tried to climb it with me would regret that more.

Chatting with a collaborator this afternoon and had to reschedule due to my baby brutally rejecting sleep for 3 hours. We rescheduled for after his toddler’s bedtime. Now his toddler is still awake. This makes me feel better (and also that our 2006 selves would be highly astonished).

Should they have cared about all this before now? Yes. Did you reach the right position before them? Sure, here's a gold star. Do we need their numbers to make this work? Yes. Please stop acting like the hipster who knew about this band before anyone else. We actually do need the normies.

I just thought I’d invented a business plan of “meals on wheels for people on maternity leave” but then realised that’s deliveroo

Reminder that Reform UK featured a notorious antivaxxer as a keynote speaker at their recent conference. The UK is not immune from this weaponized idiocy.

Feeling alone at Christmas? Why not join an annual virtual party started by Sarah Millican on X but now here?! I’m doing my best to keep this tradition going. Use #JoinIn on Dec 25 if you need company or just want a chat. Like/Save this feed to see all the #JoinIn posts bsky.app/profile/did:...

Some much-needed good news, including • renewables overtake coal as source of electricity globally • new oceans protections pledged in the High Seas Treaty • landmark litigation to facilitate accountability for climate breakdown • indigenous wins at COP 🌱❣️🌊 www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

The UK's return to Erasmus+ in 2027 is fantastic news for young Britons & young Europeans. Erasmus+ opens up exciting opportunities to study or train abroad, boosting openness & cooperation. We're looking forward to welcoming young Britons to Germany!

Sorry, were Karen and Carlos going to do the SALSA for their dance-off dance?! A TRULY UNHINGED decision!!! #Strictly

Happy Hanukkah!

Hey all, The Onion is accepting applicants for our writing, video and graphics fellowships. Fellowships last six months, pay well, and provide full benefits. You can apply at theonion.com/fellowship.

I think infant formula should be heavily subsidised, very cheap, widely advertised, the subject of supermarket offers and buyable via reward / loyalty points. I think the cost is the real scandal in infant feeding today.

A man has become the 7th person to be left HIV-free after receiving a stem cell transplant to treat blood cancer. He’s also the second of the 7 who received stem cells that were not actually resistant to the virus, strengthening the case that HIV-resistant cells may not be necessary for an HIV cure.

I really think Michael Baum COULD HAVE TOLD HIM

Last Christmas Ich gave thee myne hearte But the verye next daye ther came a wolf, Wyth sinews of whispers - quiet as frost - And the wolf stole myne hearte, fled To a tower out of tyme biyonde all the stars. Seek now myne hearte, Return it within a yeare and a daye: Thys ys thy queste

My absolute smooch of a baby remains infuriated by sleeves, but is a great fan of baubles.

“But he didn’t ACTUALLY write the plays, did he?”

'You will be haunted,' resumed the ghost, 'by eight spirits. Eight! You're not going to be able to draw any conclusions from it about how to live. It's too much. It's just going to be a right fucking nightmare.'

Am pretty sceptical of this but it would be an epic by-election

Happy World Prematurity Day! 1 in 10 babies arrives prematurely. Usually we don’t know why. My beautiful daughter was born at 29 weeks and 5 days in March, by category 1 c section. The JR in Oxford saved her life and mine. She’s thriving. Ask me anything and donate to Borne or Bliss to help out.

What's from Chicago, hates Illinois Nazis, and is holy as fuck? It's the Pope in 1982.

Hobbes must’ve felt like a fucking god telling the illustrator about this insane cover concept

Well it's not Strictly Come Maths. #Strictly

Ok, how does one get a ticket to the long-ago recording of the pro numbers? Pretending the Sunday night show is live is mad; but this pro number was obviously AGES ago. #Strictly

Directing to you all to this piece from 2021 in advance of the BBC and the Times maliciously raking up and rewriting painful history this week www.theguardian.com/books/2021/a...