This is very much what reading the news feels like right now...

I think I overdid my listening of the Vienna new year's Day concert because now I'm being haunted by earworms of enthusiastic flutes

This morning was really quite beautiful

Can anyone point me towards UK neurodiversity prevalence statistics? I'm assuming I won't be able to get one for neurodiversity as a blanket term because of differing definitions etc. but I'm also struggling to find reliable stats for autism, ADHD, dyslexia etc. individually.

Ok yesterday wasn't too bad but what do you mean I have to go to work today too!?

Why does three reviewers seem the norm now for journal articles - or has it always been that way and I've been relatively lucky up until now!?

One of my favourite Christmas presents!

I love my job - in fact it's probably the best job I've ever had. I'm even going back to two accepted publications to start off the new year. But I am still having a Long Dark Sunday of the Soul because I have to go back tomorrow 😂

When you have three cats of varying levels of weirdness and one definitely weird human (not naming names) who worries more than average about fire safety and how to evacuate all three weirdos... it's sometimes helpful to have a fire drill 😆

OK we now have bigger problems than the book being overdue because kitten

One of my library books couldn't be renewed because it was on hold so I decided it was just going to have to go overdue while I finished it but I cracked under the pressure & instead asked them very nicely if they'd renew it anyway and they did so now I don't have to be a library fugitive

Started the day by having to defrost the fridge as the yoghurt was encased in a 2" thick block of ice on the back. Fortunately there are no concerns about the food getting too warm as it's currently sat in a laundry basket outside the back door which is probably colder than the fridge 😂

Spent a few hours this evening at a beautiful lights event at our local zoo. Very hard to choose just four photos as I took over 100! A lovely way to spend the first day of the year.

Just had an email to say one of my PhD articles has been accepted for publication 🎉 So far I'm liking 2026!

If you have one New Year resolution, make it 'follow Rachel and look at her stunning pics of Dartmoor'

I read 48 books this year and rated 21 of them as five stars which made picking my top nine very difficult! The Mars House and the Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi tied for top place. 📚💙

Book 48 of 2025 Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer Started: 27/12/25 Finished: 31/12/25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 Final book of the year didn't disappoint! I thought Georgette Heyer only wrote romance which isn't my thing but this is the 1st in a mystery series that reminded me a lot of Agatha Christie. 💙📚

Ok which country will be celebrating New Year at 9pm UK time and how do I get access to a live stream of their fireworks because I am way too old to be staying up until midnight.

Book 47 of 2025 The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman Started: 20/12/25 Finished: 27/12/25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 This being available at the library this week has been the best Christmas gift. I adore this series, and this book is no exception. 💙📚

Wife: I really think it will be OK tomorrow, I'm not sure why you think it will be bad Me: Oh I don't think it'll be bad, I just don't think it will be as good as reading my book surrounded by cats!

I have social plans both today and tomorrow and... I don't want to, my back hurts and I'm really enjoying my book 😂

We watched the new Knives Out film this evening and it was very enjoyable. I remember when we watched the first one and we were like "what the actual...?" but then we watched it again at a later point and appreciated it a lot more!

Very enjoyable and productive morning in the garden but my back has just gone so I guess it's Lego and a film for the rest of the afternoon!

Agatha Everywhere can now sit on command 🥺 (Ignore the state of our carpet, ten minutes earlier she'd been play fighting with Charlie 😆)

Agatha Everywhere can now sit on command 🥺 (Ignore the state of our carpet, ten minutes earlier she'd been play fighting with Charlie 😆)

Absolutely exhausted today despite yesterday being fairly exertionless. Took me 90 minutes to decide what to have for lunch so that gives you an idea of the level of executive function currently available to me 😂

Christmas felt nice this year. I'm not sure where my head was at last year but it all felt too pressured whereas this year felt chilled. Even managed to try a bit of the Fortnum & Mason Christmas coffee we were gifted by cutting it with 50% decaf so it didn't kill me 😂

Tomorrow needs to involve less salt and more fluids 😂

Good Lord that was a lot of food

Trying to work out if I'm getting a cold (in which case that would definitely be from the carol service we attended on Sunday) or whether it's just a high allergy day. Entirely possible as we've been unwrapping presents from people who have scented stuff in their house; hoping that's all it is!

Food plan done, cleaning done, hoovered (twice, because the cats had a playfight after the first time and covered the lounge in fur) and now off to bed in the hope that we're not woken by folks coming home from the pub later!

Twas the night before Christmas, and throughout the land The sleeping arrangements were carefully planned Down in the kitchen, a picturesque scene A mattress, a pillow, a washing machine

Unbelievably, #DuvetKnowItsChristmas generates such good will on social media that over the years we've raised somewhere approaching a quarter of a million quid for homeless charities. If you can spare a bob or two, sling some to Centrepoint, and here's the link: www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know...

This is the 15th year of #DuvetKnowItsChristmas, which is preposterous. Rules: if you find yourself dealing with unusual / claustrophobic / gaudy sleeping arrangements this Christmas Eve, share a picture with the world. Use the hashtag (with capitalisation) and cc me if you can be bothered.

I’m entering The Teenager as potential winner of #Duvetknowitschristmas He’s had to move from his bedroom to the unconverted attic Cardboard floor & headboard is a nice touch which I’m sure he appreciates He think it looks like he’s living in a meth den #DuvetKnowItsChristmas

Agatha Everywhere finding Carols from King's very peaceful 🕊️

I have spent most of the day prepping food and am quickly running out of executive function but sadly I still need to work out the timings for tomorrow's dinner and clean the house. Which is obviously why I'm on Bluesky.

Hm. Just taken tomorrow morning's meds rather than tonight's meds. I'm sure that will be fine and have no repercussions 🙃

Christmas biscuits for the hound, made with some of the pumpkin we grew this year 🎃🎄

Oh bugger, the flour I was going to use to make dog biscuits has gone mouldy. And also the pumpkin hasn't defrosted. So that's another job for tomorrow 😂

It's me, Agatha. I'm here to report a terrible crime - my lunch was LATE because Mum fell ASLEEP! Mum says it's ok to nap because she is on something called "annual leave" but I think if she's as lax at her job as she is at remembering my lunch then she's probably been sacked 😂

Why do Access to Work pick three days before Christmas to send me stressful emails? Bonus points for asking me questions but saying I can't email them the answers so now I have to call them! Tomorrow! On Christmas Eve Eve!

Second baking task of the Christmas break complete (also very tasty!)

I've just hit my steps target so I have no choice but to sit and read for the rest of the day, right?

I have just spent a very satisfying 20 minutes or so debobbling a cardigan. Never let it be said that I don't know how to enjoy my annual leave!

We did an out, and a very lovely carol service it was too.

First task of the Christmas holiday complete (and very tasty!)

I've had this on hold at the library since it was published and this week it's finally my turn - great timing for a Christmas read 😃

Book 46 of 2025 Skelton's Guide to Blazing Corpses by David Stafford Started: 09/12/25 Finished: 20/12/25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 Another absolutely brilliant addition to the Skelton series and sadly the last one as the author has now died. Wonderful characters, set in the W.Midlands, and I love the humour. 💙📚

There are two lads in the village that intermittently pop up and ask if we want our car washing. They've just knocked the door and asked & when my wife said it wasn't really the right time of year they said do you want some carol singing instead? They were absolutely abysmal but A++ for enterprise 😂