The guys raising the flag wearing caps that had feathers in them? They are Alpini, the division of the Italian army that specializes in mountain climbing. My dad was an Alpini, and two of my cousins. #olympics

Just when I thought the fantastic millinery was over… #WinterOlympics #WhereDidYouGetThatHat #OpeningCeremony

“The best of humanity is found in courage, compassion, and kindness.” 💪🥰☺️ Well said! #Olympics #WinterOlympics #OpeningCeremony

I enjoyed the parade of athletes but still think that Team GB should have had the flag brought in like this. #WinterOlympics #OpeningCeremony #TeamGB

The notorious "Irish episode" of Stargate is rarely broadcast #Olympics #OpeningCeremony

I like how the Olympics staff standing on both sides of the Stargates runways went from choreographed moves, to swaying, to slight swaying, to just static, to just static and hands behind back or at sides lol. TBH... Some days I give that same energy at work lol. #Olympics #OpeningCeremony

I love the Olympics

Mongolia looking stunning. #Olympics

All these athletes with parents from different countries. Isn't immigration and the movement of people so cool #winterolympics

Loving the Black Books tribute at the #WinterOlympics opening ceremony 😂

Yay it’s Ireland! Top notch outfits. Aran jumpers and a nice hat. #WinterOlympics

If I pop along to the Olympic Village, do you think Georgia would let me in?! 🇬🇪 #olympics

“Ecuador - the volcanic wonderland” Erm, u ok BBC script writer?! Or did you just give it to AI to spiel out? #olympics 🌋🌋🌋

Pretty sure the Colombian outfits are a QR mind virus, and also invisible to bees. #olympics

Czechia very much "what if ALL the design?" #WinterOlympics #OpeningCeremony

OK, sod the merch. I *need* one of these coats stat! #Olympics #Cosy

“That’s where the biathlon ski hunters will race…” - sorry, did I just hear that wrong?! 😬 #MayTheOddsBeEverInYourFavour #Olympics #Openingceremony

Some English captions from the Italian national anthem. This was painful. #OpeningCeremony

I wondered where I’d left the Sellotape! #Olympics #openingceremony

Wow, what a vibe! #OpeningCeremony #WhereDidYouGetThatHat

Respect for the synchronised cat walking here. I’d be all “sorry, do I go right here?” #Olympics #openingceremony

“Well, that’s different.” The ultimate British insult by a BBC commentator there, responding to 3 giant paper mache heads doing an 80s version of the Macarena as the dancers shuffle off! 🤣 #openingceremony

The Winter Olympics Opening ceremony reminds us that Maria Carey is not just for Christmas. If you're careful you can make her last till February. #WinterOlympics

Fever dream mode activated! #OpeningCeremony

Fuck it's the Weeping Angels. Nobody blink. #WinterGames #OpeningCeremony

An unexpected and extremely late entry to #DuvetKnowItsChristmas Delighted with my piratical bedding plus quick access to an arsenal of weapons should we be attacked by Captain Hook! 🏴‍☠️⚔️🛌

Doing pretty well on #DuvetKnowItsChristmas bingo. Remaining: 🧩 Jigsaws collection 🥁 Electronic drum kit 🚛 Caravan 🎺 Brass instrument 😬 Proper cancellation stuff - dithered over whether framed birds’ legs was taxidermy or cancellation Hoping another wave hits for New Year’s Eve. 🤞

Fav Grahamisms during #Eurovision “You can tell Basel is posh. All the buskers this morning were playing classical music. It’s like the Harrogate of Switzerland.” “He doesn’t seem overly thrilled to be here. It’s like someone promised he could go home if he just did the semi finals.”

I thought I'd found my favorite with Iceland's sea shanty rave. Then the Latvian swamp witches showed up. #Eurovision

Estonia’s knees are going to be tragic in 20 years time! #eurovision

Upside of #skytv crashing during #taskmaster : the awaiting download image was this: 😍😍😍

This copy of the 1300 revision of Magna Carta seems to have come from #Appleby in Westmorland which is an interesting addition to the history of that town, the former county town.. More on Appleby's history here from VCH Cumbria: www.cumbriacountyhistory.org.uk/township/app... #Skystorians

#MedievalSky And everybody else who needs to know this: the journal Arthuriana has just published #OpenAccess this study about the illustrations in the sole surviving medieval copy of the story of *Silence*: muse.jhu.edu/pub/91/artic... If you've never heard of this amazing story, dive in now!

But AI is useful for writers (no we don't use it to write our books). Here's how we use it. @davemorris.bsky.social realdavemorris.substack.com/p/the-tirele... #writingcommunity #publishing #authorcommunity #writingtips #skywriters

A new experiment in tasking begins 🧪 #Taskmaster is ON NOW!

“Greg’s got range.” 🤣 Alex living dangerously already! #Taskmaster

A magnificent view of Museum Gardens and Book 2’s future location of King’s Manor in York.

📅#OTD 1644, #Yorkshire. Lord Fairfax and his forces capture royalist Selby after two hours of fighting. His son, Sir Thomas, reports 'our Men doing Execution upon [the garrison] in the Pursuit for many Miles'. Apologises for his brevity as there is not enough paper, nor time.

What was ‘slighting’ a castle? 🏰 Despite their victory, many Parliamentarians feared Royalist uprisings, and so the decision was taken to dismantle, or ‘slight’, many castles across England to ensure they could not be used for military action again. 📷: Michael Molcher

Happy New Year to those of us who are nostalgic for the Julian calendar and long for a new start of 2025 …

Heartening to hear that requests firc#HistoricalFiction are on the rise!

In Icelandic, a word for the haziness of pre-dawn is sauðljóst. It means “the time of day when there is just enough light to see your sheep”

People say attention spans are short now, but theatrical playbills from the olden days are like: ᴍʀ ᴡᴀʀʙᴏʏs ᴡɪʟʟ ᴘᴇʀғᴏʀᴍ ONELY THE GOOD BITS FROM - 𝕁 𝕌 𝕃 𝕀 𝕌 𝕊 ℂ 𝔼 𝔸 𝕊 𝔸 ℝ - ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ ʟɪɴᴇs ғʀᴏᴍ - 𝕆 𝕋 ℍ 𝔼 𝕃 𝕃 𝕆 - ᴡʜᴇʀᴇᴜᴘᴏɴ ᴍʀs sᴀᴍsᴏɴ ᴡɪʟʟ 𝙱 𝚁 𝙴 𝙰 𝙺 𝙳 𝙰 𝙽 𝙲 𝙴

KATNISS EVERDEEN joins THE MUSKETEERS The English Resistance's newest recruit is desperate to avenge her father's murder. 🗡 17th century spy school 🏰 Tower of London prison break ❓ Will they, won't they? @histnovsoc.bsky.social Historical Adventure winner #QuestPit #Q #A #HF #HR

Hello Writing Community! We are delighted to announce our First Official Bluesky *** #MSWL Day *** February 12, 2025. 🎉🎉🎉 Agents + editors can post what they ✨wish✨ they had in their inboxes; writers can find their next best fit for querying. Learn more here: manuscriptwishlist.com/the-next-off...

@materialwills.bsky.social could you possibly help please? I’m looking for early C16 wills or inventories which mention garden tools, in particular watering equipment. This is like looking for a needle in a haystack but I just got to ask in case someone has spotted that ‘thumb pot’! Thank you!

🤫 The Earl of Manchester’s Catholic brother sneaks into England on a secret mission! The English Civil Wars divided families – none more so than that of the Earl. While he was a Puritan ‘noble rebel', his brother Walter not only converted to Catholicism but got caught plotting against Parliament! 🧵

30 Million users! Congrats, Bluesky!

The Pixar depiction of Ennui is perfection! 🤣 #InsideOut2

It’s #HandwritingDay so I thought I’d share a thread about Renaissance handwritten documents I worked with in the research that led to “Inventing the Renaissance,” and the best and worst scripts I’ve ever seen. 1/? (Continuing countdown to the release of my *absurdly fat* *absurdly orange* book!)