My mental health declined pretty badly last wk but some of you asked for more photos like the hunt-the-tiny-owl one I made & I wanted to try to make an advent calendar so:some lovely things that fell off trees & this time a tiny deer stag to find. Do let me know if you enjoy this & I'll make more 🦌

Because I’m aware these things can have amusing regional variants, is the version of “Jingle Bells (Batman smells)” that I learned at primary school (London, 1980s) still prevailing? “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin flew away, Father Christmas lost his knickers on the motorway! (Hey!)”

Not that the Science Museum shouldn't exist *too*, but the Media Museum was Bradford's *one thing*, and it was a genuinely magical place, and London has enough other stuff you could spend a year going to museums and art galleries and never run out. Didn't Bradford deserve its one nice thing too?

if you’re cold they’re cold let your demons in

Designed in my brain with movable type, vintage printing plates and linocut, and printed on a tiny press by hand, taking five impressions to print each card. Each has unique details making them one-off. No AI, just real art made by a real person. Last chance for shipping next week!

That feeling when the hall carpet is covered in little black pellets... but thankfully they're small bits of rubber from the astro pitch at 12 year oldest school, not mouse droppings.

I have a new weather station gadget which I got for my birthday. It's currently on a pole in a planter but eventually will try and get it on the shed roof. It's currently reading 1 degree warmer than the one at the CL but has the advantage that the wind, pressure and sunshine sensors actually work!

I'm doing my best not to argue with jokes, but type 2 diabetes isn't caused by eating sugar!

It’s that time of year where @dreadships.bsky.social and I need book recommendations for the ScornDread Children, as Nikolaus will leave a book in their boots next Saturday. The younger one (14) really enjoys fantasy and the older one (17) nerdy nonfiction.

One subcontractor is quoted: "15 drop-offs daily from a hotel in south east London to a doctors surgery around two miles away. These journeys alone would cost the Home Office £1,000 a day" They're charging nearly 70 quid for a 2 mile trip? Who's ripping off the home office here?

Part two! Next time some clown tries to tell you that nobody makes interesting games anymore, just send them these articles.

Today is the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Mahna Mahna on Sesame Street. You’re familiar with it by now, of course, but... well, it never hurts to be reminded, does it?

“I’d rather be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war” - someone who didn’t see what happened to Samwise and Boromir.

There is NO FUCKING EXCUSE for this to be happening. I had a baby die in my arms of pertussis some fifty years ago. It was a HORRIBLE death. But my fellow nurses said to me, "It's almost stamped out now, they're all getting the shots, we won't be seeing this again." HOW THE FUCK ARE WE HERE. 😡

Today in "Jokes that work in written form only" ... How do you tell the difference between a train driver and a chemist? Ask them to say "unionised".

dear men: plz find a route to self-actualization that doesn’t run through someone else’s uterus

I paused, out of breath. The Void had taken all my frustrated screaming and absorbed it. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "You must have heard all this before, countless times." 'only you,' said the Void, 'scream your frustration like you do' I took a deep breath to resume, then smiled. "Thanks."

Working on invertebrate #paleoart at the moment, knowing I'm probably making mistakes despite best efforts, consulting primary literature etc. Inverts are much like fossil plants: there are few accessible resources on their appearance so we must wing it, or go down deep rabbit holes to restore them.

Hurray! My sister has exchanged contracts for her house move on Thursday and it isn't all going to go tits up at the last minute! House buying in England is so bloody stressful.

A: 20mph speed limits are great ..., lower insurance premiums, ... B: I'll believe it about the insurance when I see it! Me: did you not see the news articles about that very thing happening in Wales?

I'd never heard of this site until tonight. Both my books are on there. Did you know my publisher offers one of three lowest royalty rates in the entire industry? And that I didn't get an advance? Literally all I make is from royalties. Royalties I don't earn when you pirate my book.

Yesterday we went out to lunch with the 12 yr old and were caught out by a festive menu. We thought a burger would be a safe option on their menu but it now came with brie and a red wine/cranberry sauce. They could do us a plain cheeseburger when we asked, but initially brought it with brie! Argh!

This is my getaway vehicle.

Can anyone think of any good studies showing that concrete changes to ENABLE active transport led to increases? I know London infra is often held us as an example, but it feels like a lot else changed at the same time. Any rigorous studies of Paris, for example? Or other places?

And in case you wanna say "no one is going to try and tell you you don't belong in a restroom", let me just point out that it happened to me JUST THREE WEEKS AGO (but also trans people should have restroom access regardless. I'm just making noises because I'm perceived as cis and I'm semi famous).

On Waterfall Wednesday we're sharing this view of Pecca Falls along the Ingleton Waterfalls Trail. 📸 Lou Sadler | @IngletonFalls | #YorkshireDales #WaterfallWednesday

There seems to be a trend for some male cyclists to pull in front of a female cyclist in an ASL with the assumption that we will be slower than them. Stop it.

I love that I am the sort of person whose friends wish her happy birthday in decimal, hexadecimal, binary, roman numerals, and the sum of two squares!

Today is International Men’s Day. So here’s to refugee men fleeing abuse, trans men denied healthcare, queer men bullied for being different, Black men racially profiled, disabled men excluded from work, and all the other men who fail at being “real men.” May we continue to cultivate our humanity.

Happy birthday to me! We're going to do presents after work/school but I've opened my cards that came by post (or were received earlier) this morning.

While people are splitting hairs over what a suitable commuting bike is (usually on the assumption that everyone's abilities, luggage & routes are broadly the same as their own), the salary sacrifice car scheme has no requirement for you to use it to commute or even that the lessee use it at all.

First frosty morning of the winter for me today. A few bits of ice in the water feature in the back garden. Hats and gloves on! And remembered to set the solar/battery system to trickle charge overnight from now on until it warms up, so it doesn't get too cold.

If you or a Disabled person you know has benefitted from the Cycle to Work scheme or hopes to use it in the future, whether that's using a bike, e-bike or non-standard cycle, we'd love to hear from you. Share your story in the comments or pop and email to [email protected].

Quiz on managing diabetes: how confident are you that you could increase your exercise levels if your doctor asked you to? Me: not at all. Quiz: ooh, exercise is an issue for you! Me: well no, I think I'd struggle to increase it much because I already do well over the usual recommendations...

"Have you considered waiting for the conference in November before accusing Your Party of being transphobic? Because we're having a vote on whether to support trans then. Me, I don't have a problem with them. I was actually in the same room as Jeremy when he said he wasn't bothered about it either."

Please help my friend @talmandaniel.bsky.social help his friend Rich who needs life-saving help with his highly unusual combination of medical conditions. www.gofundme.com/f/Help-Me-Ge... This is OVER SEVENTY PERCENT FUNDED! Your dollar could really save a life here

I noticed a book a some time ago. The cover had art of a woman and a dragon sitting at the side of a lake—but in the reflection in the water, the woman is a demon. I want to read it, but I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the book! If anyone happens to know what it is, please say!

Dear Greater Anglia, FFS, I can't believe I had to enter my journey details *three times* to apply for delay repay for a journey made for three people together using group save tickets. Other providers do this better! Yours, a pissed off customer.

A student writes in Varsity - the Cambridge University student newspaper - to condemn the founding of a new anti-trans student group. Unlike the CUSW launch - which was disproportionately covered by UK transphobic right-wing press - I suspect this article will be ignored! 😣

Potion kits for kids. What could possibly go wrong. "WHY DOES YOUR GRANDMOTHER HAVE TARANTULA FACE. YOU TURN HER BACK RIGHT NOW, KENDALL MARIE." thelittlepotionco.com

We need to set up a UK counterpart - anyone got a snail and a ginger beer bottle?

Your reminder that Brianna found comfort, community and support online, and was murdered by transphobes in a park. But it's phones which are the problem.

Consultation Klaxon! Do you live or work a. near Bicester, or b. near Didcot? If so, it's really worth you contributing to the linked consultations on the next 25 year strategy for movement and place. OCC has 12 sub-divisions & is gradually rolling out plans. Please do engage & comment.

You're never gonna believe this, but we're out of archaeologists again. We have matched ~650 groups with archaeologists this semester! I am so grateful to the 196 Archaeologist volunteers! We have 60 unmatched groups rn Know archaeologists who could do a session? Send them to SkypeAScientist.com

People of London! PLEASE SHARE. I lost my necklace last night (10th Nov), and I'm hoping someone has found it. I caught the Northern Line from High Barnet to Leicester Square, then walked to the Prince Charles Cinema, then the same back again. I only noticed it was gone when I got home.

Paris(ien/ne/x/s)! I'll be in town this week & next, digging in the archives of the @college-de-france.fr. Always keen to hear about interesting things happening (both academic and non-academic), but also just good places/reasons for boire un verre! (I haven't been since pre-pandemic 2020 😬😬)

Ha, this is brilliant, because our family also have a rule not to even talk about Christmas until after *my* birthday which is 19th November. This year my sister is bending the rules, and discussing Christmas presents already because we had a birthday celebration last week :)

This is such a sweet photo, and on the back...

For anyone wondering why, see their eligibility note at the bottom of this page: www.cyclinguk.org/100-women-cy...

In better news: we spent the weekend playing computer games and baking, we made banana choc chip muffins (to stop the bananas making a bid for world domination) and a Haunted House kit: