Anthony Newley - born this day 1931

I was confused by the headline so I read the story. Yes, by ‘worst’ he means ‘best’.

The one app I desire is the app that tells you where the nearest greasy spoon caff is. Vinegary ketchup, dayglo stars on the wall with specials on, huge tubs of margarine, steamed up windows, tea the colour of a Tuscan roof tile. The nearest one to wherever I am. Please.

From Castlebar, Co.Mayo, a lovely story... on the SEASCAPES Blog and Podcast on tommacsweeneymaritimepodcast.ie

Simpler times, the 1950s.

My email platform is taking a fraction of a second longer to open than usual, missing my first couple of keystrokes. Intending to reply "Great stuff!" I have instead just vigorously encouraged the recipient to eat stuff.

Oh, oh, oh, ohhhhhh

Seeing people who are just not wired for anything but rage and schadenfreude try to figure out the performance of grief is genuinely anthropologically fascinating

The Refugees, 1931 by Polish painter Tamara de Lempicka #womensart

What I don't understand about the rush to AI is why people don't *want* to think. Thinking is the most pleasurable, gorgeous, exciting, sophisticated thing I do, and skipping that to get to an output and have more time to spend, I don't know, on my phone or something just seems insane to me.

Oh, yes please.

Heading into the weekend like Jon Pertwee in ‘The House That Dripped Blood’.

One of the best memoirs I’ve read in a long time. Fabulous book.

Next London performance of An Evening of (Very) Old Radio: The First Firsts of Broadcasting? Tue 30 Sept, Questors Theatre Ealing. Do come. Let's make history (that informs, educates and entertains) www.questors.org.uk/event.aspx?i...

Stopped off at Whitby on the way home because you can’t not stop off at Whitby. My gothic novelist ancestor would have been delighted.

“I’m a nice person. I know racists are bad, that’s a given. I have however developed a lot of what other people might consider racist views. But I’m a nice person. So… that means my… racist views aren’t racist. THERE! TA-DAAAAA!”

Do you ‘wend’ anything other than a ‘weary way’?

About to drop the year’s top folk noir album.

All set for today’s matinée show at the Questors Theatre in Ealing. See you soon, cultural sophisticates!

The religious extremists have the raging hump, therefore this represents the mood of the nation.

I support this. If you visit a house where people take their shoes off at the door, don't traipse in with your big muddy boots.

Two fab sold out shows last night and tonight in Stafford and Stamford (calling this The One Letter Different Tour). Great audiences both. Lots of love for the shipping forecast in the rooms.

Fab night out with the delightful @charlieconnelly.bsky.social at #stamford Arts Centre. Front row, ice-cream and one of my favourite books brought to wonderful life. Friday night's don't get much better than that! #becominggoodlater 😁

This is untrue on most major issues (though the media eıite don't know this). It is untrue on immigration in particular. Untrue on climate, on Trump, on human rights, on inciting racism. And much else

Delighted to have played the beautiful Theatre Royal Wakefield last night. What a beaut of a place. An 1890s Frank Matcham design, a gem in the centre of the city.

Went back today and the skip was gone, hope another comes as was rumoured. It was like a bookish street festival, got some excellent titles.

Whoaaa

This week's North Sea Nexus post explores a question that has long occupied the minds of poets, painters and scientists alike: What is the colour of the sea?

Four of this month's six shipping forecast shows are now sold out. I know! Get me. Tickets still available for the Theatre Royal in Wakefield on Wednesday night and Sunday afternoon at the Questors Theatre in London W5 (2.30pm). Ticket links www.shippingshow.co.uk/tour

Cricket in Iceland is all about the contrasts.

Just a few spots left on this fiction writing course for beginners that I’m hosting in Winchester! ⬇️⬇️

Campaign to replace ‘live, laugh, love’ with ‘every keel a sunbeam!’.

Looks like Cllr Philip Sutcliffe - let's all remember that name, folks - is going to propose Conor McGregor as a presidential candidate to Dublin City Council. This is what happens when a lot of people can't be arsed to vote in local elections. Ghouls like this cretin get in.

Watching a man dressed as Superman, jet-black brylcreemed hair and everything, frowning trying to put his ticket through the barrier at Glasgow Queen Street because some days you can’t be arsed with the flying.

Centuries of dedicated research and learning on one side, a gibbering snowflake blowhard opportunist on the other. Oh, WHO to believe?

Someone you know IRL showing you something they used AI to make or do feels like a someone trying to impress you with a dead rodent that's been run over by a car. This is not good what do you expect me to do with it

This gets progressively funnier with every use of the term "floppy".

Incredible show by Sabine McCalla in Glasgow tonight. Absolutely spellbinding.

Cannot recommend a visit to Shandy Hall enough.

*sound on* This is Andrea Jenkyns's ACTUAL singing entrance to the Reform UK conference. Utter crackpots. And anyone who thinks this kind of idiotic look-at-me amateurs are how this country will "rediscover its pride" needs to have a lie-down.

Yeah, I've a book deadline too.

Shetland travel guide found to be full of AI bullshit. www.shetnews.co.uk/2025/09/04/c...

On the same day in the Telegraph:

The finest response I've seen so far.

Going to start employing "strange lassie's arsehole" as my go-to insult from now on.

G is for Greenwich ------ 'The Terrace of the Trafalgar Tavern, Greenwich, London' (1878) by James Tissot (Private collection)

I have no mathematical talent at all and yet I got this calculator to tell me the square root of 6724. Where's my article?

It’s September 1st so here’s some Rotherhithe Noir. Walking through a tunnel of timbers, ancient barge beds, ropes, chains, nets and old mooring features. Ghosts from when the area bustled with boats, barges, the shouts & curses of lightermen unloading goods. A portal to the past.