all this is both foolish and unnecessary

This book is wonderful and profound and the writing is incredibly special. Whether you’re a mother or not, you need it in your life.

Somebody from school on Facebook uploaded a cutesy video montage of her young son over Christmas. Sweet kid, I thought. Was about to like it, and then he unwrapped a David Walliams book

Paige Thomas, 25, from Wigan, was thrilled when her boss started scheduling regular “catch-ups”, interpreting it as a sign they were “really hitting it off as mates.”

Pretty cool www.bbc.com/news/article...

Someone has just described my approach to conference outfits and I am outraged

“Smart casual” is pretty much the antithesis of every autistic person I know, who I would generally describe as a “silly formal”

One thing you will never think after reading a great book or listening to a great album or seeing a great piece of art is, “I’m really glad this person remained cautious while they were making this and guarded against being perceived as weird.”

I was asked to remove a spider from my flatmate’s room late last night. ‘Thank you SO much!’ she said, apologising profusely as I carried it out under a glass. ‘Thanks.’ Muttered the boyfriend-sized lump from under the duvet.

If you’d normally buy me a Ko-fi this month or just fancy being generous before New Year, I’d really appreciate if you donated to this instead ❤️ All proceeds go to The Brain Tumour Charity.

Mental health charity: If this year has been more about survival, have you considered kicking out that flatmate who is a polar bear

wow, sorry. Deleting now. I didn’t know she was French

Sister really pulled the Christmas present out the bag this year

Throughout 2025, A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs was brought to you by the generosity of Patreon backers from around the world. Sign up before the New Year and gain access to a whole backlog of exclusive episodes!

The last few days did not move the main story forward AT ALL. It's just a guy eating little treats and doing nothing. And so many plot holes. He says, "no more little treats," and then he's eating another little treat in literally the next scene.

‘Painful to hear!’ How podcasts’ rush to video is turning them into dreadful listens

i just did it all scared

It’s okay if all you did in 2025 was not survive (big up the cadavers)

If you’d normally buy me a Ko-fi this month or you’re looking to be generous this Christmas, I’d really appreciate if you donated to this instead ❤️ All proceeds go to The Brain Tumour Charity.

Though I've never liked Christmas, I really don't mind the period between the 27th and New Year. These nothing days, the passage of inconsequential hours. Nothing has to happen here, and so it does.

If you’d normally buy me a Ko-fi this month or you’re looking to be generous this Christmas, I’d really appreciate if you donated to this instead ❤️ All proceeds go to The Brain Tumour Charity.

Happy holidays to everyone who's in solitude today. You get to decide what this post-solstice 24 hours is like! You could mourn or reflect, give gratitude or binge-watch, join your chosen family or cozy up with your animals. You may not be surrounded by people, but a lot of us are in the same place.

i post this story every christmas, and will keep doing so until it stops making me cry merry christmas xx

Uncle didn’t send us a cheese hamper this year. No Brieses for us nieces

Forgot to promote #JoinIn this yr on the lead up to Christmas but really pleased that others have been more on the ball and kept this brilliant annual initiative of @sarahmillican.bsky.social on timelines.

Write every day. I get the sentiment (and agree with: writing regularly, harnessing self-discipline), but for God’s sake. If you can’t write today, go and do something else. Watch something you love and remember why you loved it. Have a conversation with another person. Get out there and live.

Last year I told a friend I was spending Christmas Day alone. Her response: ‘Oh yeah. Been there’. I was relieved, like, oh really? ‘Yeah, we did that last year’ I stopped for a second. ‘We??’ And she goes, ‘Me and my husband, with the dog’

Visualising a universe where Russell Tovey occasionally emerges from the sea to take his abandoned child out for a McDonald’s meal. The staff sigh as they fill a barrel-sized paper cup with water for Tovey to slosh in, used to the routine. Kirby, glaring, orders the Filet-O-Fish. No salt.

Just accidentally ordered a personalised egg cup for myself and forgot to fill in the customisation box And the default is set to ’Daddy’s egg’

And I am here for the downfall of David Walliams

Imagine Scooby Doo saying "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori". It would be terrible. In fact, I don't think that Scooby Doo should read any war poems out loud. He can respect the fallen in other ways.

A gentle reminder if you've received an invoice from a Freelancer/Self employed person which is due before Christmas. Be a love, and pay it today.

Matilda

I wrote (again) about this insult to the memory of my favourite cinema for the 14th edition of Science & Magic but it’s also about catching stars in a cinema projection beam and damp overcoats. You can read it here along with lots of brilliant writing: www.violetterecords.com/science-and-...

Robin Ince reveals to last night’s audience at a recording of Infinite Monkey Cage that the BBC has forced him to resign over his support of trans people

Fancy a winning a stay in a beautiful home in Llandudno? A friend is raising money for a brilliant cause (The Brain Tumour Charity). Please share ❤️

As Dick Van Dyke turns 100, it’s important to give thanks to the sea creatures who made that possible.

Hi, Bluesky book/publishing community. Looking for some advice around pitching a memoir. Thanks.

I tried a more elaborate post but deleted it. I’ll say, do you like my toilet, if so perhaps you’ll like my other things. www.chloecumming.com

I love this piece. ❤️ As a neurodivergent healthcare professional, I speak to so many neurodivergent people who have been harmed by the biases baked into our healthcare system, and its increasing inaccessibility to brains that feel the world differently from the norm.

This is excellent:

Don’t know about you but there’s a lot of suffering around me right now and none of it has been inflicted by the trans community.

We're watching the wholesale burning of every scrap of dignity afforded to trans people in the UK, their rights, their medical services, their employment, their place within society, their bodily functions. It is a disgrace, and a disgusting stain on the government and media of this country.

Trans women has been welcomed at the Women's Institute since the 1970s and one member is in her 80's and has been a member for decades. This is pure bigotry pushed by legal threats backed monetarily by JK Rowling. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

This brilliant piece gets to the heart of what happens when you are asked the "difficult question" that you know is coming, but are never sure how to answer. Thank you @elsawilliams.bsky.social

A Brownie Guide thinks of others before herself and does a good terf every day