A more humble, domestic #CeilingsOnSunday

How crazy is it that you finish 1:59:41 and come in SECOND PLACE #LondonMarathon

#worldpenguinday heathcoatstreet.blogspot.com/2025/06/the-...

Saturday morning's ironing done. Now to hang out today's wash! Maybe someone else might carry this lot upstairs ... ? Maybe. #Cinderella

It is! But in the meantime, this would be on my imaginary desert island discs. I know you know it. My dear dad said it was the finest Gaelic song ever written. youtu.be/TxZMuCoLycc

Ho-hum. Bacon-and-egg duty calls. (Not for me - it's His Saturday treat. I need to resume my healthy eating kick!) Then the #ironathon. Does anyone have a less exciting morning planned?!! #LeWeekend

So many school admissions! But ... which pupils would become Leng medallists?, that's the question! karenmcaulaymusicologist.blog/2026/02/26/a...

We did the right thing! Remaining birthday cake went home with the Birthday Boy. But the rest of us are now wishing I'd made two cakes, because it was particularly good 😉

It WAS (still is) a very nice #BirthdayCake!

Weekend reading? I enjoyed this, can recommend. #BookReview karenmcaulaymusicologist.blog/2026/04/23/y...

I'm bad. I #Stole a tiny sliver of cheese from Himself. #Forgot to use the 'Engaged' sign on the bathroom door. And tried to enunciate more clearly when asked to repeat myself. 🙄 This is offensively #patronising. Apart from that, I don't think I've caused any other offence today!!

No tradwife here - just a wee birthday cake in the making. 30 years ago today, my husband had gone to work so I drove MYSELF to hospital when I went into labour. The nurses left me in a bath and forgot I was there for a couple of hours, but our middle son was safely delivered later that day!

An engrossing weekend read with an unexpected ending. Yesteryear, by Caro Claire Burke. (Who would be a social influencer like Natalie?!) karenmcaulaymusicologist.blog/2026/04/23/y...

#Yesteryear - a quick book review of Caro Claire Burke's first novel. karenmcaulaymusicologist.blog/2026/04/23/y...

One at the laptop, one by the phone, and ne'er the twain shall meet ... #TechnicalHitches karenmcaulaymusicologist.blog/2026/04/23/p...

Here I have a problem. I'm awaiting a Teams call, but I'm afraid my caller may be having difficulty with an unfamiliar platform. I've emailed a couple of times. Should I maybe go put the kettle on, to nudge the stars into alignment? @yorkshiretea.bsky.social

The most modest of stripes has appeared. Don't get too excited! #KnittingSocks

It's perfectly nice wool for #KnittingSocks. I thought I'd make a more acceptable, less flamboyant pair. But you know what? It doesn't fill me with joy. How can I get excited about grey, flecked #socks? I can BUY machine-made flecked socks on Amazon. #Uninspiring

How many history graduates can Reform field, out of interest?

Confirming my conviction that librarianship was a pretty good, but not a perfect career fit for me ...

A #KnightInShiningArmour - the #Currys engineer has fixed our washing machine. Hooray!

Decided to eggstend my embroidery repertoire ... nearly done ✔️

#KnittingSocks, 2nd pair. I was going to do gloves next, but need smaller needles. Sigh. So I'll have to do more socks whilst I wait ... Pieds-en-l'air share.google/GAJSEnfCkwb3...

Well, I'll be blowed! Here's an old fingerless gloves pattern. Worth a try, wouldn't you say? To go with my new socks, you know. #KnittingSocks #KnittingMitts

Monday afternoon = semi-retirement afternoon. I think I'm getting the hang of #KitchenerStitch #KnittingSocks (I'll try them on when not at risk of criticism!)

Sunny evening (currently). I'm proofreading something really not in my ballpark. A glass of wine would help... Reader, there is no wine on the premises.

Ughh. Apparently a proof reader must accept what is neither grammatically correct nor the usage of the company concerned, because this is what the readership expects. #NotAcademia #NotMyWorld #Proofreading

Dear God, yesterday I committed the crime of Serving Lunch 15' Early. Today I have already inconvenienced Himself by wanting to put a large duvet cover onto a large duvet, thereby occupying floorspace where I shouldn’t have been. Lunch will, however, be At The Right Time. Think I should read Job 🤔

I've followed @themerl.bsky.social for at least 8 years, then, from. But visited for the first time yesterday with @calmerfuture.bsky.social. I went especially for their excellent Radical Rural trail. But we also got childishly excited following the rat trail and lingering in the Ladybird gallery.

Turns out that my #InvisibleThread is so invisible that I can't see to thread a needle with it. I can't even see it to knot the other end of the thread. Takes half an hour to sew the tiniest thing, when you can't see where the thread is ... And now I've got the reel knotted. Drat!

Hans Christian Anderson had a story for that: The wee boy who dared declared the truth: that the Emperor had nae clothes!

Two years ago, Friday meant yet more tedious cataloguing. Today, various domestic chores, ending with my causing annoyance by making soup *15 mins too early for His preferred lunchtime.* I don't think I've got this semi-retired thing quite right, yet.

I'm clearly missing out on the joy, as my hand-wrung laundry drips over my assembled trays ... And Amazon asks, of its own volition, if I'd like a new washing machine 😞

Checks calendar. It's not the 13th. The first owner of this house wouldn't have had a washing machine. (Mine is critically ill, pending surgery.) She might have had a maid. She would have had a mangle. Where can I get a mangle for three days ...?

Come on Bluesky! Whaddaya mean, "Forbidden?" I'm not allowed to read my feed?

Missed my Bluesky pals today! But a worse outage has occurred: washer-drier's packed up; I need it as a carer, & visitors due too. Then He says bedroom heater isn't working - false alarm, fortunately. Worries me slightly that he forgot how to do something familiar. @jenniferrichards.bsky.social

Anyone else finding #Bsky a bit unpredictable today?

The down-side of #WFH. Me: 'I'm heading into campus today.' OH: (Adopts a look and tone of insightful cynicism) 'Oh, really?' I almost wish I was having the secret assignation I'm suspected of!

Please encourage colleagues and PhD students to apply: we welcome anyone working in a history-related field who is relatively new to public-facing work, whatever their exact career status. Academic affiliation not required.

Just a few more days to apply to this year’s Take Your Research Public course - an introduction to public writing, social media, podcasting and more for academics new to this work. Guests include @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social and @estelleprnq.bsky.social. Free, online, over four Tuesdays in June.

"Once you start noticing “it’s not X, it’s Y” as you scroll online, you can’t fail to register it" www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #English #Language #AI #writing #blogs

So, with my #InvisibleThread (drat, where did I put it down?), I could embroider all sorts of rebellious thoughts, *and you wouldn't even be able to see what I was embroidering!* #Power

Second pair of socks. 2nd sock. But this is the bit where I can't be distracted, so I can't pick up my knitting until later tonight. #KnittingSocks #AsYetUncriticised

Amazon tells me my invisible thread will arrive today. How will I know ...? #InvisibleThread

Having dropped my irritable passenger off, I came straight home and made a cafetiere coffee. There's really nowhere to park near the barber, which is a shame, because I truly deserved that goddam coffee! #Job or #Griselda. One or the other, or both!

Cartoon by @deadder.bsky.social.

We need historians because evidence doesn’t explain itself. Context does not simply exist. It is built through research, interpretation, and critical analysis. What stories have you uncovered in the historical record? #TalkAboutHumanities 🗃️

I left #SouthTyneside libraries 38 years ago. One of the curtains that were my leaving gift, lives on in front of the kitchen under-stair cupboard. My new door cushion had to be similar - I'm quite pleased with the outcome.

Some people get fairies down the bottom of the garden, I get bloody Exploratores. Best to be vigilant at this time of year. Killing them (or catching them & dumping them in a neighbour’s garden) can help prevent larger infestations. #PlaymobilInfestation

And it's "curtains" for Dr McAulay. My entire day's efforts. Such is the life of a semi-retired Fellow. Himself asks if there was a problem, but there wasn't. A door-sized lined curtain just doesn't make itself! #SoftFurnishings #KitchenMakeover finished ✅️