I coulda been a wildlife photographer

Tiny jumper, just because I'm between bigger knitting projects and it looked fun. And sometimes it's helpful to have something to do with my hands.

I have researched and been measured and dithered and faffed, and then taken the plunge and ordered a dress! Many thanks for your helpful opinions, those who replied. Wish me luck!

Those who shop for clothes online, can you help me? If there's a size guide on a website, do the measurements given tend to refer to the measurement of the piece of clothing (so I need to be smaller than that to fit inside the item)? Or do they refer to the size of person that will fit inside?

The soundtrack to my walk home from church this evening. (The mist joy-giving app!) #TinyJoys

Anyone else have a cat who is obsessed with Palm Crosses? Norris has just successfully stolen a couple that were carefully stashed about 6 feet above her head height. (I have reclaimed them and hidden them better) I should not have let her watch me, as I put them there!

This dropped piece of string that looks like it's doing a little dance. Made me smile on my walk to work this morning #TinyJoys

This provoked such a deep "YES" response in me. Words to live and work by.

I'm currently leading a day retreat at a castle and our host just brought these daffodils in and placed them in a patch of sunshine. Breathtaking loveliness #TinyJoys

Rook! So big and black and fierce looking, right on my window sill! Look at that beak! The #tinyjoys hashtag doesn't seem quite right for something of this size. There are another 2 nearby, watching. They keep flying in and scuffling in an attempt to take possession of the bird table.

Awfully glad they clarified that. Now....how do I get the biro marks off the screen?

An impressive achievement today: I went to a website with a "click the squares with cars in to prove you're not a robot" thing on it. Passed it on the first attempt. Oh yeah!

I scorch ends of ribbon markers I make for Bibles and prayer books, to prevent them fraying. 6 ribbons, 30cm, machine sewn, button or bead for grip. I sell them for £2.50 each + 2nd class large letter postage (£1.55 at the moment). Money raised used to buy lg print BCPs and hymn books.

Diocese of Oxford (Church of England) is making their paid disability adviser redundant & not replacing them. 600+ churches. 2.5 million ppl. Pls consider signing this to express concern: 1) Letter - docs.google.com/.../1yfwBlRd.... 2) Form to add your signature - docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLS....

Introducing a new cartoon project: Creativity Diagrams. Been a cartoonist for 20 years, trying (and quite often failing) to be creative. A series of cartoons on the topic in my newsletter every week. More about it: davewalker.com/creativity/ Newsletter: diagramclub.substack.com/p/072-introd...

Kirsty and Rex's next project..... #TheArchers

Low-level red kite this afternoon.

About printing and the history of print and a lot of ideas from my letterpress work overflowing in probably not terribly academic ways! (I don’t think you have to be any sort of an academic or historian to make sense of this!)

She wants to help with the spinning. But she may not. So she sits and yearns.

I am going round in circles. Can anyone remind me of the name of the illustrator/screen printer who does two tone illustrations of Bible verses? He is married with I think three or four children and has a beard. He does art exhibitions and talks on the content of his art.

A friend knitted 1 and a half socks then stalled just before the 2nd heel flap. After several years in purgatory, they rediscovered them and asked if I fancied having a go at finishing them. A fun challenge! I'm really pleased with how good a gauge match I got, after a bit of experimentation

Planning a couple of "Creative Prayer for Beginners" type days and having a fun time playing with possible ideas. I'd love to hear about things people have done that are somewhere in that overlap between creativity and prayer. #CofE ✝️⚓

A second #TinyJoy today! A young staff member was standing outside a local nursery taking a short break, wearing pink fluffy pig ears. When I commented "Love your ears!", she showed me she had a fluffy pig snout too, which she'd temporarily removed, and I wished her a Happy World Book Day!

On the way down to church this morning, I walked past a bush in a front garden and as I did so a large number of goldfinches erupted out of it and flew in all directions. I'm sorry I disturbed them, but oh, what a burst of colour and joy! #TinyJoys

1 and only 1. Family members know them as "Mum's pens" and don't dare to use them, without express permission 😁 How about you?

Planning a couple of "Creative Prayer for Beginners" type days and having a fun time playing with possible ideas. I'd love to hear about things people have done that are somewhere in that overlap between creativity and prayer. #CofE ✝️⚓

I'm finishing the knitting of a pair of socks that a friend started making about a decade ago. This means my to-do list now has the item "Graft Rox's toes" on it, which is amusing me at the mental images it's conjuring up 😁

My goal in life is to be Joan, in this scenario. So that when friends and family come across really strange books in secondhand shops and say "This is so odd. Who on earth could possible want to read this??", a little voice in their head goes, "Actually, maybe Claire?"

Still some places left on the first of these Creative Quiet Day, if anyone is looking for a space to reflect and pray and chat, this coming Saturday. "Finding God in Threads and Patches"

Mending as an act of rebellion, on many levels. I love this!

Checks out.

Overheard in the drop-in this morning: Bloke 1: Anyone got any suggestions for an easy Valantine's Day present I could give? Bloke 2: Cold, hard cash! 😂 Who says the age of romance has gone?

Full of loveliness #TinyJoys

Come and spend the day with me in a lovely castle just outside Durham, with space for some conversation, some creativity and some space to reflect and pray. I'm leading a series of 5 Creative Quiet Days over the next year and the first 2 are coming up. 21st February and 21st March.

I don't know why, but thinking all the way back to cultural anthropology at Southern CT State U. with Professor Dryfoos. "And when you've run out of shibboleths, you know what you are? Shibbolethless!" 🦶🦶🦶

I often find myself remembering this sign. If only all life's choices were so clearly labelled. (Taken at the RSPB reserve at Saltholme in the North East)

Come and spend the day with me in a lovely castle just outside Durham, with space for some conversation, some creativity and some space to reflect and pray. I'm leading a series of 5 Creative Quiet Days over the next year and the first 2 are coming up. 21st February and 21st March.

Thinking about Amber being pregnant and the number of unplanned pregnancies that happen in Ambridge....(Something in the water, maybe??) Has there ever been a story line that deals with the opposite - infertility in a couple who very much want to have kids? #TheArchers

I know Clive is a wrong 'un. But what exactly did he do that was dreadful? Characters have been alluding to it, but only with disconnected details. Holding someone hostage? Something bad with a horse?? it must have happened while I was going through a phase of not listening very often #TheArchers

Hats off to whoever did this (and the beautiful model).

I'm good at drawing out the stories and creativity of other people. I'm a jack of all trades with textile skills rather than excellent at any particular one, but I'm good at combining those skills in interesting ways, including in mending things. How about you? What are you good at?

Quite an empty week in my diary, this week, so I'm hoping to get on with some longer term stuff that needs doing. It's things I really enjoy (planning creative retreat days and writing things, but without looming deadlines, the possibilities for procrastination are immense. Wish me luck!

Two useful bits of Bluesky functionality: You can mute words for fixed periods of time (also applies to Alt text). If you need a break, do that. You can set up a custom list and pin it to the top of your feeds list. Put people who post recipes and nice photos in it, and never look anywhere else.

I'm finishing a long abandoned pair of socks for a friend. They got as far as the heel flap on the 2nd one before loosing steam. Can anyone suggest what stitch the heel flap might be? It feels thicker than the stocking stitch before it, but I'm not sure what the stitch is. #Knitsky #Craftsky

Getting a little nervous about listening to #TheArchers this evening 😬

I know it is the least controversial or enlightening take to say that AI sucks but yeesh, *so much* written content I encounter online now is obviously AI generated, with identical rhythms, the same urgent, bland, TED Talk tone. It makes me hunger for humans saying good smart helpful true things.

How was your midnight service, folks? I am grateful for Church Wardens who take an extra large swig of wine, at Communion, so there isn't lots left over for the clergy to consume. Impossible to judge the quantities right for this service. #ClergyMaltClub

Sorry to always repeat this, but it’s important: my trans kid saw multiple specialists +had therapy for over a year before receiving any gender-affirming care. My short cis child had hormones/puberty blockers aggressively pushed on him by drs starting at age 5 bc they were concerned about his height

I really love this, as a way of holding on to some hope and strengthening our connections with one another.