"Parking is such sweet sorrow"

Sumo stars goofing about at tourist locations seems a more fun way to celebrate England than any number of flags.

Just saying, the visiting sumo doesn't seem to have everyone up in arms...

Great meeting at ARTCH studios in Preston today - some fantastic studio, rehearsal and venue spaces. #CountyOfSong

Frog https://collections.artsmia.org/art/37581/

Youth are unhappy, must be the screens cannot be that we cut away all their activities www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Great #CountyOfSong session at The Gregson as part of Love Lancaster Live. Wonderful buzz in town with music echoing from pubs and venues.

The government want more coercive powers for the state against protests, and the main opposition party wants more coercive powers for the state against migrants. Our political-media culture continues in a loop where the response to every perceived problem is yet more coercive powers for the state.

"First day I met her, she said 'I'm a radical feminist lesbian.' I thought, what would the Queen mum do? So I just smiled and said 'We shall have fog by teatime.'"

Presumably the Conservatives are soon going to need a smaller conference hall so Manchester may be spared this in years to come.

West Yorkshire :

All the best to Matt after an amazing tenure at Youth Music. A funder with a real eye on transforming young people's lives and a champion of inclusion.

The Boring Fund will be open for applications in November. If your small UK charity needs (up to) £200 to cover something boring like insurance or web hosting, take a look. They welcome donations too.

The case for ID cards as a way to make white, middle-class respectable citizens’ lives easier is a very different one to that for immigration enforcement. #JustSaying

Please don't make me come out of Politics retirement I have other stuff to be getting on with. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Heptonstall, west Yorkshire, 1978, photo by Fay Godwin.

Sat in cafe Nero in Huddersfield. I don't think the decor has changed since 2006 which was the first time I was here....

Today is La fête de l'opinion the 4th of Sansculottides in the year 233. Sansculottides is the month of complementary days. Today we celebrate conviction.#JacobinDay More information on conviction

Verbijsterend: Tweede Kamer neemt motie aan om niet bestaande organisatie als terroristisch aan te merken. FvD #VVD #PVV #BBB #SGP #JA21 #Trump #ANTIFA #antifascisme #TK2025 #APB #APB2025

We're way beyond using Twitter not really being compatible with the creative case for diversity @artscouncilengland.bsky.social and cultural organisation s ...

Happy 90th birthday Arvo Pärt. An extraordinary musical life of quiet bravery. www.arvopart.ee/en/

Slightly diminish a book: Lord of the Greenflies The Peckish Road

*sings to HMRC to the Ting Tings melody* Don't call me customer That's not my name

Norway, 70% of the votes counted: National parliament election Ap-S&D: 28% (+1.7) FrP~ECR: 24.7% (+13.1) H-EPP: 14.4% (-6.0) Sp~RE: 5.7% (-7.8) SV~LEFT: 5.5% (-2.1) R~LEFT: 5.4% (+0.7) MDG-G/EFA: 4.6% (+0.7) KrF-EPP: 4.1% (+0.3) ... +/- vs. Last election result ➤ europeelects.eu/norway

NRK gives left parties victory in election prognosis

Well that's a new choir project right there.

Policy proposal - a citizens' income to cover the time wasted on "digital drudgery" - reading ts and cs, logging in to doctor surgery portals, updates, cookies, faffing with delay repay, and various types of electronic mithering. (I'd think Denmark's @alternativet.dk would be up for it).

Saturday 20th September 12:30 - 2 PM Preston Guildhall. Join me, Connect Community and Well Arty choirs for a vocal workshop exploring songs celebrating the power of singing to boost our health and wellbeing. More information and booking here : www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1580972313...

Hard stare from Errollyn Wallen, Judith Weir, Anna Meredith, Elizabeth Maconchy, Hannah Peel, Imogen Holst, Dobrinka Tabakova, Anna Clyne, Delia Derbyshire...

Since my teenage years and throughout my adult life it has been clear South Yorkshire Police should not be a thing.

Great session with Giving Voice network looking at recruitment and dementia choirs with participants from Denver, Houston, Florida, Minnesota - really great to be sharing hashtag#CountyOfSong experience internationally.

Heads up folks:

Publicity drawing for Forton services on the M6 near Lancaster, 1963.

There appears to be a battle on Radio 3 about the pronunciation of the surname of guitarist Sean Shibe. Does it rhyme with EBay or is it #DOGE ?

What kind of age check is this? It shouted "Papa!" and I shouted "Nicole!" and it said I was old enough

Thanks so much staff and service users at Guild Lodge inpatient mental health hospital for welcoming me to your singing group today. So pleased to link this work up with County of Song.

Major work will soon begin to reopen an upper floor at the Morecambe Winter Gardens for the first time in almost 40 years. www.beyond.radio/news/local-n...

Congratulations to Rossendale Male Voice Choir with a great show combining their history (and their Britain's Got Talent appearance!) with a broader view of the last 100 years. #CountyOfSong

All of this still stands, and more so particularly about giving agency over schools policy to some directly affected. And bonus marks for mentioning Richard O'Dwyer....

well there's your problem, you'd have been better off hiring a human.

Private Eye hits the nail on the head

Cultural organisations, I think we are now quite a long way beyond using X not really being compatible with the creative case for diversity. @artscouncilengland.bsky.social

As Oasis kick off their comeback tour, we’re reminded that shockingly less than half the venues they played on their first tour still exist today. #Oasis

"lost my horn, gawn"

Bring Back The Big Horn!

Oh boy…hvor er jeg enig.

A groundbreaking composer.

Thrilled to say that Hope Mill community programme will be getting a new space in #Ancoats. It's amazing what we've all built in just a few years - a new chapter starting (with the obvious need for money...) Video may include scenes of me conducting. youtu.be/D7CFWcs0oyg?...

This is why singing for health is an important emphasis for County of Song in Lancashire. But the ability of this work to make a difference is being eroded by deep seated problems.

It's something of a relief to me that music is still able to annoy politicians. I refer you all to the BBC Radio3 feature on Julius Eastman, an enduringly controversial figure.