Autumn Equinox is when I start doing the maths to keep myself sane (ish). October is often tolerable and now it's only 3 months to Winter Solstice. In 4 months the daffodils appear in supermarkets signifying hope. So there's only about 3 months of total bleakness to endure starting in about 1 month.

Remember when people were torching 5G masts because they were evil? They've just moved to cable tying St George flags emblazoned with the word England to lampposts haven't they? They're the zombies the movies warned us about. The White Walkers.

I was still feeling really sad about my parents cancelling my 50th birthday trip at the eleventh hour- luckily I have some of the kindest, most brilliant friends (who don't like being photographed on socials) in the world who rescued my birthday out of the skip and made it special today. ❤️❤️❤️

Crazy power cuts tonight. Didn't think the weather was that bad. We're back on now. Wonder what's going on?

[Slow hand clap.] Way to go Labour. Again. They are serving the country to Reform on a silver platter.

So the verdict a day later is that I now have weird-looking shorter shit hair than the longer shit hair I had yesterday. I'd shave it off but people would assume I had cancer. Wanted: one whole new flesh avatar.

Heartened to see the amount of people cancelling their Disney+ accounts on this thread. As far as I can see this is one of the few ways we can take real action. Boycott the companies propping up far right fascism and killing society. See also Amazon and the BBC.

Keir Starmer trampling the bodies of lynched Mississipians, disappeared Latinos and sundry Offenders of the Orange Emperor to buy his favour - I’ll never feel clean again.

My phone camera is dying, but it could still capture the mood tonight. The swallows are gathering for their long journey. Hope there are lots of bugs for you little birds to feast upon tonight to keep you strong. Safe journey friends. Hope my house gets to host you again in the spring. ❤️

Suddenly ambushed by a midlife crisis moment there.

Are we all just paralysed? I just feel paralysed. Because feeling and expressing horror at the state of the world and the UK without action right now just seems hollow and indulgent. Performative hand wringing achieving nothing. But what action can we take? Where do we even start?

See also Nick Drake, Hozier (Wasteland Baby) and José González. But mainly Fleet Foxes for timeless autumnal melancholy haunted by secrets and yearning.

Ok, I have the feeling in my bones and I'm calling it. Today is officially the start of Fleet Foxes season. I'd now like some friends who would don some chunky knits and sit around a campfire in the low sunny remnants of a hazy Sunday with a beer listening to this please youtu.be/rOukoIHP3m0?...

Just taking the Shark for a spin thinking that there's a silver lining this autumn that -unlike this time last year- I have a working boiler, two additional radiators and all of my rooms are in a functioning state (still a work in progress) thanks to my ADHD diagnosis and new coping strategies.

There will never be accountability for Big Tech because Big Tech means Big Control of the electorate. I suspect we are cooked.

Ah here we go - the inevitable escalation from the flag cancer that has spread all over the North East. Read a thread earlier about how it would all be OK because there are lots of 'decent' people in the country. I am telling you there are parts of NE England that are already far from OK.

No outrage from me...... She's bang on the money here. #nadiyahussain #charliekirk #GazaGenocide #IsraelWarCrimes #selectiveoutrage #racism

And in other news I'm delighted to report I'm back in size 12 jeans now and am about to sign up for my local Parkrun.

I have come to the conclusion that I am just not built for the British climate and that as a Geordie I am rather letting the side down. Missing summer already. 😭😭😭

every time there's political violence discourse i think about how jo cox was assassinated in broad daylight by a fascist who shouted "britain first" as he shot her, and now nine years later her party is dedicating every moment in power to placating the ideology of her murderer

The powers financing the destabilisation of the US and the UK must be feeling pretty chuffed about now.

Unpopular opinion? In a face-off between Quorn and tofu, I'm Team Quorn all the way (this has not been a sponsored post.)

Following up on the sickening flag stunts I noticed a litter picker wearing a Reform UK tabbard in my town the other day. With the amount of flags and red/white/blue bunting currently installed in Bedlington it is clear that we are a target town. Sneer all you like, these people excel at propaganda.

Jesus Christ, being sucked back into a toxic environment with a narcissist parent after 8 years of blissful freedom is just impossible to manage. I turned 50 yesterday. I had planned to take my elderly parents (one of whom is constantly whinging that he never gets to go anywhere) to the Lakes...

Great North Run completed in 2:41, 13 mins slower than when I ran it ten years ago but I think it was still faster than my 2003 time and also this time I had a budding respiratory infection, a suspected cracked rib, a knackered knee and only had 4 hrs sleep. Maybe being 50 ain't so bad after all?

Queueing for the start of the Great North Run. Nerves kicking in now. great atmosphere. If you'd like to help me raise some sponsorship for Dogs Trust, here is the link. events.dogstrust.org.uk/fundraisers/...

Great North Run day. Respiratory infection incoming. Suspected I should have worn a mask on the train to London and back.

Can everyone just stop trying to rationalise the whole flag thing and stop being outraged because Reform councillors aren't playing by the rules? Of course they're not playing by the rules. Of course the Temu flag brigade aren't 'patriotic'. Logic doesn't work here. That's why they're winning.

Remember Nadine in Twin Peaks when she got scarily obsessive about her quiet curtain runners? I've just upgraded my IKEA kitchen cupboard hinges and installed some drawers and lights and now I'm the Nadine of kitchens and keep on excitedly opening and shutting the soft-close doors and drawers.

I can't ever remember enjoying a good two weeks of annual leave like I've enjoyed these ones. Got loads done to my house, altered my caravan awning, went on a holiday in my favourite place, socialised with family and introduced my dad to the joys of IKEA. Limited my screen time and feel much better.

Made a dangerously fabulous discovery - the Rheged services (from the people who brought you Tebay) are a 10min drive from the caravan site, are open until 10pm and do the best ready meals I've ever had and artisan ales! Last hight was goats cheese & beetroot ravioli and tonight it was saag aloo! 😋

This evening I added Great Mell Fell to my list of Wainwright fells that I have descended in terror on my arse (that list includes Great Gable, Helvellyn and Robinson (rock steps in poor visibility in the rain). I added trespassing through a live shooting ground tonight for added thrills!

Am in the Lakes after an epic day on the water yesterday. Currently sitting in the awning enjoying the sun and protected from the showers listening to Jethro Tull's The Broadsword and the Beast, remembering how much I love me a cheeky bit of proggy folk rock in the summertime.

I swore. The needle broke. Going out to buy new needles. ...and breathe... 😬😬😬

I swear the newish Caravan Club app was brought to us by the same people that brought us Grantium (Arts Council bin fire funding app that's finally brought the organisation to its knees for those not working in the arts.) Weren't we told that tech was supposed to actually help us?

Finally got the time and courage to cut massive darts out of my new caravan awning. No going back now. If anyone needs me I'll be swearing at my sewing machine.

Had a dream I just showed up to Live Theatre in Newcastle to see what was on and ended up being welcomed into some sort of workshop. In light of my ADHD diagnosis and with meds on the horizon I'm sure my brain is telling me it's nearly time to get back to what I should have been doing all along.

Loving the graphics on the Psychiatry UK titration guidance document. Look how chuffed this woman is with her new ADHD meds! This is how I'm going to look with my new executive functioning skills when I've managed to complete my Christmas shopping before 19th Dec without daily sobbing meltdowns!

They've now put them up all over the town where I live. It's grim. If you imagine that anyone other than Nigel Farage is on course to be the next PM, you are deluded. I feel sick. Can we talk about how we fight this, or are we just going to loudly tut and bury our heads in the sand?

Trying to catch up on missed Great North Run training (mad time at work), but had a hard fall onto uneven gravelly concrete last night, 3 miles into an 8 mile run. Started running again when i no longer thought I was going to pass out and when the blood clotted. Christ this morning hurts though!

Feeling increasingly sick about this. Came out of the estate tonight and there's St George flags and Union Jacks all over the roundabout and lampposts. We're not having an event. Why only our roundabout? We're in real trouble people.

Is there a big international football match or something happening? Hoping that the guy cable-tying union jacks to the mini roundabout on the way into my estate is an avid sports fan rather than a dog-whistling racist. Sigh.

[Birds tweeting in the early August sunshine. The odd car slowly rumbles by.] My unsuspecting, chronically garden-bound sour-faced neighbours: '...' Me with the kitchen and conservatory doors open: 'IT'S YACHT ROCK SUNDAY MFs!!!!! 😁😁😁⛵' youtu.be/qmOLtTGvsbM?...

Their commitment to telling the story to the world will be their memorial and we should salute their bravery in the face of Israeli barbarity.

Pure evil Israel. We will never forget

A fun filled evening at the emergency vet as my elderly mum was feeding my dog sweetcorn and he nicked the whole cob and had almost finished it by the time I walked into the room. £310 and some induced vomiting later, he has hopefully avoided intestinal blockage, sepsis and ripped innards. 🤞🤞🤞

Treated myself to a whole new set of new bedding because oh my word it was long overdue. Feather duvets x2 and pillows and a flumpy topper and now it feels like I'm lying in a cloud! My freshly laundered dog is blissfully splooted in the middle of the flump. I may never be able to move him again!

Having an intensive cleaning day. Jeez, you think your house is kind of ok until you shampoo your cream carpet and clean your fluffy weighted blanket in tne bath and see the colour of the water. The dog (who I've also washed after a romp through the fields) was cleaner! Significantly.