I nabbed a yellow ticket bargain of a big joint of roasting beef. I thought I had left it cooling after dinner safely away from Baldrick & Mags to use the rest in spag Bol and cottage pie in the week. WRONG! They’ve teamed up and ate the lot!

Joyful morning with EY/KS1 this morning. Really productive, positive PhD supervision followed by lasagna and chatting with friends this evening. It’s been such a good day. :)

Introducing my 15 year old to a classic 😜

Green Party - Nationalise the water companies, tax the super rich, invest in our public services, stop the genocide, lower bills. The Telegraph - Greens are "hard left."

Productive PhD day so early night with some escapism it is.

2nd child flown the nest to uni. All settled and happy. Me on the other hand, trying not to cry in the Indian take away. There are times being a lone parent proper sucks. #mealforone #loneparent

When your eldest child (22) messages from their new home and says they don’t feel well so they NEED Mammy’s special soup. Meals on wheels it is. They never stop being our babies. #AllTheGoodStuff #chickensoupforthesoul #flownthenest

I’ve found study hard this year. I think it’s a combination of a meds change & the realisation that I’ll need a first full draft finished in little over a year. Focus and overwhelm have figured quite highly. However, finally feeling like the PhD malaise is passing. On with the coding! #PhDlife

It’s our September social this Sunday! Join us for bingo!!! All our OTEC socials are alcohol free so everybody can join in the fun! #CardiffStudents #Freshers #cardiff

#Freshers #cardiffstudents #newport #newportstudents #fcardifffreshers @scmbritain.bsky.social

One of my favourite class discussions when I taught English… ‘Knowledge is knowing Frankenstein is not the creature. Wisdom is understanding he’s the monster… Discuss’

Off to Wingstop to celebrate Grace’s Y10 results. I just got incredibly excited because we get to ride a double decker bus. I am 44yo. 😂

Not even 9am. So far on Radio 6, the news bulletins have featured a mother saying her daughters aren't safe because of asylum seekers, a Tory politician lambasting Labour for crossing numbers & Badenoch encouraging councils to lodge legal challenges against hotels. An endless stream of hateful bile.

fundamentally the problem is that if you think "hotels are where I stay on holiday and I like being on holiday so living in a hotel must be fun and it's not fair others get to do it and not me" then you have the intellectual reasoning of a little child and it's going to be hard to engage with you

Legendary singer Dafydd Iwan is furious after a racist far-right group used his anthemic song Yma o Hyd in a promotional video without his permission ✍️ Martin Shipton

Another proud mum moment Frank and friend’s film has been selected for the Tromadance Film Festival. filmfreeway.com/Invasionofth... Cracking B movie that doesn’t take itself seriously, just joyfully silly.

I’m not sure which Laura is prouder of… that she got 4 A’s or that she’s mastered making the perfect bacon butty before heading to university 😂

Study day #PhdLife

Laura smashed her A Levels! Off to Reading to read Philosophy!

After a few days of PhD work I’m out out! Not been on a night out in ages! The Cover Lovers are a cracking band! #SupportLocalMusic

Having spent the evening doing thematic coding it’s time for a late night dog walk. Dust settling time.

Time to get another book case #PhDlife

Reminder there’s no open table communion this week. Our next meet will be in September and we’ll be having a bingo social! All OTEC events are alcohol free & we do our best to include allergy friendly treats! facebook.com/events/s/sep... @churchinwales.bsky.social

Is this group suggesting that if you support trans rights you should be excluded from public roles? Hmmmm slippery slope there. First they came for trans people… #NoLGBwithoutTQIAPlus

Digitising and coding is well underway! #PhDLife #Autoethnography

Insomnia and night-sweats do have their uses. I love the dawn chorus. The way the birds start singing just before the sun rises in excitement and anticipation. Mathew 6.25-34 springs to mind #Perimenopause

how it feels to be asked about your research

Poetry buffs - Are there any modern/queer/marginalised poets using the Miltonic sonnet form? (Same as Petrarchan- 14 lines abbaabbacdecde - but includes enjambement and focuses on internal/political/personal not romance/love) it’s been a long time since I studied poetry need some pointers :)

Had a few weeks where I’ve not been able to work as my mind just needed a break. However, I’m back at it. First exit transcription done and reading target for the day nearly complete. Learning thematic analysis is making my brain hurt. #PhDlife

Today’s jobs, transcripts and reading. #PhDLife

Sanctuary. Getting over the wall for study and refreshment at my dear friend’s farm. From my window I can see sheep and pigs. This brings me so much joy!

UK billionaire wealth has more than doubled since 2010. Workers’ wages have barely risen since 2008. On Newsnight, I called for a tax on extreme wealth - that's the fairer alternative to cuts we need.

Doctors, scientists, police, nurses, the Armed Forces, librarians, teachers. Anyone notice that Reform UK call the people trying to help other people ‘woke’ all the time? It's all they've got.

I’m in the process of journaling about the last 10 years as part of my PhD. Been listening to this song a lot. It kind of sums up how I feel about answering the question ‘why did I stay in the church while others leave?’. #autoethnography youtu.be/IuT2CAGHmps?...

Binge watching new Who with the teens. The way they talk of the special effects is the way I did of the 1960/70’s episodes. I feel so old 😂

We need to see the law changed, so that employers and workers know when action must be taken to keep workers cooler and safer. Add your name. www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/we...

Have joined a queer women’s book club to actually try to go out and socialise As a lone parent, your social circle shrinks considerably and then suddenly the kids are grown & leaving home. Determined to actually attend this month. This month’s read. Not come across this author before. #BookSky

As they announce that Customs and ICE may comb through phones and social media to find “undesirables,” remember this:

I love the too good to go app. Big bag of kale, onions, broad beans and bananas for £3. So it’s chicken saag for dinner tomorrow and I’ve just made a bucket of raw chocolate ice cream (banana, peanut butter, honey and cocoa powder)

Powerful poetry by @llinosdafydd.bsky.social

He’s an old man but every now and again the puppy pops out. I can’t believe we’ve had him 10 years. Baldrick means so much more than ‘just’ family pet. He’s been a healer, a comfort and a constant through very stormy times.

Baldrick finds groomers very traumatic and leaves him distressed for days. So I’ve had a go myself. Not bad for a first attempt. Will tidy him up in a couple of days but he needs a break. However, with lots of posh beef jerky he sat for his cut and even managed a tail wag and then had a bath.

If Jeff Bezos can afford to rent Venice for a $50 million wedding, he can afford to pay his fair share in taxes.

Solidarity to everyone at the brilliant Lambeth libraries!

Looking forward to joining with Bryn Celyn Primary tomorrow for a Dialogue Society event. #Interfaith #multicultural #chickpea www.chickpeastory.org

Absolutely cracking lecture on contextual Welsh theology by Rev Dr Manon James!