The continued presence of the government and public institutions on X should no longer be a matter of debate. It should simply be a matter of shame.

Reminder to anyone who needs it today: Reading books (at home, on the bus, in Starbucks); owning books; loving books; discussing books. None of these things are “performative” unless you’re selling tickets.

Telling scary stories around the campfire to young people: "...and you had no way of knowing who was calling. You just had to pick it up." "...co...couldn't you put it on silent?" "There was no silent. And anyone in the house could answer. Even if the call was for you."

First ever batch of apple jelly made yesterday & pleased with how it turned out. We have so many apples this year so there will be more plus apple butter from the pulp.

A story in three parts

Just watched Greyhound On Apple+ & thoroughly recommend. Tom Hanks brilliant as ever, this time fighting the Battle of the Atlantic. When fighting fascists made America great.

Tonight’s tea of bucatini with fennel, tomato &prawns. Utterly gorgeous. Now watching Greyhound on Apple+ & it’s turning out to be a great Saturday night.

Dear parents - Yes you can give your sick child paracetamol if they’re >3 months old. It’s an excellent painkiller. It brings down a high temperature. It’s one of the safest drugs available. You are right to want to soothe your child’s distress. Evidence supports your good parenting. Be confident.

Sky News and the BBC repeatedly mention the "migrant crisis" in doing so they are normalising and legitimising far right talking points. There is no "migrant crisis", there is only migrant hysteria, which the British media is feeding into instead of countering.

This is a welcome shift but it should have been the strategy from day one. The rise of support for Reform is not really about immigration. Support for Reform is highest in those areas with *low* migration, but high deprivation. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Phenomenal. In my 10 year update of A Brief History, I make the point that in the first edition, not one disease had been successfully treated using gene therapy. Today that number is at least 7.

Paying now for long car journeys & climbing up to the top of castle towers. Painkillers & hot packs are being deployed.

First time visiting Castle Fraser. Absolute stunner!

Heading North.

"Curtis Evans, of Evanston, a military veteran USMC, carries Flag through gas deployed by federal officers clear protesters Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)" "campaign’s super volunteers, the nicest dude you’ll ever meet, wildly dependable"

Superb tailoring but worth watching to remind yourself just how gracefully Gene Kelly could move. This is a joy to see.

#OTD 19 September 1991, walkers in the high Ötztal alps on the Italian border, found a body melting out of the ice. It turned out to be the remains of a c.5200 year old man preserved with all his kit. Of course, it was essential to replicate him in Playmobil. 1🧵 #PlaymobilÖtzi #PlaymobilInfestation

Ooft!

Trump being taken for a golden carriage ride to nowhere around the grounds of Windsor Castle, like humouring a massive toddler.

I love how Annie can find beauty no matter the weather.

Fascism. What else would you call this? And make no mistake, the same people calling to ‘defund the BBC’ want exactly the same here: the silencing of dissident voices, the end of a national conversation, the total destruction of a free press so only one story reigns.

If you want to know about the state of British media, these 'formidable obstacles' include assault of a police officer, ABH, football hooliganism, entering the US on a false passport, mortgage fraud, stalking, endangering a grooming trial, defaming a 15 year old refugee and a lifetime of racism.

“I can either confront & own the consequences of every policy I’ve supported & every leader I’ve cheered for, or I can pretend they had nothing to do with me & become Nigel Farage’s slipper-warmer. No contest.”

Well done Channel 4! As the government and monarch of a country that, within living memory, fought a noble war against fascism, prepare to suck up to a neo-nazi, at least one part of the 'establishment' media is prepared to show him for the scum that he is! www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

So grateful to Adam, the physio at our surgery who has worked his magic again. Husband says I hobbled in like an auld wumman & walked out like me. Now hopefully I can start building up walking distance again.

The scenes on our streets are shameful consequences of decades of austerity - government after government fanning the flames of anti migration instead of tackling inequality. We can & must make different choices. Solidarity to all communities under attack. We stand together.

Prawn & fennel risotto but made with barley. Salmon done in the air fryer with some butter & fennel fronds. So good!

WTAF?

This is well worth reading. You may need a tissue.

If you're middle-aged, fat, and you smoke and drink, who the fuck do you think is going to give you health insurance if your pal Farage gets in and demolishes the NHS?

£25,000 is under full time minimum wage for one earner now, but this is a FAMILY income assessment. It means far far fewer students get the full living loan.

Worrying long term hidden fiscal drag The family income threshold at which English students maintenance loans start to get reduced is just £25,000/yr. It has been this level since the 2008/2009 academic year. We have had 64% (CPI) inflation since then. So it's been slashed hugely in real terms

🔴Reform UK Conference: Anti-Vax Misinformation Doctor Given Prime Health Slot Leading doctors have accused Nigel Farage of putting lives at risk by letting Aseem Malhorta give the only health-related address at the conference bylinetimes.com/2025/09/05/r...

Just wait until the BBC, Sky, Mail, Telegraph, Express, Sun, and GBeebies get hold of this story of obvious and deliberate tax avoidance! JUST WAIT! <waits> <waits some more> <does today's sudoku> www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Rep. Jamie Raskin tears into Nigel Farage as a "far-right pro-Putin politician" and a "Donald Trump sycophant and wannabe".

Delirium develops over hours/days, dementia over months/years. "Dad was fine yesterday, today he's a different person" = think delirium, not dementia progression.

Wonderfully eloquent thread.

Starmer could have said: Vandalism isn't patriotism; daubing red crosses on Chinese takeaways and writing racist graffiti isn't patriotism; perfomatively sitting in front of a flag or tying one to a mosque isn't patriotism; Patriotism is about making this country safe, happy productive for all.

@samcoatessky.bsky.social hi Sam, this morning you stated “…the main opposition parties, the Cons and Reform UK…” Unless I missed 67 Parliamentary by-elections since July, the Lib Dems are very much the main opposition party with the Cons, not Reform. Do we have to keep doing this?

My daughter has just referred to Richard Osman as The Pointless Giant & we are in hysterics here. 😂

Time to get the tea on. Made a big pot of bolognese earlier & had it simmering for about 3 hours so the smell has been making me hungry for ages.

Meta might be secretly scanning your phone's camera roll. Here's how to check and turn it off 👀

Sometime between AD 55 and 65 a man named Lucius Julius Hipponicus scratched his named into a Samian Ware drinking cup Because of this simple act, he is one of the first residents of Exeter (ISCA) for whom we have a name 📷 May 2025 @rammuseum.bsky.social #FindsFriday #Roman #Archaeology #Devon

❌ MYTH: It's obvious when someone is thinking about suicide. ✔️FACT: Some people show many signs. Some show very few. Everyone behaves differently. If you're worried, the best thing you can do is ask directly. It could save a life. 💙 #DaddyBlackbird #SuicideAwareness #MentalHealthMatters

It's much easier to do a genocide if nobody sees it happen

First ripe fig from the garden! Much excitement in the Paterson house & it was delicious. We have some tiny olives too but not holding out much hope for them.

Life-saving idea! Pass it on!

Just read that the global wellness market is worth $6.3 trillion in 2023. Almost three times as much as the $1.6 trillion pharmaceutical industry. Maybe we should start calling it "Big Wellness".