Beautiful weekend in Derby full of family and love but glad to be heading back to the pub for a roast with more family and quite a few friends. Hope you all had a fab weekend and the wind didn’t cause any chaos for you.

Good first day of Combe Down Art Trail yesterday. Didn't expect to see so many friends but it was very jolly - lots of chatting &catching up. Nice start to today with the dogs. We ventured into the fields, then round the canal as a bit of colour crept into the sky. Have a good day! Xx

Proud of Wales for this super response to the appearance of St George flags everywhere. www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-n...

Such fun seeing thousands of people take part in the Grand Regency Costumed Promenade in Bath today. Apart from the parade itself, it was lovely just to spot people in costume around town. I am glad the weather held out for them.

A damp, rainy Monday night….fantastic to walk into a buzzing bar full of chatter and good vibes. We’re off on a weeks rest in the morning so lovely to be spending a night at The Grapes as a send off.

“The argument for mass deportations and for refusing to process asylum claims is that ‘we have to look after our own, not the rest of the world’. The trouble is, ‘our own’ will also suffer from the kind of policy Farage proposes.” My ‪@theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...

Fun morning at The Grapes putting up fresh hop bines from Hukin Hops in the Weald. Everytime I forget how much I love ‘em. Must do this every year. Feels all cosy & Autumn-y - ready for the upcoming season and welcoming the students back! 🍂 🍁 🍂

Old Soviet joke for today: A man walks into a newsstand every day, looks around, and leaves. After a long time of this, the owner says “Can I help you find something?” “I’m looking for the obituaries.” “The obituaries are in the back of the newspaper, comrade.” “Not the one I’m looking for.”

One of the most successful pedestrian streets in the world, the Strøget in Copenhagen, was filled with cars until a 2 year pedestrianization pilot project in 1962. The opposition argued “no cars means no business,” but the street has been a massive retail success, the city’s busiest shopping street.

#Brexit #Farage should be walloped with this👇

So slightly different strolls to the pub these days. On the way there noticed a dangerous overhanging bramble….and thought, I must get the loppers out. Returning home, I got savaged by the same branch. Definitely got my loppers out. Ouch!

More colour in the sky this morning. It was a proper sunshine and showers day yesterday. It brightened up at the end of the day, enough for pleasant walks and getting some washing almost dry on the line. I've got a snotty cold, but I'm being ever so brave, as you'd expect. Have a good day! xx

Here's how the real two-tier Britain works: 1. Whatever Nigel Farage says, however stupid, is looped and discussed by the media, while left-wing voices are treated as noises off. 2. Tiny far-right protests get massive airtime, while 10s of 000s gathering for Palestine or green causes are ignored.🧵

Interesting few days experiencing the effects of some pretty serious goings on at PayPal - used to be Zettle in our defence. Been meaning to sort out something less global in the card payment stakes for some time. A saving of over £3k a year though is welcome in this climate. Good for starters.

Now this is actually a good use of all those extra people in DC (though I’m guessing much more expensive than paying employees at NPS to spread the fall mulch). No doubt there’s a great pun or two to be made here…

Red carpet coverage for Farage's big immigration announcement, rather less coverage (e.g. nothing on the BBC homepage) for the farcical U-turns a whole day later www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

I was in the news business for only 4 decades, so maybe I don't know much. But it seems like the transformation of the U.S. into a police state would be worth a headline and a few paragraphs.

He’s finally lost it ….if you don’t believe me just have a listen to what was on tonight’s playlist 🤣 youtu.be/vGT79BtQcrk?...

Back @ Twerton Park. C’mon City Boys. #Romans

Help a lady out…[email protected] currently has 666 reviews on the big G and it’s making me a bit uncomfortable 🤣 If you have something nice to say and dig what we do you can do me a massive favour right here: maps.app.goo.gl/oi4ZrJmCux2t...

Feeling a bit sad this morning after a noise complaint we have tried hard to resolve over the Summer by installing an air source heat pump & air con has raised it's head again after just one night of operating within the guidelines of our late music license. #LiveMusicVenues #GrassrootsMusic

Telegraph rapped for headline 'Quarter of UK sex crimes carried out by foreigners' Turns out the figure was actually 15%, with a further 8% recorded by unknown nationalities - with the Telegraph said 'was likely to largely include non-British nationals' Not quite how the headline put it, is it?

I am so sick and tired of seeing MPs and the media shit themselves over refugees arriving in small boats over the channel. If your initial reaction to seeing these boats is anything other than “those poor bastards, I hope they make it across” then you have failed as a human being.

What's on, this week, at The Grapes? Tues 5th 8pm Howlin’ Hans Songwriting Circle Weds 6th 8pm Jazz Session Thurs 7th 7pm People, Planet, Pint 8pm Traditional Irish Session Fri 8th 7pm Planet Janet 9pm O Love And The Affair Sat 9th 9pm The Chan Clan Dj Set Sun 10th 4-6pm Tom Flynn

Behind every drink: a South West producer we visit, support, and genuinely like. Behind every song: a musician we believe in. Behind every evening: neighbors who've become regulars, and regulars who've become friends. Some things can't be mass-produced 🍇

It’s fascinating that people get angry at us for getting the Tories out because “Labour are [worse/same]”.. ..because they’re putting forward the idea that we did in fact have that kind of power, but they don’t then consider that if that’s true they could join us and use that power over Labour too

So The Grapes has finally gone digital on our WiFi. That’s 3 hours of my life I’m never going to get back from talking with BT. The good news is the new aircon is now more in keeping with the rest of the place and working so well we can even start running late nights live sessions again. 🎶 🎵 🎧 🎸 🪘

Missing the mountains and the company of dear family but it’s been a hectic few months and enjoying the peace of being back in beautiful Bath and getting back into the swing of my favourite place on earth. Painting at 7am 😳 www.instagram.com/p/DM97GRit9B...

500,000 FOUNDERS! In the first three days, 500,000 people have signed up to take part in creating @jeremycorbyn.bsky.social & @zarahsultana.bsky.social's new socialist party, provisionally called #YourParty. And many have made donations. Please follow the link to join them. www.yourparty.uk

Best "Welcome to Scotland" sign that ever there was.

Summer holiday at Bristol Harbour Fest is going swimmingly, thankfully not literally but the Navy demo nearly ended that particular streak 🤣 Fave so far, apart from the Cardboard Boat Race, was the amazing James Prestwood with his gravity defying Flyboard Display. #BristolHarbourFest25

A day of lovely familiar faces w the graduates returning in their gowns. The house is alive with celebrations, people playing games, artists up in the living room & Jam on Toast setting up. Glad for all this rain & we’re off on another adventure tomorrow leaving our very capable crew in charge.

It's a wonder we don't find these people covered in lamb's blood and speaking in tongues when they legislate, they're absolutely off their tits.

5 days from our first family holiday in 8 years and an earthquake has hit the region.

We are calling on the UK Government to not introduce a levy on higher education provider income from international students, reduce visa costs to attract global talent, and to review higher education funding to create a sustainable model www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/58...

It’s back! The only comfortable chair in the bar has been rescued by the amazing folks at Walcot Upholstery. A regular saddle soap regime is now in place to keep it looking tip top for years to come.

Good suggestion. Let's move on from it and undo it all.

The most interesting building in Bath with its quirky mix of styles? A brutalist-like shell with a nod to Georgian proportions, and a post-modernist flourish of glazing starting on the roof and cascading down to the second floor. Who was the architect? Any information gratefully received.

We are seeking a local, creatively curious emerging author/writer to contribute to our new exhibition '"The Most Tiresome Place in the World": #JaneAusten & Bath'! 💷 Fee: £3,000 for 8-10 days’ work 📆 Deadline: 5pm on 18 July 2025 🖋 Apply here: www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk/get-involved...

As Hackney’s Cabinet Member for Transport, I delivered the largest number of LTNs in the U.K. In return, I was abandoned by my colleagues, got deaths threats, and received the largest number of complaints of any Cllr in the U.K in 2020. It was worth it. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

OBR forecast UK household debt to hit £2,429bn in 2025. Public debt shifted to households e.g. student debt. Real wage cuts, higher living costs, more debt Costs more to service private debt than public debt. No govt focus on household debt. Can't rebuild economy without redistribution.

“Today, as the Met Office issues a stark warning about what the climate crisis will mean for the very old and the very young, Farage is embarking on another project to enrich the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us.” www.desmog.com/2025/06/18/n...

UK benefits system could collapse if disability benefits not cut, Liz Kendall says. Rubbish. In Sept 2024, a Minister said economy would crash if winter fuel payment not cut ... now! Inflicting cruelty/poverty won't rebuild society. Govts find money for wars, corporate welfare. Tax the rich.

THIS WEDNESDAY: We are excited about our upcoming screening of E.1027: Eileen Gray and the House by the Sea as part of Queer Bath (www.queerbath.co.uk). Get your tickets now: bathboxoffice.org.uk/whats-on/565... #architecture #film #museums

Was going to go to a museum to see Klimt this afternoon but decided to join in with Vienna Pride instead 🌈 #NoKingsJustQueens #WeinPride #Regenbogenparade #LoveWins

MPs are being absolutely flooded with emails urging them to support Amendment NC20 to entirely decriminalise abortion. Here's why 👇🏻. goodlaw.social/2f9c

Different Irish bar on a corner for us tonight in the centre of Vienna. Off to see a performance at the Spanish Riding School tomorrow morning, see a few Klimt paintings in the afternoon, then back to Flanagans to watch the rugby final. Allez Bath! 🏉

But of peace & quiet down the allotment planting more seeds, watering & of course the inevitable weeding. Greenhouse is coming along beautifully with 🍅 🥒 🫑 🌿 spring 🧅 & 🍠 Off on a big adventure tomorrow. Wonder what it will all look like when we get back. #Allotment #Gardening #ItsMyBirthday