Some more marvels of the mycelium network on my walk today.

Fireworks? Great fun! And no Mickey doesn't usually sit on me like this as he's 36kg! Spare a thought for the animals.

"It had to be me" by Collie Knox (1947) arrived today. Bought largely for one chapter on his time as Director of Public Relations at ENSA, but looking forward to devouring the rest this weekend. #histbookchat

Long been on the cards. Good decision to hold on to the golden goose (ITV Studios) and sell the rest. Not sure where this leaves ITN though - would a Comcast ITV be able to not use Sky News? Not great for advertisers though as it would only leave Channel 4 as a realistic alternative for TV sales.

Leaving it a bit late this year - but 50 or so days of steeping in sherry should be ok. The kitchen smells very Christmassy!

Small mushrooms on trees on the dog walk this morning - the white domed one is Porcelaine Fungus apparently.

Wartime entertainment was just some toothy bloke with a ukulele. Hold my beer! Excited to be presenting a topic close to my heart on @ww2tv.bsky.social in early December! #histbookchat

Another Magpie Ink-cap in the woods today! @hopeeaton.bsky.social took this excellent photo, which involves something called "composition". She's so much better at taking photos than me!

Any of the #histscalemodels community going to SMW in Telford next weekend? If so, drop by the IPMS Rutland table in Hall 1 and say hi.

Here's my latest bi-weekly blog post, just for a bit of fun on the Grenadier Guards at Anzio. matteatonmedia.substack.com/p/twice-the-...

Happy Halloween! A huge Crown Prince ready to make pumpkin soup later.

The autumnal colours are spectacular this year - and a pleasing toadstool.

The Chancellor did what? Malcolm fucking Tucker would like a quiet word.

"Don't remember them as old or frail; remember them as they were! Determined men, sometimes frightened, but fighting as best they could for their country and a cause they believed in." Recommend @peterhart.bsky.social's story of the 16 DLI in Footsloggers. Thought-provoking and novel. #histbookchat

A musical treat in Watlington last night watching the Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir and the Aberdare Dare to Sing ladies' choir. Much Gwlad and beautiful renditions of Suo Gan and Adiemus.

Spent the day at the IWM Research Room picking through service newspapers. Some very useful finds and a few surprises.

Damn, this is a big outage. DynamoDB in US-East-1 region affecting most of Europe too. health.aws.amazon.com/health/status

Why can't every war diary be as descriptive and entertaining as the 5 Grenadier Guards? 24 January 1944, assaulting The Factory, Anzio: "However admirable a vehicle a Jeep may be one feels particularly naked in one when being shelled." And this beautiful aerial photo of their target.

Sharing on #histbookchat feed

The slide into total Alan Partridge is almost complete. Driving back from London I found myself banging out this tune at full blast.

Off to the National Archives tomorrow after a few months off. Next chapter of the PhD is buried in there somewhere!

The Bari Raid of Dec 43 is one of those laughably frequently written-about 'secret', 'never before told' incidents and is the topic of my blog this week. I mention the chemical weapons, but focus more on the supply chain and logistical implications in my article. open.substack.com/pub/matteato...

Completing Rick Atkinson's trilogy, moving on to The Guns at Last Light covering the liberation of northwest Europe. Such a talented writer. 1/2 #histbookchat

Just finished The AI Con by Emily Bender & Alex Hanna. Recommended reading. Particularly liked the suggested actions everyone can take to limit the hype of automation. Firstly, lets not call this tech Intelligent!!

A magpie ink cap on my walk this morning.

A veritable feast of fungus in Penn Wood this afternoon. Not that I'm recommending that any of these should be eaten!

Wait, MTV still has music channels? I thought they had been pulled at the end of the 90s #raycokes

First time making quince jelly. Feeling very autumnal+

Just finished Doppelganger A Trip into the Mirror World by @naomiaklein.bsky.social - essential reading for those trying to understand our strange new reality, the far right, social media, and our obsession with the self. Like Alice in Wonderland, so many important ideas down this rabbit hole!

3000 words of the final chapter written today, following my protagonist's journey from Chittagong to Imphal and have just left Bill Slim in Monywaw. I need a lie down!

Piekalkiewicz's The Battle for Cassino for this weeks #histbookchat. Written in 1980, looking to reading this Polish historian.

“We don’t have a military full of Nordic pagans.” — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declares war on beards 👀

My latest post uses primary sources to examine how entertainment raised morale in hospitals during the Italian campaign and examines what Joyce Grenfell taught the British Army after her first tour in 1944. #skystorians #milwelfhist open.substack.com/pub/matteato...

Because sometimes only Peter Sellers will do.

@blueskyfeedcreator.com seems to be an outage affecting my feeds. Could you take a look please?

Following on from the excellent Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson, I'm starting to read Saul David's Tunisgrad. Saw Saul talk at WHWF earlier this month and looking forward to this... #histbookchat

Tylenol anybody?

It's the Autumn equinox and my birthday today! I baked a Guinness Chocolate cake yesterday to celebrate. OMG this recipe is so good! www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/choc...

Recommend @iainmacgregor1.bsky.social's The Hiroshima Men - much more than a tale of August 6, 1945, weaving the story of key individuals involved in building, delivering, and surviving the bomb. Also recommend reading John Hersey's original article: www.newyorker.com/magazine/194... #histbookchat

Historical fiction this week for #histbookchat. The Safekeep by Yarl Van Der Wouden is set in Zwolle in 1961. Beautifully written and fascinating insight into the Dutch experiences during and after the SWW.

History is messy and the echoes of 1945 continue today. Whats real and whats true arent necessarily the same. So many important ideas in @philmcraig.bsky.social's talk on themes in his book 1945: The Reckoning. #histbookchat

Great talk by @kitkowol.bsky.social and Jonathan Fennell at WHWF. Looking forward to reading this. #histbookchat

Latest purchase - Mr Peter Sellars and that Ralph Reader bunch by P.J. Brownsword #histbookchat

Ready for WHWF V

Our latest podcast is focused on an exciting new programme being launched by the American Library in Norwich, England. Find out more about the project that will bring the Mighty Eighth's story to a wider audience. open.spotify.com/episode/4Py3...

Let’s kick off a new semester & season with my 240th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the last week. Add more below, please share as widely as possible, & enjoy, all! 🗃️ americanstudier.substack.com/p/scholarsun...

Dad's Army - Ring Dem Bells (5th September 1975). The platoon have been selected to act as Nazis in an army film. But their costumes are just a little too realistic for a befuddled barman (played by Jack Haig).

A story of a troopship that was bringing entertainment to the troops in time for Christmas 1943. matteatonmedia.substack.com/p/the-day-th... #skystorians

This time next week, I'll be basking in the historical wonderfulness of WHWF V. If any of my BlueSky connections are attending, please come up and say hi. Always nice to meet people in IRL!

Repost with a character who would make an excellent shitposter.