Parkrun update: event PB!!! 🥳

Record store day update. He's in! And has the LAST ONE of the vinyl he's been queuing for. Limited edition only 500 pressed. The last one in the shop!!

Parkrun update: home course. Could this be my home course parkrun PB barcode?? Awaiting the official time. I'm a luddite and don't track myself just await the official time. One thing is for certain my parkrun time < my son's record store day queue time. He's been there since before 8 still not in!

Something strangely satisfying in turning the to-do list into a ta-da list.

Every time I see the phrase "a presence on every continent except Antarctica" I wonder how many people ping @bas.ac.uk to see if they can make something so.

Dear Reader, The Other Bennet Sister. That. Is. Not. The. Lake. District.

I'm not from Wiltshire and the local place names still surprise me. Detour on the way home this evening due to an accident. These are actual villages that I came home via.

I have no words for Trump's threats but I was clearly wrong to hope that governments, leaders and the media might be able to articulate just how abhorrent this all is. Silence is deafening; neutral reporting is shameful.

#parkrun update: home course on a Saturday that feels like a Sunday thanks to yesterday's bank holiday! Funnel ready to collect finished runners and walkers. Lots of walkers at parkruns, a very welcoming crowd of strangers. You just need to register, then turn up. www.parkrun.org.uk/register/

I'm still trying to fool myself that I'll get my work to-do list done by the end of today.

Mine too. Our STFC programme managers are brilliant; committed, skilled and so so knowledgeable. Their job is hard enough without this.

#parkrun update: home course. Deceptively cold. Glad to find my gloves in my pockets! A sea of yellow as the local running club joins parkrun this morning and members volunteer to act as pacers. Thank you marshalls.

Should probably tag #STFC A second letter from the committee, asking further questions. Shout out to brilliant colleagues across STFC - I can only imagine how low morale must be in the face of all of this 😕

More correspondence from Chair to Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear and Chief Executive for UKRI, re: Scientific research funding committees.parliament.uk/committee/13...

THREE buckets in the letter.... again, what does this signal about talent and infrastructure i.e. bucket 4 and the priority they are given. If they are not talked about what does that say? 💐

This letter followed evidence given by STFC Executive Chair Michele Dougherty to the Committee on 4 March. Today, our response to the letter has been published on the Committee's webpage. In the interest of openness and transparency UKRI is also publishing it here: www.ukri.org/publications...

This is an incredibly readable and thought rich piece. Very much worth five minutes of your day.

Video of my son's Megaminx Average National Record - 4th fastest in the world of all time He's previously held the World Record for Megaminx Single but the Average is the record you want. 5 solves, take off the fastest and slowest times and average the remaining 3 #SpeedCubing youtu.be/u9RCPWHceIk

Double joy for this household of @officialbha.bsky.social fans today. Not only enjoying the spectacular win on the pitch against Liverpool but supporter Aidan Grainger, while wearing his #bha t-shirt, broke the UK National Record for the Megaminx; the twelve-sided Rubik's 'Cube' #SpeedCubing

A new National Record for my teenager!! In the dodecahedron Rubik's Cube which is called a Megaminx 🥳🥳👏👏👏👏 #SpeedCubing #RubiksCube

Seed planting time. A new one to me. Let's see if I can grow it and if it tastes as badass as it looks! Even the seeds look badass. Have definitely never written the word mangelwurzel before.

Parkrun update: home course. Went off too fast; I didn't get lapped for the first time this year! Big 'new to running' crowd for their first 5k as part of a couch to 5k challenge. Many cheers and smiles at the achievement 👏 Kudos Annie for 500 times of volunteering despite never parkrunning/walking

Yesterday @ukri.org highlighted transparency in its new budget approach, stating: “We have changed how we account for budgets to make us as transparent as possible” and “Far from being deprioritised, applicant‑led funding – the central pillar of blue‑skies research – is growing substantially.” 🧵

Yesterday @ukri.org highlighted transparency in its new budget approach, stating: “We have changed how we account for budgets to make us as transparent as possible” and “Far from being deprioritised, applicant‑led funding – the central pillar of blue‑skies research – is growing substantially.” 🧵

Odd to claim transparency when saying "applicant-led funding – the central pillar of blue skies research – is growing substantially" while being silent on disciplinary changes within that budget e.g. blue skies funding in old MRC delivery plan was c.£200m pa is £113m pa in UKRI budget explainer

NB: @pallabg.bsky.social talks about @ukri.org buckets but misses the fourth bucket that is articulated in the UKRI budget explainer for "enabling essential capabilities.... including talent, infrastructure, institutes and facilities" worth £8.4Bn pa. It's a big bucket💐 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Always use the mic! Even if you are Brian Blessed, you need to use the mic. The microphone will support the hearing loop - it doesn't matter how loud your voice is or how admirable your projection, it needs to be picked up by the hearing loop for anyone using a hearing aid. 1/

The MRC has announced a change to its investigator‑led assessment process: In-person interviews. “shortlisted applicants will be invited to an in‑person panel interview, giving them the best possible opportunity to make their case.” An Equality Diversity & Inclusion🧵 www.ukri.org/news/mrc-cur...

It still amuses me that when coming up with the name for the Science and Technology Facilities Council no one put a kibosh on that plan on the grounds that Polaris House, where the administrative hub/HQ is located, is in a Town called Swindon with a Football Club #STFC

New video just dropped from Ian Chapman @ukri.org Buckets do get a mention. Am impressed at his intention to keep communicating and from this video putting 'people' and making a difference at the heart of thinking. youtu.be/irQ0nxP9qnw

Nothing like a BBC radio 2 special to celebrate international women's day #IWD2026 by "playing songs about women". First up the boys from Blur with Tracy* Jacks 🤦‍♀️ www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... *Tracy is also man's name and the song is about a man.

On the back of being quoted I was contacted by a research administrator at a different Uni. She wants to stay anonymous. She has worked on this call all weekend. She didn't feel able to say no. Nor did the researchers. Unlike them she will not benefit in any material way if her Uni wins this money.

The most🤬part of the UK PR firm that has made-up it's own GivetoGain theme for #IWD2026 is that they actively tell their audience to support non-profits and give without saying they are a for-profit private corporation selling themed goods with no charitable donations on it's accounts for 10 years.

With #InternationalWomensDay coming up, please be aware the UN theme is Rights Justice Action (not Give to Gain). UN: www.un.org/en/observanc... This Guardian article explains the issue: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d... Do share this information. Thank you. #IWD2026 #RightsJusticeAction

Parkrun update: away from home. Chippenham. Always do this course when I'm here for a Rubik's Cube competition as it's literally outside the venue. Apparently I've not been here on the first Saturday of the month before as a welcome surprise to have volunteer Pacers! Always run a little faster.

Another video from Ian Chapman www.linkedin.com/posts/britis... Yes, research and innovation should be "open to everybody" but how does that align with a 4 week announcement-to-deadline funding call which goes against @ukri.org's own 8 week minimum as part of EPSRC's EDI commitments?

As more GiveToGain posts appear a reminder that it is a made-up theme by a for-profit company which makes money from theme based goods but has no charitable donations on its accounts for the past 10yrs The UN #IWD2026 theme this is: Rights. Justice. Action. www.unwomen.org/en/get-invol...

For what it's worth this is my full quote. I would love to understand from @ukri.org why this call has been restricted to 4 weeks (with no advanced warning) going against it's own EDI commitments. The response so far doesn't explain why only 4 weeks nor why not 8 weeks.

New video just dropped from Ian Chapman @ukri.org youtu.be/Z1OcZl224qo

This year I found out that the International Women's Day .com website which says things like "IWD Event Managers are encouraged to invite nonprofit speakers and guests, exhibit nonprofit displays, distribute nonprofit resources, and establish ongoing giving." Is run by a for-profit private org

Patrick Vallance at the Science and Technology Committee yesterday used the terms "general research" and "specific research" for buckets 1 and 2/3. I wonder if the term "general research" is much better for bucket 1 to make sense of why QR is there? Thoughts? parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

A new video from UKRI on the budget. Kudos to Ian for addressing the community. More terminology to sit alongside the buckets 💐: Legs 🦵 Jam jars 🫙 And a reprise of "applicant led" I am more confused and I still have questions🧵 youtu.be/osnqHbOywVY

It occurs to me that anyone under the age of 40 or not living in the UK in the early 90s won't understand why each time I mention UKRI buckets I add bouquets 💐💐💐💐

On UKRI terminology The terms “curiosity‑driven” and “investigator‑led” need clearer definition. They could equally apply to work in Bucket 2; the distinction is simply that the scope could be set by an IS8 theme, for example, rather than by a research council remit.

UKRI shares first detailed comparisons of past and future spending under new ‘bucket’ model💐💐💐 Bucket 4 looks intentionally leaky This is the follow up from the committee hearing. The committee's challenge to change the bucket terminology hasn't been met. committees.parliament.uk/committee/13...

Can anyone think of an example of government spend of this magnitude and speed (excluding covid)?? 4 weeks from call announcement to submission (no advance warning) and within that only 2 weeks to flag your intention to submit. £40M total - individual awards £9.4M www.ukri.org/opportunity/...

🧵 UKRI has changed their budgets from considering by disciplines (as bounded by Research Council remits) to by buckets. The inability to see the magnitude of change to disciplinary funding over the spending review period is creating uncertainty.

FFS Hardle 24/02/2026 | 6/10 ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 0️⃣4️⃣ ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 0️⃣4️⃣ ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 0️⃣4️⃣ ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 0️⃣4️⃣ ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 0️⃣4️⃣ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 0️⃣5️⃣ Play #hardle on hardle.org

Parkrun update: home course. Ready to blow some cobwebs away. Thank you to all the volunteers across the world that make just turning up with a bunch of strangers and running or gently ambling 5km in community a possibility. 10/10 would recommend. Try it next week.

#IWD2026 🧵 The #GiveToGain '.com' site is run by a private limited company with no apparent links to the UNWomen's campaign or feminist movement They unilaterally decide a theme. It's different to the UNWomen's campaign They seem to profit from the merch they sell www.kcl.ac.uk/internationa...