News | Railway’s 200th anniversary festival weekend gets underway Bicentenary celebrations include the reopening of Station Hall at the National Railway Museum

It's kind of insane how you can split opinion on the British immigration system into "people who know *anyone* who has to interact with it" and "everyone else"

Polly's exciting couple of days - watching goldfinches in the garden, soaking up the sunrise, having a nurse on Thursday evening and basking in the admiration of all visitors to the house.

@tommckinney.bsky.social Woodpigeons every day here! But what an inspired way to start the day with An die Musik! Just beautiful- thanks.

First fire of A-W 25 - 26.

PictCon1 8 Nov, Perth Tickets £20–30.00; audio recordings of the events £6.00 A one-day science fiction convention in Perth, with a focus on SFF books, films & games produced in Scotland or by Scots. Featuring panel discussions, workshops & interviews. www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pictcon1-t...

#OTD in 1944 the Germans burnt down my grandparents' home in reprisal for local resistance actions. My 15-year old father watched in horror as the Germans chased down and shot at his father, who managed to escape. Photos: the original house and the post-fire ruins.

The priest: *walks into the church 45 minutes before one of our biggest services of the year* Me, immediately: "I need you to make me some Holy Water." The priest: "...Why do you nee... Actually. No. I know better than to ask. Where's the water?"

Polly is too heavy to sit on the roof of her new cardboard box. She has two brand new cat ogloos and the choice of three actual bedrooms, but she likes to sleep in a cardboard box.

I simple message for all the Reform supporters. I am very distrusting of people who claim they are going to make my problems go away and makes me wealthy. In actual fact they need you to make them powerful, wealthy and you considerably worse off. Only one person can make you rich and that’s you…

Some exciting news to share - Petroc Trelawny’s Classical Music Puzzle Book will be published in October. But you can pre-order a copy now from ⁦‪@Waterstones‬⁩ and enjoy a 25% discount. Search ‘Petroc Trelawny’ at waterstones.com

Live this morning from the Pump Rooms in Bath.

This day four years ago, a picture taken on my early morning lockdown walk before work. A 'sheep may safely graze' moment.

For those who may need to know, my collection of tales called “Stupid Stories for Tough Times” (“Delightful!” - Mike Leigh) is still available at Bradford Waterstones, prominently displayed by the cash desk & sharing some very classy company. You may not know it but this is the book you need. Maybe.

How great was Tom Lehrer? In 2020, he moved his entire catalog into the public domain because he felt he'd made more than enough money off of it. Enjoy every Tom Lehrer album: tomlehrersongs.com

So very true.

United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero - Two years ago, we invited all 100 senators to work in the fields. Only two of them accepted: Alex Padilla and Cory Booker.

A bit of good heritage news for a change, @petroc.bsky.social !

A bit of good bird news for a change, @tommckinney.bsky.social !

🔊 #NowPlaying on #BBCRadio3: #Breakfast - Wake up your senses with classical music Join Tom McKinney every Monday to Friday for Radio 3's Breakfast show ▶️ Relisten on BBCSounds

Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, early morning, by north-east photographer Sophie Henderson.

⏳Final week to sign up to the Green Party. 🗳️ Vote for Bold Leadership on August 1st.

It was on his trips to Deauville that Gustave Courbet was introduced formally to seacapes by Eugène Boudin. The work he produced during the 1860s gave Courbet commercial success and an opportunity to explore the complexities of land, sea, and sky.

The danger that Reform UK poses to the UK's financial structure and confidence becomes clearer by the day. Yet no-one will aggressively, nastily, brutally take them on full court. Just like Brexit in 2016 and Sunak's failure to really lay into them in 2024. By the way: softies don't win the world.

Hillsborough Castle gardens. The gardens look fantastic in spite of the heat.

Lunch in the Hillside, Hillsborough, County Down

Yorkshire Calling ! In Tune live from Bradford this afternoon 1700-1900.

A fantastic photograph of a fantastic player. Jamison Gibson-Park at a Lions training session in Australia.

@tommckinney.bsky.social the sound of swifts is the number one sound of summer for me. (#2 is the twittering of swallows) Loved this morning's dawn chorus. A century-old swifts colony in Belfast, near the office i worked in: www-belfastlive-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.belf...

Fairhead with Mull of Kintyre, in blue, in the distance #StormHour #ThePhotoHour @cmjohnston.bsky.social @organicbotanic.bsky.social @barrabest.bsky.social @metoffice.gov.uk @weatheraisling.bsky.social @itvweather.bsky.social @loveballymena.online

Not everything that you disagree with deserves an argument.

BBC Radio 3 Breakfast Tom McKinney presents Radio 3's Breakfast show. To get in touch, email [email protected].

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71... Can we get to 51,700 by 8am? Please sign and share!

We should bear this in mind...

I hear a certain someone is having a sale next month. I’m not bothered. I know I’m the better place to shop for books online because every purchase financially supports independent bookstores, which in turn helps their communities thrive.

This is the last thing the BBC needs

The Magic of the Beach Boys’ Harmonies: Hear Isolated Vocals from “Sloop John B.,” “God Only Knows,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” & Other Pet Sounds Classics

Dunblane’s historic Leighton Library has 1769 edition of “Miscellaneous works in verse & prose, of the late Right Honourable Joseph Addison, esq” by English essayist, poet, playwright, & politician Joseph Addison, who died #OnThisDay 17 June 1719. He was a contributor to…/👇

Meet Polly, sadly having to be re-homed at the age of 14. We collected her on Sunday afternoon and we're still getting to know each other. She is a friendly soul and thrives on company. And turns out to be the Pat Jennings of the cat world, an excellent goalie in a ping pong ball shootout.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71... Come on folks, the #parkypetition is in danger of falling behind the run rate - we need c650 signatures a day if we’re to hit our 100k target by September 10 and today we’ve only done about 500. Let’s have a big push to get above 46,000 tonight

Breakfast in Warrenpoint!

Delightful detail by Dorothea Braby: the Green Knight speaks with Arthur, the governor of his gang, while Gawain looks on. Classic fifties colour and imagination grace Gwyn Jones’s translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight for the Golden Cockerel Press, 1952. #SGGK #SirGawain #Printmaking

The imposing 5m tall granite menhir of Conguel-Goulvarc’h in Quiberon (Morbihan) is the tallest of several in the Quiberon peninsula. This card by Levy in Paris c. 1916.

In this era of vicious transphobia and a broader backlash against LGBTIQ rights, it’s lovely to see the pride flags waving in the sunshine along the Liffey - don’t say this very often but, well done DCC #speirgorm #pride2025

🔊 #NowPlaying on #BBCRadio3: #Breakfast - Rise and shine with classical music Join Tom McKinney every Monday to Friday for Radio 3's Breakfast show. ▶️ Relisten on BBCSounds

@petroc.bsky.social I was greatly saddened to hear that Brian Wilson has died. But what you read out was a lovely tribute and even more so, playing God Only Knows. Thank you.

Warrenpoint, looking over Carlingford Lough early this morning.

I see some discourse about ditching the former Twitter, and so I'll remind folks that the best reason to there is that it's a fucking Nazi bar and we all deserve better. I'm on social media to enjoy conversation with cool folks. Bluesky does a bang-up job of that. The former Twitter doesn't.

Become a Friend of Dunblane's historic Leighton Library - just email [email protected] to ask about becoming a Friend - your invaluable support of £30 a year helps fund annual running costs of the Library & you'll get sent regular newsletter & invited to events …/👇