Ugh. Get home, feed cats, 15 minutes later hear puking...

Highly successful tweet-up worth someone I've been talking to for years, met on Twitter as part of @biggreenbooks.bsky.social gang, lives 10 miles down the road, but never met until now. First time I've been asked to leave a museum because closing time is approaching!

Why do people insist on reverse engineering something, then querying when they get the wrong result, rather than just using the method we spoon-feed them with!

I have one CENTRAL BALCONY STANDING ticket - D32 - available for tonight’s performance of The Marriage of Figaro. Royal Opera House, 17th June, 18:45. Face value £20, but I believe the person for whom I booked it is happy for it to go free to a good home, given the short notice. Any takers?

Some decent history about who the Templars actually were, from our Jimmy!

Banks (and indeed all service providers) that give zero option except online chat to fix really quite serious problems can get in the bin.

Remember, our poetry competition is free to enter, and open to all LGBTQ+ folk in the Scottish Borders. You can enter here: forms.gle/oHTdQVQhKY1y...

Just got home from post-Evensnog pub with @stjohnschoir.bsky.social , getting the "you dirty stop-out" LOOK from the cats!!

For Edinburgh based folk - if you are interested in land rights or forest protection, i think you'll enjoy "No More History without us" a film hosted by CinemaAttic on Tuesday at Leith Dockers Club cinemaattic.com/event/nomore...

It's intensely satisfying when the individual bits of a jacket start to come together. The bits I still need the instructions for (welt/flap pockets) are done, next step is to attach the fronts to the back. New addition for this iteration: back-stay. (This is the 9th I think. Red linen).

Dealing with hacked bank accounts is stress I could REALLY do without!

Just scared the cat by sneezing, in case anyone's wondering how my morning is going! The Summer Sore Throat has worked its way up to my sinuses :-(

Giving Proton Mail a go... any suggestions from people already using it?

Chilling with some of the more recent ITV Miss Marple series. Still have a soft spot for the Joan Hickson "proper" ones, but this has fabulous casting! (Murder at the Vicarage).

Scrapping equality rules is part of "restoring common sense" according to Badenoch? I'm getting *really* tired of everyone thinking that saying they're going to race to the bottom is how to win over the public! I wonder how many cumulative deaths Farage will have been responsible for?

Are you a build engineer? Want to get in on something fucking astounding? DM me. Last chance. I’m trying not to hire the usual suspects here. Be someone different and amazing. Hit me. Let’s go.

8/10 including a lucky guess. Has anyone heard of a "fianchetto"?

Meet Enoki!

Cliff is just doing "one song to the tune of another" isn't he! #TOTP

Do you know what the Lammermuirs don’t need? A fucking water guzzling AI data centre. Fancy signing the petition? www.change.org/p/save-the-l...

Do we think that the proposed ban on NHS staff in England wearing political badges, and attending political events in uniform, will also be applied to Pride/LGBTQ+ supporting badges and events?

Good exercise going through all my recurring payment methods; found a monthly subscription for £29.99 that I didn't realise I had... which has now been cancelled with extreme prejudice! (In the feedback told them that I was cancelling because I thought I already had... months ago...).

Yet again Amex have impressed me by how they handled my issue. New physical card will be delivered tomorrow! (Digital one in Samsung Pay is already active).

One of my aunts died of Multiple Sclerosis a few weeks ago, but I can't go to the funeral so I'm going on a 20-mile walk instead. I would be very grateful if anyone would like to donate, especially as the first £125 is matched by my employer. www.justgiving.com/page/deborah...

Computers are dumb... Stripe needed us to verify the business owners, because they'd pulled a "new" owner from public records... who happens to be the same owner they already have listed, but with more of their names. There's np option to say "these are the same natural person".

Morning Stretch... "SLAIN!" from Belshazzar's Feast.

Jeez. Looks as though someone has tried (and mostly failed) to hack my digital Amex card, based on the hundreds of emails that have come through with transaction confirmation codes! Only one fraudulent payment though. 24 hour real person phone service, that card is cancelled. (Yes I know 4am).

Any trans friends out there who are happy to answer a couple of questions? We have a trans customer at the moment and want to make sure that we pre-empt a couple of issues and make sure she is comfortable/safe throughout her course.

Giveaway that a novel set in London in 1884 was written by an American no 538... One character offering the other "hot tea". It's just *tea*.

The new Dean of the Cathedral in Reno was out walking last week when he met some Jehovah's Witnesses. They asked, "Do you have a moment to talk about the Bible?" He replied, "Sure! What would you like to know?" That stopped them cold. He did not get his position by accident. 😅

Happy Friday!!

Anyone else singing "Just one Cornetto" along with Pavarotti? (Radio3)

Random thoughts at 4:30 am, after being woken up by the cats for their breakfast... How did the Pushmipullyou poo??

One of the great untruths of the modern world... A 100g chocolate bar claiming "This pack has 10 servings". No. It doesn't. Yes it's divided into 10 *squares*... but that definitely isn't the same thing! (Waitrose No 1 Milk Chocolate with hazelnut, caramelised cashew and pistachio nuts)

Overheard in Waitrose... "Oh, do we need 'keenwah'"?

Sigh. What is the point of approving safe place delivery when the courier goes "can't deliver, nobody home"; despite the nominated place being obvious and clearly described.

9/10, got the footballer wrong! Good morning all.

After three consecutive late nights, I think I'm going to retire to my couch with my book!

Sewing day today; have just finished cutting out my dark red linen jacket, have various already cut out projects to move on with. Previous project was edging blankets for the Warm Space at church... worthy but not much else. Also blasting out Biber Missa Salisburgensis (from an actual CD).

Good morning all, from under a cat!

8/10, got the punk and the football questions wrong.

I might just have ordered a set of trans pride/trans ally pins!

Back in stock, ready for #PrideMonth, our bestselling Pride Stave Enamel Pins. Love is love. #pride 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ quiresandplaces.com/products/pri...

Short version: "Everyone can only use facilities matching their sex assigned at birth. Unless they don't look like it, then they can't use that either." Intended solely to harm trans people but can be weaponised against absolutely anyone. Even you. For no reason apart from hate-vote-chasing hate.

Anyone else listening to Radio3 right now and have the Oliver Cromwell song in their head?

I think i might know today's Morning Stretch!! Air on a G string?

9/10 today.

10/10 :-) Happy Friday!

I bought some little googly eyes (5mm)... Can I get the peelable paper off the back so I can actually stick them somewhere? That would be a resounding NO. Is there a trick to it?

First Aperol Spritz of the season!