We've been away for a few days so we missed the biggest snowfall the farm has seen in at least a decade. Our horse cover really earning her wages this time around.

Dirk Gently on Netflix was a great show with a great cast and a horrible showrunner. I guess Netflix would have cancelled it anyway because they always do, but with him in charge it's hard to blame them.

What do you mean I'm sharing the sweet sward on an easy day after a suspiciously quiet weekend of hard cases? I would never share only my succe- look! An eagle! I solved the daily Clues by Sam, Jan 5th 2026 (Easy), in 03:25 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 cluesbysam.com

A perfect day to be walking a black and white beast through the sunny winter woods.

Bsky help please: After the loss of our lovely Pip, we’re now ready to give a loving and experienced home to a healthy, safe, heavy horse, 7-15y/o, >15hh, for happy hacking and maybe a spot of trek. Based in south east UK. If anyone knows of anything please get in touch. 🐴 🧡

In fairness almost all the moss that has ever existed was outside the ISS.

Was logging in expecting everyone's pictures of snow

An administration driven by greed, cruelty, and frankly a sort of empty-hearted boredom. The death of innocents so they can beat their chests and line their already fat wallets. Whatever comes next has to at least look like justice. We cannot just turn the page for the sake of one party’s comfort.

FIFA must be feeling pretty silly right now.

Anyway, every time I'm imposter-syndroming out of applying for a thing (or entering a competition or emailing a producer) I will think about Jack who will definitely apply and think nothing of it even though he's not very good, and I will apply out of spite. IN YOUR FACE, JACK!

For 2026 I've invented a nemesis. His name is Jack and he's an OKish writer. He's tall, has floppy hair and he went to private school (but doesn't mention it in case he gets accused of being priviliged) and has an auntie in the Beeb. He's not a bad guy, but he has a lot of unearned confidence...

In case you missed them, a few of the my favourite albums of 2025: I super-enjoyed Lucy Dacus' "Forever Is A Feeling" - she's a reliably great songwriter and it's nice to have some uplifting songs of queer love alongside the heartbreakers: lucydacus.bandcamp.com/album/foreve...

In case you missed them, a few of the my favourite albums of 2025: I super-enjoyed Lucy Dacus' "Forever Is A Feeling" - she's a reliably great songwriter and it's nice to have some uplifting songs of queer love alongside the heartbreakers: lucydacus.bandcamp.com/album/foreve...

Starting the year in the sward, as I hope to continue! I solved the daily Clues by Sam, Jan 1st 2026 (Tricky), in less than 11 minutes 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 cluesbysam.com

Okay, I will preface this with the GIGANTIC disclaimer that I promise I know how this looks, and I *swear* this is not personally motivated: If you have an old #LiveJournal account, and it has things you still care about in it, download it or import it to Dreamwidth SOON. Details:

Happy birthday to all the thoroughbreds out there.

We got to see the reason for the season today!

If you've been meaning to get around to this, time is running out!

Riding Joey and the baby just super wanted to be involved - we did a few rollbacks with her getting increasingly excited, scampering beside us, bucking and generally being a menace with her little tail flagged over her back.

If you haven't seen this video take a few minutes to watch it, a legitimate masterpiece to go with a classic song: youtu.be/PaMiVDZu_T4

If you've been meaning to get around to this, time is running out!

Researchers have worked out where the people who spoke Proto-Indo-European lived by analysing what animals it had words for - the only place they all lived -between the Black Sea and the Caucasus IIRC- is the original home of the language

Voting closes at the end of the month so if you've been meaning to get around to this, please do!

The King (my special weekend and days off mug) is dead (broken.) Alas his rein was too short.

The green green sward of home! I solved the daily Clues by Sam, Dec 30th 2025 (Medium), in 04:49 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 cluesbysam.com

ruin two bands by combining them: U2Unlimited (Arguably improving more than ruining)

Voting closes at the end of the month so if you've been meaning to get around to this, please do!

I'm not a realist. Some of my best friends are real.

It's going to be tough but I'm a wealthy hereditary Lord whose life largely revolves around collecting rare first edition books and doing a bit of detective work.

What the moral problem of Large Language Models tells us from @stewarthotston.com stewarthotston.com/2025/12/29/w...

We went to Caerphilly Castle today which led us to learning a bit of history about Edward II and his terrible taste in men, that pretty much led to falling out with all of his barons and ultimately his queen turning on him. There were so many ways for a feudal monarchy to be unstable, it transpires.

For the visually minded, here's my Indie Ink Awards vote beseeching in graphic form. It's really hard to distinguish yourself as a self-published author, even when the work is really good, which I believe The Redstone Rescue is. Getting on a shortlist would be a significant boost.

Finished a short story for the first time in a while. On the whole I'm better at long fiction, but there was something specific I wanted to try for and this might polish up into something fun.

The sward stretches before me like a summer meadow! I solved the daily Clues by Sam, Dec 28th 2025 (Hard), in less than 14 minutes 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 cluesbysam.com

A loan shark is a good example of an apex creditor

A final batch of figure drawing tips for 2025. Following up on hands, we investigate what happens when we stick 'em in our pockets... (1/3)

A fantastic pair of thematically linked novellas await in Wiz Duos 3 - The Sheltering Flame by Ruthanna Emrys and Walking A Wounded Land by Andrew Knighton - www.runalongtheshelves.net/blog/2025/12...

The stylus from my tablet fell into the sofa and vanished completely. Poked around underneath, took off the cushions, nothing. Opened up the sofabed, moved the sofa, no stylus. I had seen it fall, I knew where it went but it wasn't there. Truly baffling. It was magnetised under the sofabed frame.

RIP to Brigitte Bardot, sixth best singer to collaborate with Serge Gainsbourg, but definitely the one most convicted for repeatedly inciting racial hatred.

Got a little time to read a weird little story during this weird point in the year? My Visual Novel is free to play in your browser right here: bridlewise.itch.io/tatterdemalion

I suffer a curse where every time I see a new novel that says "a novel" on the front cover it irritates me 0.1% more.

For the visually minded, here's my Indie Ink Awards vote beseeching in graphic form. It's really hard to distinguish yourself as a self-published author, even when the work is really good, which I believe The Redstone Rescue is. Getting on a shortlist would be a significant boost.

If you're on Kobo in the UK you can pick up some @abraham.bsky.social fantasy novels cheap at the moment. The Long Price quartet is clever, thoughtful, non-traditional fantasy while the Dagger & Coin series are a masterpiece of epic fantasy. Both very different, both brilliant.

This is precisely what many writers fail to grasp- with a character like Blanc you want to see him do his thing, other characters are changed, he is the catalyst. If Stephen Moffat had internalised this lesson British television in the 20-teens would have been a very different place.

Getting started on a christmas present read and the immediate vibe of "A Knight's Tale (but lesbian)" is one I'm very much here for. Also the title is great.

A beautiful day for a little wander around an abandoned farm.

A friend once hit me with: "Your jokes are very clever... but they're not funny." If only it were less true.

I was dreaming of a green Christmas and my dream came true! I solved the daily Clues by Sam, Dec 25th 2025 (Tricky), in less than 9 minutes 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩 cluesbysam.com

Sorry, clarification - I have an immediate need for an Illustration to go with a translation of my short story Children of Dagon and wondered if anyone here had a piece showing a seal/human creature - ideally with a ruined city landscape - ready to go, that I could haggle for. Should be SFW