My garden has a swan in it, which means I'm the queen, right?

My third time visiting this beautiful woman of Labrador, who is probably Caubvickk, the only survivor of an Inuit delegation brought to London by George Cartwright in 1773. The others died of smallpox. I could look at this portrait forever and never be done.

I wont announce this as anyone's dream job, but if you're in London(ish) and would like to spend some time in a wonderful department for a year while I go on leave, please apply for this post!!!

cis7.bbk.ac.uk/vacancy/lectur…

Democracy in any form! I genuinely think a mobile voting booth is a wonderful idea. Drive it to the schools. Get the 18 year olds to vote. Scare the ever living shit out of our complacent politicians.

Whether by car or by foot or by bike, remember to vote today!

I wrote about what I’d been reading, for the The Guardian. Now: editing’s important. I’m happy to be edited and I welcome it. But isn’t it funny how it’s always the same word that gets edited out? theguardian.com/books/2024/may…

Huge news on the little stretch of chalk stream. This dredged channel, so bereft of a varied bank, just needed some coppicing and dead leaves to grow WILD RIVER MINT!!!!!

For anyone wishing to see my lecture online, do sign up below. The in-person event is fully booked!

In a fit of utter madness, I just bought an entire mezze platter, including the plate, as a 'train snack'. Honestly I think I need a handler.

What does it say about me that the first thing I think about is the way a fart would echo around a space like this?

also, yellow curtains for making lecture space? Are these strange space curtains that keep out sound and farts?

It's great that M&S at the train station sells tinnies of G&T so that I can pour one on myself as the train pulls out of the station.

'Gotcha squirrels!', I think, hanging the solid metal suet feeder on the clothesline, too far for them to reach.

This morning: the squirrels tightrope walk the line, open the metal cage, knock it to the ground & carry off an entire ball of suet each.

Touché, squirrels. Touché.