Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon, the Cotswolds? all reachable by train from Birmingham and potentially day-trippable.

In London there is so much, it depends what you like! the museums and galleries (nb they're mostly free)? the parks? you want to take in a show? go to bookshops? just wander around Covent Garden or St James's or Camden or somewhere else pretty? I can be more specific if you can narrow it down a bit.

thank you for this important news

Right?? Who strikes for four days over a voluntary arrangement!

It’s four days of massive disruption for NOTHING.

I have always believed this. Also I would have enjoyed your dream a lot.

maybe people should just call me "hey, you"

ahhh, my name problems, let me tell you. I have a Vedic name, which I have discarded. my real name is a nickname. "Iona" is a Hebridean island, a "thin place"; my Gaelic roots are air an eilean; but ì, the island's Gaelic name, has no known meaning. and my surname isn't on my passport.

just spent a surprising amount of time looking for a pronunciation guide to my name for an author event. in Scotland my name is invariably pronounced correctly; elsewhere it varies.

Perhaps also security vetting!

Ooh I don’t know. I bet you people would get really into it and then you’re gonna be writing these things for public consumption 😂

Please report back! I am totally in love with the show, I hope that’s in your future too

This thing where the tube strikes aren’t technically continuous but no one can go to work for a week cos no one has half a commute. Like. Are they just trying to lose all goodwill ever.

I really, really think it will pay off for you

Oh no

so obv not ok in the longer-term, my ridic life is collapsing way, but v much ok today, the Goo Goo Dolls herald a fannish absurdity incoming, thank you for asking ❤️❤️

aww, thank you! I don't do them all the time and I don't do them fancy, but I do very much enjoy doing them when I have the chance.

for reasons that will soon become painfully, visibly obvious, I have listened to the Goo Goo Dolls' Name 12 times in the last hour. it's just very good, ok.

picture credit @generalising.bsky.social

Me, a brown woman with a grey streak in their hair, head in hands with two tarot decks on the table

Lovely party today, at which I did half a dozen tarot readings! they're exhausting but I love doing them and I should do them more! here is a pic that is representative:

Oh bless you 🖤

‘The Pitt’ Star Noah Wyle on Surviving Another Shift As ‘The Pitt’ wraps up a season that took his character to the edge, Noah Wyle reflects on how he ended up starring in the hottest medical drama on TV—again.

I finished watching the Pitt last night, it was a LOT, omg. Does anyone have access to the paywalled GQ article btw? www.gq.com/story/noah-w...

This made me laugh SO much (alt text in the thread)

Temperance, much underrated as a name

I had two sets of those books - some my dad had got me in America and the British editions. it legit taught me a lot!

it would have been very lovely, even if I hadn't run into C! beautiful smooth ice and lots of space to train, I practised my backwards edges and turns and it was great.

I don't think so! maybe gym bunny. but I don't think Jewish and autistic would still be me.

in other news, I didn't go to work. instead I picked up a package, did some balcony gardening, got my hair done & eyebrows threaded, went skating at Streatham and had lunch with Cleo (after running into her by chance on the rink!).

I also contemplated bad fanfiction. and now the Pitt.

Instagram is really struggling with me atm, it seems! Right now it thinks I am an autistic Jewish gym bunny.

and like, tumblr also thinks I'm autistic cos tumblr is the worst. but the rest is new.

Aww! Happy anniversary!