A Day Between Weathers: Collected Poems, 1938-1978, by William J. Tait Review by Rob Spence We don’t celebrate the linguistic diversity of these isles anything like enough. Just think of the rich heritage of Welsh, Gaelic, Irish, Manx, Scots, Cornish, Norn -- n

At Shiny today: @spencro.bsky.social reviews A Day Between Weathers by William J Tait in a new edition from @mikewalmer.bsky.social shinynewbooks.co.uk/a-day-betwee...

Latest on the blog: a look at a classic of the American gilded age. robspence.org.uk/2026/04/20/f...

So sorry to read this. Utterly shortsighted and self-defeating policy. I predict no senior managers will be made redundant.

"a hard time making money" says the owner of this building.

I wonder does he think it's easy to leave your family & travel 9000km to work as a nurse in an understaffed hospital while patients hurl racial abuse at you & you pay a third of your salary each month to sleep in a room with two strangers

Should have guessed!

Ugh! And wtf is a "hero course"?

You are correct.

I suppose. Don't think anyone on Trump's team would have the skills to do that. Definitely agree about hunting them down.

"If it's AI"?? It sure as hell ain't real.

Or maybe *overstate*.

The best summary I've read of the dismantling of the US government, state & state agencies in the age of Trump 2.0. It will be a long rebuild.

My abiding memory of the one I was at was Monty Panesar in three jumpers trying to grip the ball.

2008 versus NZ in May. Freezing!

But with about 30% less rainfall than Seattle...

The myth of 'rainy Manchester': How dodgy 1920s weather map gave city its soggy nickname Geographer Martin Dodge, from Manchester University, believes the misleading 1926 map was instrumental in reinforcing the city’s reputation for miserable weather.

I'll have to post this again: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater...

Three Men In A Boat Jerome K Jerome's journey up the Thames

Just published on First Folios: a jaunt up the Thames with Jerome K Jerome. open.substack.com/pub/rob611/p...?

BBC NEWS Shropshire Council Issuing statement on council website: "We will be removing all unauthorised flags from our street lighting columns and other highway assets. This will be in Shrewsbury initially with plans to remove all unauthorised flags across the county in time. Where appropriate and legally possible, we will seek to recover the cost of removal from the individuals responsible for installing the flags."

Every council should follow suit.

You really should make it clear that this is an extract from a TV dramatisation of Orwell's life. It's not his "final interview": to claim it is makes you, er, Orwellian.

Thanks for the info. Glad I am well beyond the time in my life when I have to consider these things. What a minefield!

I'm assuming there's some kind of financial benefit in that bizarre arrangement.

OK, I hadn’t grasped that, thanks.

…for a “share of freehold”??

I saw White Heather at Pordenone - great stuff!

1976 for me. A cohort in my subject of, if I remember rightly, 105 students. Four firsts.

I loved this film also. I did find it rather spooky that the actors resembled their real life counterparts so closely.

Excellent evisceration of the useful idiot Varoufakis.

Impossible to disagree with a single word that Ben Rhodes (Obama era NSC official) is saying here:

The loud aggressive litigant pulls the case and pays indemnity costs to the other party, and enters into a compromise which leaves the other party far better off than before the case was brought.

Bullying and boasting, but based on blundering and bombast.

The President is openly threatening genocide. A crime against humanity. He must be removed from office.

The 25th Amendment must be invoked. If not, Congress has to do our damn job. Speaker Johnson, call us into session. War powers & impeachment. Remove this man from office.

Yes, Carl Sagan said it all those years ago, and it remains as true as ever. We are that small blue dot.