It’s a doer-upper, but mostly cosmetic. Hard to tell from the photos though.

Not in France. Wild boars perhaps. More likely to happen when we still lived in Somerset.

RAYE Dazzles New York’s Radio City Music Hall With ‘This Tour May Contain New Music’: 7 Best Moments RAYE on one of the most impressive shows of the year at New York's Radio City Music Hall with This Tour May Contain New Music. Read the full review.

“Arguably the most outstanding pop show of 2026 so far. [ ] Pristine vocals are simply a part of the deal with RAYE, yet it truly cannot be overstated just how ambitious some of her choices were through this section — and she nailed every single one.“ @billboard.com

Pottery krater (bowl) decorated with a bull and with a man holding two dogs on a leash.

This could so well be my husband taking the dogs out.

Pottery krater decorated with a bull and with a man holding two dogs on a leash, Mycenaean 1300-1200 BC (LHIllb), Found at Tomb A14, Klavdia, Cyprus, British Museum. 🗃️🏺

Hand holding a paper cup filled with lemon and coffee ice cream, with a wooden spoon.

It’s very unusual for me to treat myself, but hey ho. 😎

Trump: "When you see soldiers walking around with no legs, that was Iran that did that"

He seemed determined to get us to drink his Breton cider, but great galettes.

Two small, light-coloured dogs on a white towel.

Good morning from Raphael and Rembrandt.
#dogsofbluesky #dogs #sighthounds #skyhounds #italiangreyhound #whippet #blueskydogs #iggy #iggysofbluesky #notawhippet #greyhounds

Their stuffed horses are still in a museum in Brussels. I own an original print of one of the celebratory arches built for their 1599 Joyous Entry into Antwerp, by Pieter van den Borch.

Four photos of wisteria at a former monastery in France.

Next Saturday, we will be at Fontfroide Abbey near Narbonne, France, for the annual plant fair. Such a glorious setting. 🇫🇷🌱

R.I.P. Iris Long, a Lifesaving HIV Treatment Activist and Ally A retired pharmaceutical chemist in the early days of AIDS, Iris Long shared vital knowledge with fellow activists in ACT UP New York.

“Long was a retired pharmaceutical chemist living in Queens, New York, when AIDS emerged as a global threat in the 1980s … Long shared her knowledge with activists in ACT UP New York, working directly with them on effective ways to pressure researchers to test and market lifesaving drugs.”

Gentleman’s Relish no longer toast? Brand may yet have a future AB World Foods, which announced the demise of the pungent paste only last week, is now ‘exploring options’ to stage a rescue operation

It has been discontinued “due to a slump in sales”, but there are ongoing negotiations to continue production.

Gentlemen's Relish Recipe This classic condiment is a type of seasoned anchovy butter that is also known as Patum Peperium. The strong anchovy flavor is complemented by cayenne pepper and ground nutmeg, and fresh lemon juice c...

Now that you temporarily can’t buy it in shops anymore, I would consider making my own. But two sticks of butter and four tins of anchovies seems rather a lot. Unless my OH starts handing it out to his British expat friends. 🍽️🇫🇷

A church tower surrounded by old buildings, olive trees and cypresses.

Montouliers in Hérault. The church was first mentioned in 940 AD. The castle used to belong to the archbishops of Narbonne and is still occupied.
#AlphabetChallenge
#WeekOforOld
#France

Poppies in a vineyard.

When I left France last week, the first poppies appeared. Can’t wait to see how many there are next weekend. 🇫🇷📷 me 🌱 #photography

More people are walking and cycling as fuel costs rise, but women risk greater social exclusion without affordable alternatives Rising fuel costs due to the war in Iran have led more UK drivers to walk or cycle, but Cycling UK warns that without affordable options, the shift could leave many, particularly women, increasingly i...

More people are walking and cycling as fuel costs rise, but women risk greater social exclusion without affordable alternatives.

A wasted FBI Director. On the job always. And wasted.

Was he wasted when there was a terrorist attack in DC and two National
Guard soldiers were shot in the head???

Or when Savannah Guthrie’s mom was abducted??

Very interesting piece this. Demonstrates the pervasive influence of "shitstalgia" while also highlighting that its some among the 60 pluses who need a social media ban and much more than the kids.

The octopus drawings were a real marketing thing. These were incredibly popular all over the Eastern Mediterranean at the time.

My photo shows a frontal view of a buff-coloured Minoan pottery jug with a dark-red, stylised octopus painted beneath the dark red pouring spout. The jug has a rounded body with very short neck with out-turned rim, the body tapers downwards to a slightly turned out flat base also painted red. On each shoulder there’s a small chunky loop handle. The octopus is stylised and looks cartoon-like with a vertical dumbbell shaped body, with two large circular eyes with central red dots staring out at the viewer. From the top of the head emerge eight suckered arms. Four arms hang symmetrically downwards on each side of the body, writhing and curling at the tip. There is a similar red octopus on each side of the jug not shown in my photo.

A 3,500 year-old Minoan jar with a cartoon-like octopus under the spout! 🐙

From Kommos, Crete. Heraklion Archaeological Museum 📷 by me

#Archaeology

Local business loses thousands of followers after Nigel Farage visit He said he wanted to use the moment to benefit his business but it 'massively backfired'

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-n...

Two light-coloured dogs on a white towel on top of a wooden trunk on a sunny terrace.

Good morning from Rembrandt and Raphael. There’s a little wind so we need to use dogs to keep the blanket from blowing off.
#dogsofbluesky #dogs #sighthounds #skyhounds #italiangreyhound #whippet #blueskydogs #iggy #iggysofbluesky #notawhippet #greyhounds

Permission has now been granted by Southwark Councjl for Tower Bridge to fly the Pride flag during June. Elsewhere, the council has closed a planning enforcement complaint about the Maudsley Hospital’s use of the Pride flag

Four photos of a plant fair in the grounds of a medieval monastery in France.

During our team meeting today, we were asked to share what we were doing about Spring gardening. Aside from me obviously missing most of Spring in France, I was the only one flying to France next week to buy plants at the Fontfroide Plant Fair near Narbonne. Don’t ask if you can’t handle the answer.

Terrible story.

Southwark is traditionally solid Lib Dem.

The Lib Dems’ campaign materials in Southwark claims that the Green party has no chance of winning. Is that still true?