Thanks, that’s really helpful

Cheers.

Thanks, I have a feeling the number I’m looking for is £20 or so.

So my gut says that early 1990s this would have been in the £25-30 range for a fairly non-descript and/or tatty jacket (the logic being that if it had been less than 2-3 weeks' of my hospitality wages, I'd've bought one).

Thanks - I bought mine secondhand. Pretty sure I paid less than £50 for it

@petefrasermusic.bsky.social I know you’re quite a bit younger than me, but can you help with question below?

I’m pretty sure he’s dead, but I take your point

London people! I bought a secondhand leather biker jacket from Camden Town around 1989/1990. How much would I have paid for it? I’m guessing less than £50 (I definitely wouldn’t have paid that much) and maybe even less than £20?

Yup. Got no doubt about it.

Don't know if this counts as a conspiracy theory, but Jeffrey Epstein was definitely murdered in prison to shut him up.

women next to me at the cafe discussing a European couple they know who moved to London and hired a schools consultant (?) who advised them on what neighbourhood to buy a house in so their kids could get into the best state school, so I reckon that we actually could tax high earners a bit more tbh

I might have to move the patches onto it too...

Hmmm. Somehow prefer the patched, falling to bits hoodie. You can never buy the same hoodie twice I guess.

@louiestowell.bsky.social this would be my Friday good news but is so exciting I couldn’t wait ;)

I’ve had two bits of incredible good fortune this afternoon. One relating to a book I’ve wanted to read for ages and the other thanks to Vinted which has finally let me replace a threadbare and multi-patched hoodie I’ve had for decades and which is what I wear around the house nearly all the time.

I read a chapter at one point on I think Twitter, before he had to take it that down (am neither friend nor colleague!) Rather wish I hadn’t as it was, indeed, utterly superb and I will now never know what happened next

I will MAKE you lunch!

Finland ends homelessness and provides shelter for all in need - scoop.me In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Why? The country applies the "Housing First" concept agains homelessness.

“In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Those affected receive a small apartment & counselling with no preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected make their way back to a stable life. And all this is CHEAPER than accepting homelessness.”

IT SAVES PUBLIC MONEY to house people.

Not read that, will add it to list

How do I arrange to borrow this from you? (totally understand if this is not a possibility).

There were serious negotiations with the estate about publishing it, and for a while it looked like it might come out, but as I understand it that's fallen through now. Francis had some copies privately printed, one of which I have (he said, boastfully).

The Stone Table? Will it ever see the light of day, do you think? Lewis's stuff is out of copyright in less than 10 yeas but I assume the estate will have trademarked Narnia and various characters to prevent unauthorised spin-offs, as Orwell's did.

Do you mean the Narnia sequel or his new book?

Ha! Thanks - Spufford is an interesting writer. Apparently he’s written an unpublished Narnia sequel which some of his friends and colleagues have read

Sorry, meant to ask - where is your review of it?

Read a great review of it and this makes me want to read it even more.

There's a Grimms' fairy tale where a guy refuses to give his dad a bite of roast chicken & the chicken turns into a huge toad & attaches to his face for the rest of his life & he has to keep it constantly fed or it starts eating his face. So maybe that functionality could be added

The main quote that's stuck in my head since school from Fahrenheit 451 is "Can you dance faster than the white clown" referring to their weird social media obsession distracting from everything that matters and honestly, what a prediction that one was.

That actually sounds delicious!

Okay I'm back on Instagram so you can follow me there if you want to, but it'll be business only: @vivschwarz
Very much appreciating any boosts of my books and such. I'm also @betonmond, publishing beautiful card games there.