Dean Riddick-McGregor

Tawny owl

Six weeks ago, I picked up a year-old tawny owl with a broken leg off the main road near our home and dropped him off at our nearest vet.

After a few days, I received one of the most bizarre phone calls I’ve ever had, asking “So when are you coming to pick up your owl?” 🧵

YouTube video by EarthWindandFireVEVO Earth, Wind & Fire - September (Official HD Video)

Almost forgot!

NHS Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Government Emergency Alerts and Domestic Abuse On the 7 September 2025 at 3pm, the government will be testing the emergency alert system to activate phones and tablets with a loud alert. If you have one hidden from an abusive partner, switch it off. It will alert even if it's on silent or disconnected from data and wifi. How to opt out of emergency alerts: ! Android · Open the settings app · Search 'emergency alerts' · Select emergency alerts and from here you can turn them off . Tap the toggles on the right. If they are grey, this means they are switched off. iPhone · Open the settings app · Tap on notifications . Scroll to the bottom of the page. There'll be an emergency alert section . Tap the toggles on the right. If they are grey, this means they are switched off @northumbrianhs

This might be important to some people

In English, if something is suspicious or amiss you could say either “I smell a rat” or “something’s rotten in the state of Denmark.” In Denmark, however, you could say der er ugler i mosen. It means “there are owls in the bog.”

A Labrador sitting in a chair, looking out of the window

Contemplating life's mysteries

Happy World Rain Day! It’s raining…

– Cats and dogs (English)
– Old ladies and sticks (Welsh)
– Like a pissing cow (French)
– As from Esteri’s ass (Finnish)
– Penguins headfirst (Uruguayan Spanish)
– Pilot whales (Faroese)
– Chair legs (Greek)
– Wheelbarrows (Czech)
– Men (hallelujah)

Elgol Slip, Isle of Skye. One from a over a decade ago, a long exposure, taken just as a heavy front of thick cloud began to dominate the sky, bringing fierce wind and driving rain in its wake. Good times ;) #Scotland #IsleofSkye #Highlands www.damianshields.com

Elgol Slip, Isle of Skye. One from a over a decade ago, a long exposure, taken just as a heavy front of thick cloud began to dominate the sky, bringing fierce wind and driving rain in its wake. Good times ;) #Scotland #IsleofSkye #Highlands www.damianshields.com

b/w photo of Maurice Wilson standing up in the cockpit of a small old aeroplane, in front of a hangar, waving at the camera

Today is the 91st anniversary of the last diary entry of the first man who tried to climb Everest solo. Mind you, his plan had been to crash land a plane 14,000 feet up and then stroll the rest of the way, so perhaps he wasn’t destined to succeed

A set of eight rectangular cookies arranged on a square white plate against a dark wooden background. Each cookie is inspired by a wallpaper design by Morris & Co. The patterns represented feature different floral and leaf shapes in shades of baby blue, soft pink, leafy green, mustard yellow, cream, and dark grey.

Today is National Biscuit Day, and it’s about time that I populated this account with biscuit (cookie) sets from the past few years. Here are some of my favourites. 🧵

First up, a set inspired by the delicious designs of William Morris and John Henry Dearle.

YouTube video by Rick Astley Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Official Music Video)

Wow: after 15 years, YouTube has taken down the original 'Rick Roll' video due to a "licensing issue," likely due to the acquisition of Astley's record lable.

The metadata remains, but if you click through it goes to 'video not found':

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4...

Chart showing share of American babies called Lazarus

Quite a comeback
www.economist.com/interactive/...

Dense star field. Near center of the image is a long, vertical hourglass structure with ropes of ejected material in red and pink. The center of the hourglass is bright orange.

Wake up nerds, new JWST image! ✨

Two actively-forming stars (protostars) emit dazzling jets of twisting material. Millions of years from now when this dance is over, there will be two stars similar to our Sun that might even form planets of their own.

📸: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI

"See it, say it, sorted."

Inside Housing is offering a four-week paid internship as part of the IBP programme which is particularly focused on people from underrepresented backgrounds in journalism. More info on how to apply here: releasd.com/pages/5-XG9l... There are also placements at other publications and comms agencies

Screenshotting this *just in case*

Far away in time?

Hive mind - Madeline needs you!

Please enjoy this delightful headline and byline combo
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Has 'slapping' always been the preferred method for tariff imposition?

My laptop says I should plug in or "find an alternative power source". That's 20 or 30 years of developmental research for me, then.

I *may* have muted "#TOTP" on here...

On #HolocaustMemorialDay, a reminder that there is now an almost comprehensive database of Kindertransport refugees.

If you think your family has a connection, you can find details on how to investigate it here

Look, I am sorry to make this joke but it is also true. There is a LOT to see in Barnard Castle

Cat wearing a tartan scarf and hat

Wishing a happy Burns Night to all my friends around the world celebrating the immortal bard #BurnsNight

ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIANS was released 64 years ago today. One of Disney Animation Studios’ most famous, enduring, and beloved films, the making of story is almost as shocking as Cruella de Vil…

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It took me more than 4 years to capture a scene I could only dream of. A magnificent Condor soars above the peaks of Argentina's Mount Fitz Roy, as they are spot lit in beautiful morning light. 🪶

#bluesky #photography #landscape #birds #nature
#landscapephotography #naturephotography #travel #scape

Historical document titled "Geheime Reichssache," dated from 1942, listing German officials and departments involved in a conference on the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question" held in Berlin. The document is typewritten with numbered points and official stamps.

20 January 1942 | A meeting was held in a villa in Berlin-Wannsee to discuss logistics and legal aspects of the operation of the extermination of Jews. This is the first page of the #Wannsee conference protocol. Find documents here: https://buff.ly/3WpxY4e

I believe as a feminist investigative journalist, it's vital to promote and support women's work, so I finally got around to making this starter pack. go.bsky.app/RaopwNN

False colour JWST NIRCam image of a nearby star forming region in front of a deep back ground of colorful galaxies. NASA, ESA, CSA, K. McQuinn (STScI), J. DePasquale (STScI)

Oh come ON now. This new JWST image is just ASTOUNDING.

I feel like I’m falling looking into it, and that I would fall forever, and that I would enjoy it.

NASA, ESA, CSA, K. McQuinn (STScI), J. DePasquale (STScI)

Picture showing Kang and Kodos, the two aliens from the cartoon The Simpsons, in their spaceship.

Made me think of this!