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Tim Dowling

@timdowling.bsky.social

Guardian writer, sad sack. Police Dog Hogan's banjo player.

2,497 Followers  |  207 Following  |  54 Posts  |  Joined: 19.08.2024  |  2.1689

Latest posts by timdowling.bsky.social on Bluesky

Good guess (I have read that one) but no

04.10.2025 21:13 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Tim Dowling: I love books – but can’t remember anything about the ones I’ve just read In bed I lie awake, staring at the books on my nightstand, trying to remember a single salient fact about any of them

I enjoyed the blue one, for what it’s worth.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

04.10.2025 09:36 β€” πŸ‘ 28    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 2

You wouldn't have like my jam roly poly, but it confirmed my long-held mistrust of so-called self-raising flour.

23.09.2025 11:55 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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Steam, stodge – and so much suet: I made 10 endangered British puddings. Are any actually worth saving? With many classic puddings on the verge of dying out, I set out to discover which should be back on the menu. It was a journey through some of the heaviest desserts in history

So, I made a lot of puddings.

www.theguardian.com/food/2025/se...

23.09.2025 07:20 β€” πŸ‘ 22    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 2
Post image

Still up, still eating

09.09.2025 14:56 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

you can forget again.

13.08.2025 14:47 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Ugly, mortifying – and addictive? Tim Dowling’s week in the world’s most divisive shoes Twenty years after they first hit the shelves, five-fingered shoes are apparently having a big fashion moment. But what is it like to wear them in public?

I wore toe shoes

www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025...

13.08.2025 14:33 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 0
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Tim Dowling: the old dog snorted with delight – and then she was gone | Tim Dowling Our short stay in the country ended in heartbreak. If there’s a best way for an animal to die, I can’t say I’ve found it

RIP, the old dog.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

02.08.2025 09:52 β€” πŸ‘ 36    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 16    πŸ“Œ 1
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Tim Dowling: the dog is destroying the lawn, but I need to catch her red-pawed I spend all afternoon watching the dog. Then an email pings and I turn to read it. When I turn back, the dog is gone and there’s a new hole in the lawn

Tim Dowling: the dog is destroying the lawn, but I need to catch her red-pawed

19.07.2025 08:13 β€” πŸ‘ 31    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Let me add my outrage.

16.07.2025 21:50 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

fine but how far do I have to walk

09.07.2025 09:18 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

Any incentive to keep the industry viable is worth considering

08.07.2025 09:02 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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The fisherman aesthetic: anglercore is everywhere – but does it suit me? Waders you could wear to a gallery opening, vests cropped weirdly short and laden with pockets. I tried the biggest trend in fashion to find out why so many non-fishers are wearing it

The short answer to the question is: yes, I'm afraid it does suit me.
www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025...

08.07.2025 08:52 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

never. A monstrous oversight

15.06.2025 11:54 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Is it one of those words that has to be plural?

15.06.2025 09:26 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Tim Dowling: let my tortoise’s humiliating mishap be a lesson to him A freak thunderstorm soaks the middle one on his way to our house (he’s come to raid the fridge), but the real drama is the toppled tortoise

As a custodian of an ancient tortoise adept at concealing himself with the least available ground cover, that elusive Pimpershell, I always identify with @timdowling.bsky.social’s columns about his.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

24.05.2025 09:26 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Tim Dowling: Help! We have no internet and I really do have work to do I’ve got a date with one of the country’s worst-rated customer service departments. What could possibly go right?

Here's this week's column, posted a bit later than usual (no idea why).

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

10.05.2025 09:07 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

it's up now, anyway!

10.05.2025 09:05 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Dunno what’s happened there. I mean, I did write one.

10.05.2025 08:35 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

If nothing else, it may survive as a handy guide

26.04.2025 09:59 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

god bless you

26.04.2025 08:16 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Tim Dowling: it’s the last date of my band’s tour – do I risk telling my Italian sausage joke? There is one story I’ve prepared but never used. Is the world ready for it?

The world is still not ready for my joke.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

26.04.2025 08:00 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 1

I'd forgotten that when I went to interview Onion staff 23 years ago, their photographer asked to borrow my gormless, self-satisfied mug.

24.04.2025 13:08 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

actually it is me, 23 years ago.

24.04.2025 13:04 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Tim Dowling: I’m on tour with my band – and my wife is ignoring my calls After a misunderstanding over who was using the car, my wife teaches me a lesson without saying a word

The less I say about this the better, except: there are ticket still available for Glasgow, Edinburgh and Brighton.

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

22.03.2025 10:16 β€” πŸ‘ 17    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0
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Kate Bush and Damon Albarn among 1,000 artists on silent AI protest album Recordings of empty studios represent impact on musicians of UK’s plans to let AI train on their work without permission

Somewhere on this album is the sound of me not playing the banjo, which is now destined to become a popular live request.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

25.02.2025 10:49 β€” πŸ‘ 26    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Is This What We Want? More than 1,000 musicians have come together to release Is This What You Want?, an album protesting the UK government’s proposed changes to copyright law.

We're among 1,000+ musicians who are jointly releasing this album of recordings of empty studios to protest the government's planned changes to copyright law, which would hand the life's work of the country's musicians to AI companies for free.
Don't legalise music theft! isthiswhatwewant.com

25.02.2025 08:48 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

half lab, half terrier, and not on purpose.

04.02.2025 22:22 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Will a dog bed for humans improve my life? My pets and I found out The Snuggle Pod is big enough for a 6ft person and at least one dog. Unfortunately, I have two dogs

I slept in a giant human dog bed, with dogs

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

04.02.2025 11:48 β€” πŸ‘ 26    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

Me too.

30.01.2025 19:01 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

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