Beth

And to you, dear one ❤️❤️

thinking about what’s next. I need to book a meeting about that.

Loving thanks to: Fen Speak, Allographic, Oooh Beehive, Yes we Cant, Prickly Pear, Ouse Muse and the gorgeous Morecambe Poetry Festival.

A slower year in terms of “output” though that’s never the point. It’s been a weird year that started in difficulty and is ending in burnout territory once again. Just. Keep. Writing.

Tagging as always for completeness: @rickdove.bsky.social (❤️❤️)

I’m pretty happy. I’ve also spent a lot of time

The count is in.
As is customary, I have tallied what’s written and read. It is as ever - a bit rough.
Poems complete: 51
Starts: 28
Workshops attended: 63 including approx 49 write ins.
Open mics: 30-35 (including the one I run!)
1 headline, 1 ‘alf end, 1 festival set.
2 book launches. 1 book.

Spent.
A decent Christmas that saw the other members of my family beside me at church, a lovely dinner and silly games.
Grateful to be home, where it’s safe to be yourself and be wobbly if you need to be.

Wow this dude was a slow learner. That’s a lot of eels.

(I need to up my alt text game, clearly!)

trip - truly NOT. Mainly to explain. Possibly to myself. Rejected is my default position. It’s safer to be prepared, you see. For the inevitable time I fuxk up and lose someone because I was…too something or other, probably.

- my brain goes straight to the idea that I must have done something wrong. There’s concrete reasoning in my history (it absolutely has happened) but it leaves me a mess in the corner. I haven’t solved all of this yet and I am working on it. Just know this is where I go - not to give you a guilt

RSD is an absolute kick in the gut. I haven’t heard from someone I chat to on a daily basis for two days. Unusual. Yes, I’ve messaged. No reply.

My default state when this happens is that you no longer want to talk to me. No matter how I talk to myself about how life is life and maybe they are ill

Feeling shit continues, now with added Christmas stress.

There are some people I just love to hear talking about their poetry and where it comes from. Joelle Taylor is one of them. #TheVerb

A partial selfie of Bees, wearing a black t shirt with lettering on it in blue, white and pink that says Gender Affirming Care Saves Lives on it. But it’s a selfie so it’s backwards. Sorry. T shirt by Stevie Bees.

Timely thread from Jay because I’m about to head to the gp to find out WTF is going on with my body (which has been on HRT for almost 3 years and might be “symptomatic” again).

Kids, it’s not hard. Gender affirming care saves lives. All lives that need it.

Thread from Jay. Important stuff. Happy Anniversary @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social - glad you’re safe.

Actually, feeling pretty shit.

I keep a little tin of Vaseline just for this.

Oh I’m certain of it. Sometimes it’s just hilarious, and some times it’s completely on point.

It also makes me feel like I’m curating my feed about right ;)

Tomorrow night! Come along if you want some poetry

Once again @robinince.bsky.social and @effinbirds.com get juxtaposition of the week.

Tonight’s edition of sleepless on the isle is brought to you by itchy legs and snoring through CPAP. (Not me.)

Got up. Sorted laundry baskets and picked up odd trash. Knit two rows.

This SUCKS. I am so tired.

4am sucks.
0545 sucks too, and worse if you’ve been awake since 4am.

Sleepless on the Isle is here again.
How long does magnesium take to be effective again?!

Close up image of knitting. It is in a shade of dark lilac. You can see the waves of knit stitches and crossed needle tips. This knitting is giant, and the pattern is called origami wrap shawl.

Knitting continues.

Channel it! Whatever makes the world go round, honestly.
C used to unpack the shopping to the closest approximation of where stuff went (she was v tiny) and understood things fitting together very early. Now she bakes and makes a massive mess ;) (but: cake)

You are doing great babes @thefluffybat.bsky.social

See what the kiddo will do. Some like sweeping, some like fetch and carry, ours liked recycling 😆 and unpacking shopping.

Small goddaughter when 2, and asked how she was:
Daddy says, i’n a pest!
Are you a pest?!

YES!

A painting of a bird beside the text "no way in fuck am i putting up with that shit"

We want the media and politicians to recognise that there is a large number of women who are supportive of the trans+ community. We call on them to report truthfully about the sources of violence against women and to address the systems that perpetuate harm. notinourname.org.uk/petition/not...

I seem to have developed yarn brain. It thinks of things to make and harasses me until I make them. Now I’m making this. I have actual projects to finish you know?!

Sometimes being the only one of your friends awake really, REALLY sucks.

I don’t sleep well and at the moment, I’m having very restless nights and getting up early to avoid the weird dreams. But as much as i enjoy the “before” in my home, I don’t always enjoy the one in my mind. It’s lonely.

JK Rowling pledges to keep up fight against SNP trans policies Author vows to bankroll campaigners after Scottish government fails to pay group's legal fees in Supreme Court equality case

It cannot be made clearer.

If you continue to support the Harry Potter franchise in any way, you are directly funding the removal of trans people's human rights in the UK.

MOAR YAAAAAARNNNNNN