John Alex Taylor

Meanwhile in South Wales, it's... raining.

And now we have a clap of thunder. What's your next trick, February? (Sound on for rain on the window – I missed the thunder.)

A signpost with a difference: bird migration routes.

The lovely Gwent Levels – a farmed landscape that deserves to be left alone.

Reedbeds.

View across the channel.

We made the most of this morning's blue skies to visit RSPB Newport Wetlands. One thing I love about the place is the absolute silence. A city, a main line railway and a motorway are not far away, but something dampens the sound. Maybe it's the reed beds?

Interesting. Writing with disabled protagonists who show agency, I've had an awful lot of 'beautifully written, but,' rejections.

Gwen John: Strange Beauties review – Wales’s great modern artist stuns us with the glory of solitude In a superb, mystical retrospective, the painter sheds social trappings – and her clothes – as she uses her enormous intelligence to paint purely

I've been waiting so long for this exhibition. Gwen John's paintings have been my friends since I was a child, and they've worked their way into my novels. www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

Breaking: Farage defects to the Tories?

Support your local independent bookshops!
www.itv.com/watch/news/n...

Important perspective from Greenland.

House sparrows on a bird feeder, sillhouetted against the light.

Two very lucky pictures as the sun shone through this morning's mist. I was just passing the window.

Grey squirrel on bridge 105, Mon & Brec Canal.

Squirrel number 105, is that you?

Those chickens are rubbish at punctuation. Get the humans back, all is forgiven!

Snow on the Black Mountains at sunset.

Long lens from our bedroom window at sunset. The snow will be gone tomorrow.

My car is on finance, but I paid off a lump in the first year, making the payments smaller. It's a Toyota hybrid (not plug-in) and runs well. Not flashy – I'm not a car person.

Robin in the snow.

The garden show-off.

Snow and a hard frost from our window. I didn't dare open it to take the picture!

Beautiful this morning , but.... brrrrrrr!

Spray paint a plane and they'll detain you without trial and call you a terrorist.

Kidnap a foreign head of state - and Keir Starmer will make it clear we've played no part in it but will wait for the scheduled press conference in a few hours before potentially condemning it

BBC Radio 4 - Bookclub, Rónán Hession Rónán Hession takes questions on his debut novel, Leonard and Hungry Paul.

Good morning

And what a lovely start to the year.

Please Join @ronanhession.bsky.social talking to James Naughtie

This Sunday 4th January on BBC Radio4 at 4pm.

@bbcnewsnight.bsky.social

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Wolf Moon rising. Feel free to h-o-w-l!

Setting sun over sheep today.

Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful 2026. Like many other years, 2025 has been a bit of a mess: difficult, scary, but very often lovely. I choose to treasure the lovely memories.

Bendigedig 😍

Is there an underground ceilidh today, perhaps?

Robin in the winter sun in our garden today.

Nadolig llawen!

Sparrows waiting in line on our fence for the feeder. Each fence post holds precisely one sparrow.

The queues are terrible at this time of year...

Canada Geese on Parc Bryn Bach lake this morning.

Bobbing along.

It's been hard to get into the Christmas spirit this year, but after a carol service this afternoon and putting the tree up, I'm beginning to get that old feeling of expectation.

Fantastic! 😍

Oh hey I spy a Salt Oracle! 😍😍😍

@solarisbooks.bsky.social

Otter

Barge horse

Along the canal

Swan and horse

We had a lantern parade to mark the 225th anniversary of the Gilwern to Brecon section of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal. In the next few days, the parade will pass through Llangattock, Llangynidr and Talybont before ending up at Brecon. Amazing lanterns and crowds of people there last night.

Morning moon.

Excellent.