Bex

This image is ridiculous and glorious. It's a tall person in a black suit, wearing a papier mache black rooster's head holding a tray containing tiny lolly fried eggs. Yes, that sounds bonkers but that's how my friend Doreen rolls and we wouldn't have her any other way. The rooster looks slightly stunned, but that would make sense. It's a rooster who cannot see where they are going and is aimlessly walking around a gallery bumping into things if it wasn't for their best friend Nina, who you can't see in this image... she's in the next... but she was howling with laughter as this picture is taken. Behind the human rooster you can see a door leading out to a porch where there's a small drinks table. This is a wool shed, so the vibe is super relaxed and chill. While looking at this, imagine the thud of bare feet on the floor, chatter, the smell of fresh paint from a last minute scramble to get the space sorted for opening and a lot of raucous laughter.

This image is of Nina Van Der Voorn AKA the creator of the Klah universe in profile, lips pursed as if to give giant human rooster a peck on the beak. Rooster's arms are around Nina and you can tell they are the best of friends. Nina is tall with long pink pink hair that transitions to orange at the ends. She has cheekbones for days and is supressing a total belly laugh. If you look closely you might see her eye makeup is a bit smudged because she's been cry laughing for the past ten minutes while trying to stop her rooster friend from bumping into everything in sight. Nina's wearing a black T-shirt with her signature Kingdom of Klah logo on it.

This image is of a bit of New Zealand summer scenery that seems to pop out at you everywhere this time of year. You're looking at a calm, pristine bit of blue sea with a couple of small pleasure craft bobbing on it. Beyond those are the usual mountains and gorgeous foresty shenanigans, with a definite air of summer thanks to a big blue sky featuring fluffy clouds that you just know are leisurely drifting along, minding their own business. Believe it or not, I snapped this stunner while putting my fish and chip paper in the rubbish bin. Because that's how much scenery is roaming around here. They have enough to spare for a rubbish bin view. While looking at this, please imagine the sound of a nearby band playing and the odd caw of an optimistic seagull hoping for a spare, uneaten chippie.

🧵Spotted at a Wool Shed Gallery Opening in Aotearoa New Zealand:

A joyful man (50s?) is directing traffic into apple-orchard parking with a gloriously cheerful rainbow umbrella. Someone yells from their car: "Lookin' fabulous!"
And he gives them a bow and a laugh: "Thank you sweetie!" (1)

…I can’t take any of these people seriously as grown humans. This is so pathetic.

Weird to me that people think this is a funny joke the OP should have gone through with? Sounds like a horrible time for them and for the grieving family - people aren’t their most kind and rational selves in grief. I’d prevent it from happening too.

As a feminist with a natural ‘hourglass’ shape even when I’m fatter, who the hell decided my body is inherently anti-feminist? What absolute 🐴 💩 (I barely made it through the intro.)

Me, I think? 😅
Glad you enjoyed it!

Submission: Electoral Amendment Bill The Council strongly opposes the Electoral Amendment Bill, which will weaken our democracy by limiting who can vote, and removing the ability to enrol after the election is called.

The Electoral Amendment Bill is dangerous to Aotearoa New Zealand's democracy.

• It removes voting rights from prisoners
• It removes enrolment 13 days before voting
• It bans food, drink & entertainment within 100 m of a polling place

MPs should not pass it.

nzccl.org.nz/submission-e...

Ginger tabby cat, delicately sniffing a red rose in a clear glass bottle.

Ginger tabby cat, delicately sniffing a red rose in a clear glass bottle.

Desperately needed a timeline cleanse, so here’s some of my favourite photos of my favourite feline.

Both these things are true. Be aware - but don’t give up on the world.

It’s been ten years since the publication of The Shepherd’s Crown, the last book Terry Pratchett completed before he died. Once the spine on this one was cracked, there were no more new Pratchetts to look forward to, and I know a lot of Discworld readers who were, understandably, with that sad reality in mind, reluctant to finish - or even start - this one because it felt like the final closing of a door. But I also know that Terry wanted his books to be read and enjoyed far more than he wanted them kept on a shelf. And as time passes it becomes ever more apparent how much the Discworld books reward re-visiting, perpetually revealing something new, literary gems Terry had hidden away for a second or third, or even more, re-read. Every Pratchett is to some degree an unread Pratchett, including the ones you’ve already enjoyed and including The Shepherd’s Crown. So the greatest way to honour Terry’s legacy is to pull that book you’ve been saving off the shelf, make a nice cup of tea and settle down to read the story he wrote for you. Enjoy. Rob Wilkins Wiltshire, August 2025

On 27th August 2015, The Shepherd's Crown, the last book Sir Terry Pratchett completed before he died, was published.

To mark the ten year anniversary, we have a message from Rob Wilkins:

I’ll never understand why someone feels the need to go up to a total stranger and say something like this. So weird.

Face Scans to Estimate Our Age: Harmful and Creepy AF Government must stop restricting website access with laws requiring age verification.Some advocates of these censorship schemes argue we can nerd our way out of the many harms they cause to speech,

Age verification via face scans is not safety — it's surveillance. Biometric age guessing is inaccurate, discriminatory, and creepy AF. Stop normalizing it. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Very! Possibly not everyone’s style of humour, but definitely mine - dry, sarcastic, occasionally ridiculous. A lot of fun, and some top-notch acting.

Slow Horses (MI5’s worst, but they’ll do their best) 😅

Kererū - Wikipedia

Especially beautiful pigeons ❤️

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerer%C...

He was so sweet - intimidating if you’re not used to big dogs, and very loud when barked! But the gentlest soul.

This thread made me so homesick, in the best way. Piwakawaka are one of my favourite birds, miss having them flitting around - and my parents used to have the most lovely natured huntaway. Absolutely a BFG ❤️

Thank YOU! They always make me smile (and miss Aotearoa) 💕

If you’re not already following these threads - optimal timeline cleanse ❤️

A cool uncle hack is that it's illegal to get in trouble for buying the little ones books so you can buy a billion gifts for them and the parents can't get mad!

Where are the hard-working Americans who screamed, “They’re stealing our jobs”?

You’re getting your wish. Immigrant workers aren’t showing up, and farm owners are hiring.

Sweden’s Göthenborg ship managed to be the best maritime rescuers I’ve ever seen. Enjoy this wild and weird history of when a 3 masted galleon saved a sailboat in 2023!

As promised, in light of the WaPo report of Everglades camp detainees being swarmed by mosquitoes in the shower and unable to sleep at night due to being bitten, I want to briefly address concentration camp history and mosquitoes. I won't be comprehensive but will give a few examples. [1/17]

YouTube video by WIRED History Professor Answers Dictator Questions | Tech Support | WIRED

Too many things happening today are exactly what she's talking about. @ruthbenghiat.bsky.social nails it. Just sad it took me so long to find this video.

timeline cleanse

What’s the craziest thing New Zealand ever created? Oh just a Tsunami bomb (not the band). Here’s some wild and weird WW2 history featuring a weaponized natural disaster.