Pollyaula

Urgh.

Two children are playing‘shop’. On the table for Jane, the customer, are a series of very recognisable products including Marmite and Birds custard powder

Brands
1976
Artist: Harry Wingfield
(And the tin says ‘Cocoa’!)

A mari in a cloak of many patterns dancing with autumn leaves

A leaf dancer in more of a Harry Clarke style

(Taking my mind off things)

Three jars of homemade jam, on a table after judging at a village show in Swithland, Leicestershire, England. The jams are blackcurrant, prosecco and strawberry, and raspberry and another ingredient (name out of sight). Each jam sits on a card showijg its show section and class numbers.

Around 20 jars of various plum jams, of the same glassware and label design, arranged on a town market stand. Varieties include swan plum, czar plum, prolific plum, gage, and drooper.

A selection of jams by a one person business, "The Jam Lady", arranged on a display in the background. In the foreground, four jars are open and contain sampling spoons. These four jams are tomato jam, red gooseberry jam, elderberry jam, and blackberry jam.

A selection of home made jams, in a variety of previously used jars, most with different prices on the tops, on a sake table in a village fete. A sign indicates the jams include red plum, blackberry and apple, and rhubarb and ginger.

(1/2) Continuing to go through ~20 years of pictures archived on Flickr. Today I'm looking at:

Jam.

Pictures from rural England events and markets. Also - I shouldn't have to say this, but we live in ridiculous times - please note that the Swan Plum Jam is not made from swans.

Stream flowing under Norsworthy bridge this week. at Burrator reservoir. #Dartmoor, #Devon #photography #landscape

Art work on some temporary hoarding: the word Castlegate in multicoloured capital letters.

Street art in Sheffield
#streetart

Thanks - I need to put more work in to improve, but I was fairly happy with these two.

The Hampstead ponds have REPEATEDLY voted to include trans women. But the officious pricks at Sex Matters don’t care what other women think and are forcing a public consultation anyway. Throw the ponds some support.

YouTube video by James Wallis Future, a 1966 board game by Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp., unboxing

I finally got my hands on a copy of Future, the 1966 future-forecasting boardgame released as a business tool by Kaiser Aluminum, and it is a _trip_, including one of the wildest dice you've ever seen. Not played it yet, but here's an unboxing video to give you the gist. youtu.be/V_5tm8p09ks

a lightning bolt is visible in the dark sky Alt: A lightning bolt is visible in the dark sky.

Lots of wuthering outside the Shed. Time for another pot of tea...

An old colour picture postcard showing four views of Sheffield: from top left clockwise: Moorhead and the Grosnevor House Hotel - concrete buildings in a street scene; the Victorian Town hall and the peace gardens, all green and flowery; the poly seen from Arundel Gate - a concrete slab building behind a dual carriageway; and the view from the station to the Howard Hotel - a half-timbered pub, behind which is a slab building (the poly seen in view 3) in front of which is a green flowery roundabout and a blue and white corporation bus

A bonus #HigherEducationPostcard for the weekend - two views of the polytechnic - now @sheffieldhallamuni.bsky.social - plus the Grosvenor House Hotel (never as posh a hotel as it tried to be), the Peace Gardens/Town Hall, and an old blue & white bus

@helpsheffield.co.uk @sheffpatgrp.bsky.social

Remember, if you are going out in the hail showers today, pop a child's xylophone on your head for added fun.

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 18167:
There is no "typical reader," just as there is no "typical writer." Your first responsibility is to yourself; to create the most honest, well-written, carefully-researched story you can. Finding readers comes later.

We saw the Perry exhibition when it was in Edinburgh - loved it!

And now I'm informed that a 'sexually suggestive' label has been added, and I can request review. I'm not on here a lot, so I don't know if this level of policing is normal or what, but if so that's an absolute joke. And yes, I've objected!

So the alt text on these drawings got them labelled as adult content. Absoolute prudery - and they're not even that detailed!

A tuxedo cat lies on a hearthrug in front of a gas fire.

A black cat, curled in a ball on an armchair that has a cushion and a crocheted throw in autumnal colours..

Two ways of keeping cosy

.

new garden cities
green fingers burned
by the promise of profit

.

#tanskenga #haiku
@littleonion.bsky.social
#micropoetry

Red leaves on a climbing plant, outlined against a pale sky.

Red leaves on a damp pavement.

It's autumn

Drawing of a seated male nude.

Drawing of a reclining male nude.

I did some life drawing at @sheffieldmuseums.bsky.social yesterday. I'm really out of practice, but I enjoyed it. These are the best of my efforts on the day.

A Roman Soldier walk into a bar and says,

"I'd like a Martinus, please".
Bartender: "Don't you mean a Martini?"
Soldier: "If I wanted a double, I'd have asked for one".

You're welcome.

Why is there a lifesize Thunderbirds model at Humberside Airport? The Thunderbird 3 model is parked at Humberside Airport after it was bought several years ago.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

My most recent novel, Everything Will Swallow You, sitting on a lichen-blotched bench.

A selection of beautiful bookmarks made by my mum, Jo.

I have just a small pile of first edition hardbacks here which I can sell signed to anyone (in the UK) who emails me at hello@tom-cox.com in time.

All of you will also receive one of these handmade bookmarks made by my mum, Jo.

Review (for info): thinkaboutreading.wordpress.com/2025/09/28/e...

The sun rising over a strip of land. There's a boat in the sea in the foreground. The sky is blue and orange.

Good morning everyone. This was the sun rising over Shapinsay this morning. Taken from the ferry as #BookyMcBookface sailed north to the #Orkney island of Eday. ❤️

Three pale blue-ish flowers of the Michaelmas daisy

For Michaelmas.
Michaelmas Daisies.

Stop blaming migrants and tackle UK’s real problems, 100 charities tell home secretary A letter warns Shabana Mahmood that ‘targeting refugees will do nothing to tackle’ problems with housing and the NHS

Stop blaming migrants and tackle UK’s real problems, 100 charities tell home secretary | Shabana Mahmood | The Guardian share.google/eYRd6GXVXiNC...

My suggestions would be Through the Desert and Hey, That's My Fish.

Stone wall and beech tree

Mossy wall and oak leaf

Landscape with woods moors and a farm

Cox tor and Whitchurch down

Pictures taken this week near Sampford Spiney and Whitchurch Down, #Dartmoor, #Devon #photography #landscape

I wouldn't let them anywhere near the machinery if it were me

Nish Kumar, "What is the Green Party's vision for how we redraw the economy of this country?"

Zack Polanski, "The first thing is to have a big conversation about public ownership"

"Nothing we need, and need to use, should be in private hands. All of our utilities should be nationalised"