Mair Rigby

Saw several bats as we walked around Roath recreation grounds this evening. Very appropriate 🦇

Fungi growing in a woodland, it looks remarkably like zombie fingers reaching up from the ground

When in the woods, best beware of dead man's fingers lurking there.
Reaching up above the ground, a creepy fungi to be found.

Happy Halloween everyone.

Photo: Sheringham Park by Rob Coleman

A preserved carved turnip jack o'lantern from the 19th century

A preserved carved turnip jack o'lantern from the 19th century

A reminder that the original Hallowe'en jack o' lanterns date back to 18th century Ireland if not earlier, were based on a shady boozy blacksmith called Stingy Jack who cheated the devil & was trapped between 2 worlds, were carved from turnips and looked like this:

A blue bird sits on a branch in a red maple tree.

'Blue Bird in Autumn' - Ito Sozan, ca. 1910's.
#JapaneseArt #shinhanga

Heading into winter, I'm reminded today how sustaining good work relationships are. Might just be the few minutes of chat before or after a meeting. Someone asking you about family, or remembering what's been going on for you. Making the time for a cuppa. Little moments of care that matter so much.

Tonight's cooking soundtrack is 'Furling' by Meg Baird.

Genuinely delighted to download a PhD thesis from a university repository where the author has neglected to remove the words "BITCH THIS IS YOUR THESIS" from the filename.

BBC Two - Autumnwatch, 2020, Episode 3, 5 simple ways: Nature can help your mood Emma Mitchell guides us through a natural take on wellbeing this Autumn.

If you’re daunted by the prospect of late autumn & winter & are able to get outside, here’s a film I made for @bbcspringwatch.bsky.social with 5 scientifically proven nature-based tips to alleviate anxiety & lift your mood 🌿🧠:
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...

Celf, Lle a Phŵer y Gymuned | Art, Place, and the Power of Community Celf, Lle a Phŵer Addasiad sy’n Cael ei Arwain gan y Gymuned | Art, Place, and the Power of Community-Centred Approaches

Art, Place, and the Power of Community-Centred Approaches

This lecture explores how artistic practices and creative methods are reshaping environmental planning by amplifying community voices and values.

28 May 2026
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/celf-lle-a...

"I can afford to leave the world an irradiated husk because I'm not going to live long enough to be affected by it."

communities, and identity. We need historians to remind us that every technological revolution before this one brought unintended consequences. And we need artists to keep the human experience at the centre.

AI doesn’t diminish the value of the humanities; it amplifies their urgency.

After three days spent with AI researchers from around the world, one thing is very clear to me: we need the humanities and social sciences more than ever.

We need philosophers to ask about ethics and responsibility. We need sociologists to understand how technology reshapes relationships, 1/

Small painting of a goofy looking black cat with green eyes, sitting up and sticking its little pink tongue out, on a salmon colored table with grey wall behind; signed and dated on bottom

For #NationalCatDay please admire this absolute masterpiece:
Gertrude Abercrombie (USA, 1909-1977)
#Black Cat on Pink, 1952
Oil on Hardboard, 4.5 x 4 cm (1 3/4 x 1 5/8 in.)
www.artcurial.com/en/sales/608...
#CatsInArt #WomenArtists

One of the last things my Dad said to me was "Enjoy your life".

It's always easier not to think for oneself. Find a nice safe hierarchy and settle in. Don't make changes, don't risk disapproval, don't upset your syndics. It's always easiest to let yourself be governed.

The entire point of writing is discovery. You don’t know what you don’t know. And if you approach it from a point of view of efficiency and optimization (to no end) you never will.

Climate Conversations Fund - Climate Action Wales | '' We want to hear from you. You can apply for the Climate Conversations Fund to hold your own discussion on climate change.

🤝 In line with the Well-being of Future Generations Act, you’re being invited to join the conversation and have your community’s voice heard by holding your own Climate Conversation. #WalesClimateWeek

Deadline: 31/10/25
🔗 www.climateaction.gov.wales/wales-climat...

(Episode 135) Rethinking Research: Building Collaborative Environments Quickly and easily listen to Research Culture Uncovered for free!

🆕#ResearchCultureUncovered podcast episode!

We're tackling the question: Is research culture just about kindness or is there more? 🧐 Join @emmaspary.bsky.social, @nikogryzko.bsky.social and Kelly Vere to find out. buff.ly/HE4MXaN

#ResearchCulture #TeamBasedResearch #TechnicianCommitment #HiddenREF

Does anyone REALLY believe that the problems of poverty, inequality, climate change etc all caused by economic growth can only be solved by more economic growth?

Great Tit coming into land

Great Tit arriving in style! 😍
Taken at the weekend at RSPB Greylake in Somerset. 😊🐦
#birds 🪶

You can buy my 2026 Birds calendars here;
www.carlbovis.com/2026-birds-c...

Black History Month Reading List. Featuring covers for Globalising Welsh Studies, Freedom Music, and the Blaxploitation Horror Film

This October, rediscover the rich and complex history and culture of Wales with our Black History Month reading list.

📚 www.uwp.co.uk/dathlu-mis-h...

Remembering Lou Reed today on the 12th anniversary of his passing (October 27, 2013)

album.ink/LouReedRIP

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Hallowe'en special up now. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, with guests Andrew Male and Laura Varnam in conversation with Una McCormack and Andy Miller. 🌬️🎃🧟 @andrewmale.bsky.social @drlauravarnam.bsky.social @unamccormack.bsky.social @iammilliam.bsky.social
open.spotify.com/episode/0Zde...

Me too!

ahh! a small fluffy ghost sits on a hardwood floor staring directly at us. but actually... the longer we take it in, the more cute the ghost becomes. one could even mistake this little guy for a golden retriever puppy wearing a sheet with eye, ear, and mouth holes cut out of it. even though he gave us a fright, we would still pet this ghost puppy.

My goodness. Please don’t send in ghosts. They are very frightening. We only rate dogs. Thank you... 12/10 (IG: theodore.goldenvelt)

Being truly and quietly listened to. It doesn't 'solve' whatever may be going on. That's not the point. It just helps to know that someone can and will listen. To feel heard. In that gentle act, there's a feeling of solidarity and support. It can be both reciprocal and generous.

Soundtrack to the week: Neko Case, Joni Mitchell, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sleater Kinney, Bob Dylan, Mark Lanegan & Isobel Campbell, Willard Grant Conspiracy.

I'm thinking tuscan bean soup.

For all who didn't make it through the darkness, and for all who are still in it somewhere. 🖤

Cavolo Nero was half price in Lidl. Now have a lot of Cavolo Nero to use up.