Jake Orr

A photo of Jake before heading to London. He is in a blue jumper, a green shirt. Green glasses on his face. He briefly smiles. Behind him a bookcase with the books in colour order.

Went to London with my sister today for a cultural day. Saw Grayson Perry at the Wallace Collection, Every Brilliant Thing at SohoPlace and lunch at Mildred’s with desert at Italian Bear Chocolate.

Students warned after Cambridge asthma attack death in nightclub - BBC News Zoe Nunn was found unconscious in a nightclub toilet without her inhaler, her mother says.

Incredibly proud of my family today as a national campaign from Asthma + Lung UK launches to encourage students to take their inhalers out with them featuring my cousin.

Zoe died following an asthma attack whilst at uni. You can read about her, and the campaign here:

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

Working on a project that is entirely personal, being led by you and your ideas is such a joy and privilege. I spend so much of my freelance making other people‘s visions come true that I forget how much passion I have for making the arts happen when I‘m the lead artist. 😍

Always surprised by how a bit of sun makes me feel alive again after the grey of the skies.

I wonder how it will interact with the digital tax plans?

Felt really smug this morning getting to the gym before 7am only to realise I left my phone at home and couldn‘t actually get in. Turned right back and drove home. Doh.

Have been freelance for over 12 years and today marks the first time I‘ve had to file a claim for an unpaid invoice. Am hoping the individual pays up quickly as I really don‘t want to go to court over it. *fingers crossed*

Does anyone have any tips for commuting? Am currently having to drive 1-2 days a week for a 3-3.5 hour round trip for work and it is so exhausting me.

I have this argument with the straights so often.

In bed by 9.30pm reading a book. The fact I find this delightful doesn’t distract from the fact that I can feel my age creeping up on me…

To be fair most of Radio 2 is pretty epic (avoiding Jeremy Vine).

Jake smiles in brilliant sunshine with clip on sunglasses. He wears a pink T-shirt, a green jacket over the top and you can see the yellow straps of his bag.

Happy birthday to me. I‘m off on a solo trip to Paris for a few days to decompress after a busy few weeks. Looking forward to experiencing Paris after many years away.

I love those! 😍

Jake in a blue jumper with green shoulder pads. He wears a pearl necklace and green glasses. Behind is a fire place with a rainbow dangling from it and other items including plants and photos/images slightly blurred.

There is no LGBT without the T.

Standing up for my trans friends, colleagues, peers, lovers and community, always.

“Oh god, I’m blushing” I said and “don’t worry, I’m hideously gay.” To which she responded, “oh, so am I”.

Reader, I went hardback for her. Words I never thought I’d say.

Asked for a recommendation from my favourite bookseller today. After much thought she said “the book I want to recommend is only in hardback” to which I responded, “for you, I’d buy hardback”. There was a pause before we both cracked up laughing, blushing profusely.

Morrisons. They also do an Apple and Cinnamon. My favourite though is M&S chocolate ones. 🥵

I have strawberry and clotted cream hot cross buns earlier…

Tulips on the point of blooming in vibrant orange and red. There are 3 blooms in the photo with others around them at less developed stages.

My tulips are slowly getting there and I‘m so excited to see them bloom!

Eek, it’s so bleak.

Big drop in plays staged by theatres over past decade The number of plays and musicals staged by the UK's main subsidised theatres is down by almost a third.

Subsidised theatres produced a 1/3 less shows in 2024 compared to 2023 painting a bleak picture of rising costs, the need to co-produce and a change in audience wants.

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

The cover of the book The Bee Sting by Paul Murray. The cover is yellow with red and black font.

Feel like I need a lay down after reading The aber Sting by Paul Murray. What a thrilling read with such engrossing characters. Can see why it was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2023.

How strange, I spent a fair amount of time on Saturday telling people about the Mandela Effect. Not many people know of it.

There’s a moment when you‘re reading a novel and the story begins its climax and it’s like running down a hill really fast. You find yourself turning page after page, hurtling towards the pinnacle of the story whilst also trying to slow yourself down to saviour every last word.

I love that feeling.

A photo of a closeup of some bluebells but they have purple dark stripes down them with lighter purple on the petals

Today I spent a lot of time talking about plants and flowers. I‘m really grateful for that and how the LGBTQ+ community has brought me closer to some beautiful things, like nature.

Here are the bluebells in my garden, which are unlike any bluebell I‘ve seen before!

Your phone is possessed.

You know what the arts are missing at the moment? Hope.

Oh I go out everyday for walks, keeps my brain healthy, but been a while since I did a long walk in the country.

Grass grows amongst trees in a woodland. Light spills through to illustre the grass.

Jake in an orange T-shirt and a green hat wearing glasses with clip-ons smiles at the camera. He is standing on the edge of a field.

A row of trees either side of a pathway running into the distance. Blue skies above.

A brilliant blue sky, with hues of blue down to white. A field of grass with some shadows of trees. A photo of the countryside.

A difficult couple of weeks but getting out into the countryside for a 6 mile walk was just what I needed to be reminded of being grounded to the simpler things in life; nature and the outdoors.

Grantium is a hell hole. Everyone knows it including ACE. You’re just speaking the truth(!)