Brian Derby

My Dad went there

There are great Universities in the other major UK cities (no I don’t mean Oxford and Cambridge) where living costs are more affordable

Sad to hear that Sir Peter Hirsch has recently passed away.

www.seh.ox.ac.uk/news/hall-re...

Sunset today at Dunham Town

Tried to see the lunar eclipse. Unfortunately in Manchester the Moon is eclipsed by the clouds.

I think the feel less welcome is correct because it’s in your face. But, they were there anyway if not feeling emboldened to show themselves before. Like any bullying it is done to get a reaction. Less safe is more difficult to quantify - but on balance it’s unchanged

I understand but they are there to provoke and to capture symbols for their own use.

Driving N on M1/M6 today and saw a few individual flags looking out of place on bridges across the carriageways. Ignore them and English weather will deal with it.

Garbled final sentence should’ve At least it mentions the Potsdam conference but only as a prelude to the iron curtain

UK curriculum makes little mention of Eastern front either and is fairly silent about the division of Poland in 1939. At it refers to the Potsdam meeting

Not if you read US written WWII history

Accurate diagram of a wasp

Visiting Shrewsbury

Showing 2 mirror image guitar bodies and necks

John Otway with his 12 string guitar .Ideal for playing songs with only two chords - very punk

Just seen Dune the Musical at #Edfringe well worth seeing

Working on the backlog of papers. Submitted 2 this week. Ignoring ACS journals because of open access issues and trying the Wiley “Advanced” family that have previously not liked my stuff at desk editor level.

Or junk it and get the better new version

The graphene centre in Manchester used to have free coffee but students came from all over the campus for a free takeout. Now it’s still free but you need a magic token.

my new ai device will sit in a beer garden that backs onto a small river and drink three to five pints on a sunny late summer afternoon for you, leaving you free for more meetings and business calls

Cast taking curtain call at the Swan Theatre in Stratford

I am in Stratford-upon-Avon. Just watched The Constant Wife at the Swan Theatre. £10 standing tickets in the upper gallery are a bargain.

Have you read his other novels? The Dalkey Archive is notable as including James Joyce as a real/fictional character and crazed scientist de Selby who featured in the Third Policeman

Almost Sci Fi and to brag about finishing it is Gravity’s Rainbow. An easier but equally “is it Sci Fi” - The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien.

I was there, experiencing a very British audience reaction. No suggestion of a riot but lots of grumbling and blaming the venue, ticketing etc. but no moaning about Jeff Lynne even if he is a Brummie.

Oasis merch stall outside Manchester Central Library

Beehive of guitars

Manchester preparing for Gallagher Brothers pension plan concerts

A picture of a bottle of hummus. It is labeled NATURE HUMMUS

These NPG spinoff journals are out of control

At Glastonbury waiting to see Kneecap

Fungus fruiting body (toadstool) on a lawn

This is in my garden under an oak tree. It’s some sort of boletus but not clear what sort. Any ideas?

If I remember correctly, opposition to the meters was a Sinn Fein platform early in their advance in the Polls in RoI

Water charges are controversial in Ireland. There has been much discussion in the Republic of Ireland about their introduction for “excess use”. Current position is no charge in NI or RoI - divergence in the jurisdictions would be a further controversy

I just discovered our ACS open access expired last month so latest in Langmuir will only be available free from UoM repository