Jane Palin

Big respect and congratulations to Hollie Davidson, the first ever female referee in the six nations. She's had a brilliant game and hopefully she'll be called on for many more six nations games.
#IREvITA

Volcanic fight

In Iceland, even when the worst is about to happen, we never go down without a desperate fight against the odds.

Self portrait - Edward Hopper, 1925-30.
Source : Whitney Museum, New York 🇺🇸

Mnemonic   Thirty days hath September, April, June and November. Unless a leap year is its fate, February hath twenty-eight. All the rest hath three days more, excepting January, which hath six thousand, one hundred and eighty-four. Brian Bilston

Annual reminder of how many days there are in each month.

At the root of all our problems stands one travesty: politicians’ surrender to the super-rich | George Monbiot There are many excuses for failing to tax the ultra-wealthy. The truth is that governments don’t tackle the problem because they don’t want to, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

10. It’s time to recognise how deeply weird this is, reserve our votes for people who give us what we want, and stop subscribing to media outlets that lie on behalf of oligarchs.
More on this subject, with facts and figures, in my most recent column: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

YouTube video by CBC News FULL SPEECH | 'The old order is not coming back': PM says Canada must build strength at home

PM Mark Carney simply told the truth! The old “rules based order” is breaking! Power is being abused & middle powers won’t survive by pretending everything’s fine!

This is what leadership looks like!

We are True North Strong & Free
❤️🇨🇦

#SheShed
#DefendersOfDemocracy

youtu.be/MoDQBbbnv7o?...

We want everyone to wake up feeling good about life. Just look at Stan Wawrinka today, winning GS tennis matches at nearly age 41. Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson were still world class players in their 40s. We have cricket players in their 50s in Iceland who still believe.

'Hampstead Village, Flask Walk' (2025) by Liam O'Farrell
liamofarrell.com

In the light of recent political confusion about the identities of Iceland and Greenland, we feel the need to post again this map of our local geography.

'District Line' (1978) by Guy Beggs

(London Museum)

New commission finished!!

The wonderfully lovely Rick Steele requested this portrait back in June 2022.

I don’t know what the cat is called, but I’ve named him Lee.

Are you ever gonna turn around and desert me?

Small brown bird looking down at ground to the left, with short upright tail and brown, striated plumage.

#ArtDD2026
Winter king

Another round little bird for a round little bit of paper😀

@saocousins.bsky.social @holnicotenh.bsky.social @stevecobbin.bsky.social @andykaitken.bsky.social

#FatCatDay
#Greed

It's honestly humiliating that an army commanded by an orange moron did in 4 hours what the Russian army hasn't managed in 4 years.

Venezuela has oil.

Greenland has rare Earth minerals.

Luckily Iceland has only volcanoes, glaciers, and very average cricketers.

You boy, which country is he waging peace against today?

Poorest have got poorer under Labour while richest are better off Prime minister Keir Starmer pledges to ‘wage all out war’ on the high cost of living

Shocking but unsurprising: "Amount poorest households have left over after bills & essential spending has fallen by 2.1% since Labour came to power. The most affluent households have seen their discretionary incomes rise by 10.3%"

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Cornflowers, nigella, sweet peas & Russian sage on the left hand page of a brown paper sketch book and my pen and ink illustrations on the right hand page with the cartridge pen I used to make the illustrations nearby

Four winter flowering species and pink snowberry arranged on sketch book paper with my hand lettered labels for them and pen illustrations alongside. The pen I used to make the illustrations is also nearby

Spring flowers and a series of nature finds with my illustrations of them alongside and my watercolour palette in the corner of the image

There are now just 4 spaces left on my botanical illustration & mental health zoom workshop,10 Jan.
I teach you:
🌿how to draw plants
🧠how creative activity improves mental health
I trained as a molecular cell biologist & am also a professional illustrator: workshops.emmamitchell.uk/courses/bota...

It would be so helpful if you could RT my tweet above about my upcoming botanical illustration workshop if possible. I'm trying to get back on my feet after being really unwell for half of 2025. Thankyou so much🌿

Wolf Moon speaks to her, deep and clear, With a message to surrender to the coming year. January’s full moon is for her pack and for her, She answers those who howl and those who yearn. Wolf calls. Moon responds. Watch these souls. They teach us how to belong.

#superbloodwolfmoon #wolfmoon #fullmoon

YouTube video by Richard J Murphy Markets only exist because the state makes them possible

In this New Year’s Day video, I explain why the neoliberal myth of “free markets” is not just wrong, but actively destructive — and why rebuilding the state, rethinking capital and restoring democratic accountability must define our economic direction for 2026.

youtu.be/vAkkZXfxb9Y?...

#sophiefromromania rocking her new pink harness this morning

In my experience, the best way to help a country succeed is to not invade it.

Last week I conquered my long-time fear of watercolours.

This w/e (encouraged by the watercolour experience, & inspired by @michellehughes.bsky.social's fab online Linocutting course) I finally had a go at a #linocut!

Mine's the basic Christmas tree one, copied from a card I found online. Hooked!

Minimum wage should not go any higher, suggests Badenoch Badenoch claimed Labour had tipped the balance too far against workers and in favour of welfare.

Minimum wage should not go higher, suggests UK multi-millionaire Tory leader Badenoch on a salary of £93,904+expenses.

Silence on equitable distribution of wealth, progressive taxation or universal basic income/services.

Can't build economy on poverty.

This.

Had a bit of fun doing a collage to end the year off ✂️🦊🦉🏠🌝

The text reads:

In the hour of the owl
See a shadow and hear a howl

In the hour of the fox
The world tilts at the equinox

#art #collage

Our government tried to let racist, genocidal Israeli football hooligans rampage on Birmingham's streets.

They smeared those opposed to this as being driven by hatred of Jewish people.

Now listen to what the West Midlands Chief Constable told MPs.

What a scandal.