Rob Wickings

The Swipe Volume 3 Chapter 30 – EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS This week, a little spurt of writing advice as we gather pace towards a month made for hunkering down and making a dent in your wordcount. The organisation behind Nanowrimo hasn’t made any friends …

A slightly gloomier than usual Swipe, but there's carbonara and cocktails in the mix at least.
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The Swipe Volume 3 Chapter 28 – EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS The shift from summer to autumn seems to happen more suddenly than with any other seasonal switch. It’s been accelerated this year, perhaps, by our week in Northumberland — the return to work sudde…

A message from the mayor, 200 songs and embracing the eternal circle. It must be Saturday. Give it a Swipe. excusesandhalftruths.com/2025/10/04/t...

How We Used To Live – EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS Northumberland is border country, and normal rules barely apply. It’s wild land, rugged but beautiful, a place where authority has always struggled to assert itself. One of the most famous hard bor…

A long one from me this week — on history, memory and Debatable Lands.
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Dunno about The Rapture, but I'm in heaven right now.

A dispatch from the borderlands.
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Strong cute, no notes.

The Swipe Volume 3 Chapter 26 – EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS I had an unexpected day away from work this week—a hospital appointment mid-morning was immediately followed by a call from my manager standing me down for the rest of the shift. I felt guilty abou…

An element of bragging this week. I really need to get better at bugging myself up.

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The Swipe Volume 3 Chapter 25 – EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS The Autumn Switch has finally been flipped. Sweet, blessed rain has anointed the garden, and a late flush of colour and dewy freshness is our reward. A lot of the Crown Prince squashes have fallen …

Trout, ancient tomatoes and a new way to look at the human brain. We're Swiping into autumn in our usual stumblebum fashion. Come join our trip.
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I mean, obvs.

Apologies to Excuses And Half Truths subscribers who received a draft skeleton of Chapter 24. There, now you see how the sausage is made. The full kahuna will be with you as usual on Saturday at 10am.

A lot of things are happening right now. Clearly, letting things happen was a mistake. We need to ban happening, or things. Possibly both.

Truth Art! #arresttrump #art

Third Quarter Report (Bloom Baby Bloom) – EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS The August Bank Holiday feels like a pivot point for the year. It’s the last public holiday before the end-of year bacchanalia of consumerism and over-consumption that Christmas has become. Only a …

Our third quarter report, updates and essential information for all stakeholders in our continuing venture. excusesandhalftruths.com/2025/08/23/t...

I beg to differ

Sounds perfect!

The Swipe Volume 3 Chapter 23 – EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS I was getting into one of those slightly boozy text arguments with a pal, which are about nothing but generate bruises and ill will if you let them. Stupid stuff, growls and pokes which often come …

Some deep thoughts on how we interact with our fellow humans, snuck into the usual ramshackle hoo-de-rol of recipes, music and all-round foolishness. Don't Swipe past this!
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I plan to tuck myself away with it this week. Might need to be iPad and head phones though as C has no inclination to watch...

YouTube video by MO Live Footage! Dada - "Dorina" @ The Coach House 2/24/2024

Dada were part of my 90s heavy rotation. They reformed and toured last year, I see!
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The Swipe Volume 3 Chapter 22 – EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS A tweak to my working hours for the foreseeable future means a 5am alarm call, 6am report for duty. Which sounds horrific. But I finish at 2pm, giving a nice fat chunk of the day in daylight, free …

Monkey balls, a Batmobile and all the cocktails. Now that's what I call a weekend!
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The Swipe Volume 3 Chapter 21 – EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS Rain. Finally. Thank all the heavens. The introduction of a hosepipe ban, one focussed cruelly on a single Caversham postcode—ours—usually heralds wetter weather. But the grumbles of thunder and dr…

Shrunken heads, poetry, cocktails and The Time Warp. Join us in an invigorating round of pelvic thrusts.
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Super-Fantastic – EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS It’s easy to lose faith. As a fan, reader and outspoken advocate for the medium of comics, it can be a struggle to argue your corner when folks will only see the worst parts of your favourite thing…

Two big superhero movies out at the same time. Could I resist a long post on the inevitable comparisons? Spoilers: no. It's bloviatin' time!
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Metal to the end. We have lost the darkest angel, but his songs will rattle the gates of heaven tonight. So long, Ozzy.

Performing one last massive farewell hometown gig to tens of thousands of people and then dropping dead just a few days afterwards is an incredibly metal way to go out.

Absolutely floated out of an afternoon screening of Superman. What a lovely, silly, goofy, sincere, heartfelt, joyful movie. This old comic book fan couldn't be happier. James Gunn nailed it. The Synderverse was my kryptonite. Finally, the sun's come back out again.

Feckless teen, feckless teen, feckless teen.

Alligator Auschwicz.

The Swipe Volume 3 Chapter 19 – EXCUSES AND HALF TRUTHS It feels to me that any period of hot weather lasting more than a couple of days invites comparisons to the summer of 1976—six weeks of unbroken sunshine, leading to drought so bad that domestic wa…

Slow with the update today, cheers for your patience. Swipery inbound: Lidl steak, shrink glockenspiel and the most beautiful sign writing in Manchester. Also, how metal guitar is the sound of the summer. If Olivia Rodrigo says so, what argument can you possibly have?

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I don't think I'll get a chance to watch the Superman movie for a while but I'm happy it's making all the worst people mad

he's an immigrant superhero created by two Jewish kids whose parents fled persecution, and his overriding concern is helping people

he absolutely should make them feel shitty

CANT WAYT

Too close for comfort, NYT Strands. Way too close.