Victoria Redfern

Good news that the digitised Beowulf manuscript has survived the digital equivalent of the Cottonian Library fire, the British Library cyberattack of 2023

I have this book. It’s such a good book. Go buy @gralefrit.bsky.social’s boookkkk

We should probably get some practice in for the apocalypse.

There used to be a washing up liquid advert where someone forgot their wallet in a restaurant. "Morning Fresh?" "That'll do nicely, sir."

It's not like they don't have card machines. You +could+ pay by card. But they like you to use cash and I'm happy to support small businesses and do that. And if I'd not had 50p on me at Christmas, this wouldn't have happened

It's a big thing around here
Lots of shops have signs in saying they prefer it, and the more hippy ones have signs up hinting that the government controls you or something...It saves them card fees, I'm all for it.

Another thing to like about living here. It's all independent shops and cash. When I go up to London I have to remember it's all cards. It's like going abroad.

The plan to replace pictures of old dead people with wildlife on our money is awesome quite frankly

Not only are animals cooler than dusty old nerds, but it gives us the opportunity for some great slang terms

"That'll cost you three badgers" etc.

Refollowed.

I mean, you know, why would you not +avoid+ such unpleasantness?

Oh, I have also blocked for being volatile and a bit mental, so as to make sure I didn't accidentally reply to them and set them off again. Name of journalist in question can be had on application. I usually just unfollow for that.

Trump: War Is Over | Hegseth's Shellfish Splurge | The Florsheim Boys YouTube video by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

On top of all the crazy, this is an extraordinary story. Donald Trump is guessing the shoe size of his cabinet, sending them shoes, and even if they are the wrong size, they still wear them out of fear he'll lash out if they don't. It's a cult/dictatorship.

youtu.be/5zv2WYrK0yg?...

If someone is genuinely terrible, why have you not already blocked them first, anyway?

I've gone through that thread and blocked one person boasting they got blocked for telling an actress her cleavage looked weird.

Oh, he called me a bot once. I also wasn't even disagreeing with him. I haven't actually blocked him, I just unfollowed him for it, since he owes me an apology.

The awfulness of Nicky Campbell came up on here earlier. I always remember him badgering Jilly Cooper about her husband's affair, after she'd made it clear she didn't want to talk about it, until she got very upset and walked out. You're basically Nicky Campbell.

I will never understand why, "I was rude to a stranger and upset them" is a boast. It's a good reason not to be on Twitter anymore, because people wearing blockings likes badges of honour was a thing on there. Grow up.

I block people for being awful rather than goad them into blocking me. I don't really want to associate with awful people.

It's frequently impossible to use an umbrella when you live next to the sea, so I appreciate them all the more nowadays.

Mind you, I frequently see women wearing warm coats and scarves with bare feet in little shoes, so there are equal opportunities with being a berk about the temperature.

A (straight) gentleman of my acquaintance once had his sexuality loudly questioned by a passing stranger for the way he sat on a bench on the South Bank.

WHAT? So this is also a class thing? Oh good grief.

a man in a suit and bowler hat stands in front of a white wall Alt: Steed from The Avengers pulls a sword from his umbrella handle and uses it to pick a red carnation out of a vase of flowers and throw it to Emma Peel.

Very wrong as well.

Went right off someone once when he told me he never carries an umbrella. Apparently brollies aren't manly. Silly soggy twit.

The lower half of a manuscript page, featuring a marginal figure dragging a portion of text encircled with a rope into place.

A marginal figure drags an omitted portion of text into place in this copy of Thomas Hoccleve's Regiment of Princes (Arundel MS 38).

Film discourse on BlueSky:

Here's my Letterboxd review of four films in the Criterion set of new Iranian cinema. Fascinating to see how the influence of mid-period Satyajit Ray pervades such generically different films.

Film discourse on X:

It's no longer OK for you to sit in the house of Lords because your dad did.
But if your mate put you there?
That's fine.
Neither of these really feel like democracy to me.

I still think about this a lot.

Ep 175 with Robin Ince (Part 1) Mark is joined by comedian, writer and broadcaster Robin Ince as they discuss neurodivergence, anxiety and ADHD, feeling weird in a world built for “normal” people, how shame and admin can become…

Fun things about this episode of Mark Steel's podcast with @robinince.bsky.social:
1: Not only do I remember The Bottle Boys, I can still sing the theme tune.
2: Mark saying to Robin, "We have to stay on this, or we'll end up talking about stinging nettles and jam!"
pocketcasts.com/podcast/what...

The Shaggy D.A. - Escape YouTube video by Oceaniabonaza

This is from an actual real film called 'The Shaggy DA'.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEk6...