BrightAire
@brightaire.bsky.social
Outdoorser. Teacher. Educational Visits Champion. Tree-hugger. Bradfordian. Likes bikes and making stuff from sticks. Never satisfied.
Reposted by BrightAire
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
November 10, 2025 at 6:40 PM
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
Put a handle of wavy, rippled sycamore on my new Ash & Iron scorp and made a leather cover, for the blade, from someone's old sofa.
www.ashandiron.co.uk
www.ashandiron.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Put a handle of wavy, rippled sycamore on my new Ash & Iron scorp and made a leather cover, for the blade, from someone's old sofa.
www.ashandiron.co.uk
www.ashandiron.co.uk
Whether youth facilities save the council money is a rubbish way to assess their worth.
Young people need places where they can express and discover interests, make friends and find support.
Their existence is a measure of a civilised society. One that values and actually likes young people.
Young people need places where they can express and discover interests, make friends and find support.
Their existence is a measure of a civilised society. One that values and actually likes young people.
This is a desperately sad story, one doubtless repeated across the country, but it’s also desperately stupid:
“an independent report … estimated the centre is saving the council more than £500,000 a year in costs that include services in mental health, youth justice and social care”
“an independent report … estimated the centre is saving the council more than £500,000 a year in costs that include services in mental health, youth justice and social care”
Last youth centre in one of England’s most deprived coastal areas faces closure
Pie Factory Music in Ramsgate, Kent, runs creative projects and provides a range of support services, but the building that houses the centre is due to be sold off in February
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Whether youth facilities save the council money is a rubbish way to assess their worth.
Young people need places where they can express and discover interests, make friends and find support.
Their existence is a measure of a civilised society. One that values and actually likes young people.
Young people need places where they can express and discover interests, make friends and find support.
Their existence is a measure of a civilised society. One that values and actually likes young people.
A productive day at spoon club. Some things made, some given, some bought.
A shrink pot in alder & oak, another alder bowl in process and a tool handle from wavy sycamore. An end grain mug from ebonised alder (a gift from Dan) and a hand-forged scorp from Adam at Ash and Iron. www.ashandiron.co.uk
A shrink pot in alder & oak, another alder bowl in process and a tool handle from wavy sycamore. An end grain mug from ebonised alder (a gift from Dan) and a hand-forged scorp from Adam at Ash and Iron. www.ashandiron.co.uk
November 9, 2025 at 6:29 PM
A productive day at spoon club. Some things made, some given, some bought.
A shrink pot in alder & oak, another alder bowl in process and a tool handle from wavy sycamore. An end grain mug from ebonised alder (a gift from Dan) and a hand-forged scorp from Adam at Ash and Iron. www.ashandiron.co.uk
A shrink pot in alder & oak, another alder bowl in process and a tool handle from wavy sycamore. An end grain mug from ebonised alder (a gift from Dan) and a hand-forged scorp from Adam at Ash and Iron. www.ashandiron.co.uk
Another "viking" bowl drops from the #ShipleyAlder. Finished with "Salem red" milk paint and walnut oil. That makes three completed bowls and another two in production.
November 9, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Another "viking" bowl drops from the #ShipleyAlder. Finished with "Salem red" milk paint and walnut oil. That makes three completed bowls and another two in production.
Latest "viking" bowl from the #ShipleyAlder.
Inspired by traditional Scandinavian slöjd designs.
Finished in "tavern green" milk paint and walnut oil.
I hollow these from the "bark up" side of the log which gives the origin to the shape.
Inspired by traditional Scandinavian slöjd designs.
Finished in "tavern green" milk paint and walnut oil.
I hollow these from the "bark up" side of the log which gives the origin to the shape.
November 7, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Latest "viking" bowl from the #ShipleyAlder.
Inspired by traditional Scandinavian slöjd designs.
Finished in "tavern green" milk paint and walnut oil.
I hollow these from the "bark up" side of the log which gives the origin to the shape.
Inspired by traditional Scandinavian slöjd designs.
Finished in "tavern green" milk paint and walnut oil.
I hollow these from the "bark up" side of the log which gives the origin to the shape.
I'm not a person of religious faith but I'm glad that such people are around when they're needed, wherever they're needed. If not for me, for others for who their ministry is vital.
"VICAR"
Shouted the bloke in the pub. I'd been here for a couple of hours and I'm four pints into the festival.
... the pub goes silent.
"I might need you"
...
Birth, marriage or death I asked... the pub full of drinkers held their breath.
Shouted the bloke in the pub. I'd been here for a couple of hours and I'm four pints into the festival.
... the pub goes silent.
"I might need you"
...
Birth, marriage or death I asked... the pub full of drinkers held their breath.
November 7, 2025 at 7:32 AM
I'm not a person of religious faith but I'm glad that such people are around when they're needed, wherever they're needed. If not for me, for others for who their ministry is vital.
For women the choices are often more vital but all cyclists have to conjure with options like these, especially as the nights draw in.
@cyclinguk.bsky.social
Great artwork by @davewalker.bsky.social
@cyclinguk.bsky.social
Great artwork by @davewalker.bsky.social
November 5, 2025 at 8:52 PM
For women the choices are often more vital but all cyclists have to conjure with options like these, especially as the nights draw in.
@cyclinguk.bsky.social
Great artwork by @davewalker.bsky.social
@cyclinguk.bsky.social
Great artwork by @davewalker.bsky.social
Yes. The sense of entitlement of car owners from the relatively wealthy suburbs to drive through the most traffic-blighted neighbourhoods into city centres is quite something.
Low-income areas in England and Wales face worst air pollution, analysis finds
Low-income areas in England and Wales face worst air pollution, analysis finds
Exclusive: Experts say impact on people of colour and those who do not drive is ‘grave environmental injustice’
Air pollution in England and Wales has fallen, but the poorest neighbourhoods are still exposed to the most extreme levels of toxins, new analysis has found.
Experts have called this a “grave environmental injustice” as the inequality around who is exposed to air pollution has dramatically grown in the last decade. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Yes. The sense of entitlement of car owners from the relatively wealthy suburbs to drive through the most traffic-blighted neighbourhoods into city centres is quite something.
"You just don't understand 'country ways'".
Good thread. Themes so often encountered, if not explicitly, in discussions about who belongs in the countryside.
Good thread. Themes so often encountered, if not explicitly, in discussions about who belongs in the countryside.
1. In the wake on Mamdani’s win, we’ll see a lot more far right anti-urban sentiment. Here’s a thread on its roots and evolution.
The idea that the city is evil and corrupt, and the countryside innocent and pure, goes back a long way: to Theocritus in Alexandria, and to the Old Testament. 🧵
The idea that the city is evil and corrupt, and the countryside innocent and pure, goes back a long way: to Theocritus in Alexandria, and to the Old Testament. 🧵
November 5, 2025 at 9:07 AM
"You just don't understand 'country ways'".
Good thread. Themes so often encountered, if not explicitly, in discussions about who belongs in the countryside.
Good thread. Themes so often encountered, if not explicitly, in discussions about who belongs in the countryside.
Essential viewing and plenty for me to catch up with. #Climate
I've finally got around to curating a selection of films about the #climate crisis 🎥
There's lot of mediocre climate films out there, but for me these stand out head & shoulders above the rest 🎞️
They make excellent resources for classrooms, lecture halls, or community cinema's 🎬
Thread:🧵Plz RT
There's lot of mediocre climate films out there, but for me these stand out head & shoulders above the rest 🎞️
They make excellent resources for classrooms, lecture halls, or community cinema's 🎬
Thread:🧵Plz RT
November 3, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Essential viewing and plenty for me to catch up with. #Climate
Another bowl blank joins the production line. Three drying, before finishing cuts, another poly-bagged in the fridge before more axe, gouge and drawknife work.
November 2, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Another bowl blank joins the production line. Three drying, before finishing cuts, another poly-bagged in the fridge before more axe, gouge and drawknife work.
Three bowls roughed out from the Shipley Alder yesterday and today.
I'm enjoying making these Scandinavian-inspired chunky boat shapes, carved with the bark-side up.
I'm enjoying making these Scandinavian-inspired chunky boat shapes, carved with the bark-side up.
November 1, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Three bowls roughed out from the Shipley Alder yesterday and today.
I'm enjoying making these Scandinavian-inspired chunky boat shapes, carved with the bark-side up.
I'm enjoying making these Scandinavian-inspired chunky boat shapes, carved with the bark-side up.
First project underway in the craft refuge. Another alder bowl from the Shipley Alder. It's great to have all this space to swing an axe.
October 31, 2025 at 1:55 PM
First project underway in the craft refuge. Another alder bowl from the Shipley Alder. It's great to have all this space to swing an axe.
Going to swap the components from my broken On-One Ti456 onto this stone cold classic of British mountain biking - a Cotic Soul.
October 31, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Going to swap the components from my broken On-One Ti456 onto this stone cold classic of British mountain biking - a Cotic Soul.
On our return from this jaunt we discovered a crack in the downtube. It's a titanium frame. Probably recent crash damage on my old bike.
Looks like we're going bike shopping...
Looks like we're going bike shopping...
I've not been out on the bike for a while so a morning's off-road trundle, on local trails, with the boy (or bear?) wonder was exactly what was required.
October 30, 2025 at 7:09 PM
On our return from this jaunt we discovered a crack in the downtube. It's a titanium frame. Probably recent crash damage on my old bike.
Looks like we're going bike shopping...
Looks like we're going bike shopping...
I've moved a few essential items into the "craft refuge". Chopping block, shave-horse and bowl vice.
October 30, 2025 at 2:12 PM
I've moved a few essential items into the "craft refuge". Chopping block, shave-horse and bowl vice.
I've not been out on the bike for a while so a morning's off-road trundle, on local trails, with the boy (or bear?) wonder was exactly what was required.
October 30, 2025 at 2:08 PM
I've not been out on the bike for a while so a morning's off-road trundle, on local trails, with the boy (or bear?) wonder was exactly what was required.
I'm calling this done. It doesn't bare too close scrutiny (or from some angles) but I'm really pleased to have some space which catches the winter sunshine, at the bottom of the garden. An outdoor craft refuge, sheltered from the elements.
October 29, 2025 at 4:11 PM
I'm calling this done. It doesn't bare too close scrutiny (or from some angles) but I'm really pleased to have some space which catches the winter sunshine, at the bottom of the garden. An outdoor craft refuge, sheltered from the elements.
As a young man I was drawn to McCullin's work out of morbid curiosity and admiration for his craft. Later, I began to appreciate his sensitivity and sense of mission. It's sad, as he says in the article, that his work doesn't seem to have changed a thing.
October 29, 2025 at 6:29 AM
As a young man I was drawn to McCullin's work out of morbid curiosity and admiration for his craft. Later, I began to appreciate his sensitivity and sense of mission. It's sad, as he says in the article, that his work doesn't seem to have changed a thing.
If we value our national heritage we need to find ways of keeping cars away from historic buildings. Not just for the damage they not infrequently cause but for visual intrusion and enjoyment. The designation of "Conservation Area" ought to be synonymous with "Low Traffic Neighbourhood".
October 29, 2025 at 5:57 AM
If we value our national heritage we need to find ways of keeping cars away from historic buildings. Not just for the damage they not infrequently cause but for visual intrusion and enjoyment. The designation of "Conservation Area" ought to be synonymous with "Low Traffic Neighbourhood".
I thought, as a Bradford lad, it was about time I read this. Thought to be semi-autobiographical. Places in the Bradford District are recognisable and the conjuring of early 20th century Bradford is amazing. Perhaps a vibrancy that's not quite lost. Masterful on the human condition.
October 28, 2025 at 9:53 PM
I thought, as a Bradford lad, it was about time I read this. Thought to be semi-autobiographical. Places in the Bradford District are recognisable and the conjuring of early 20th century Bradford is amazing. Perhaps a vibrancy that's not quite lost. Masterful on the human condition.
Actually quite sunny outside right now.
“An Autumn gale is stripping off the leaves and sweeping them along in the slanting squall of rain”
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
Writer: EL Grant Watson
(What to Look for in Autumn, 1960)
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
Writer: EL Grant Watson
(What to Look for in Autumn, 1960)
October 26, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Actually quite sunny outside right now.
I enjoyed my "Local" project, up to a point; exploring my local area by bike, inspired by @alastairhumphreys.bsky.social. I'll keep local on the back-burner but, I think, I might have found a new project...
ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk
ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk
Ancient Tree Inventory
Mapping the oldest and most important trees in the UK.
ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk
October 25, 2025 at 5:05 PM
I enjoyed my "Local" project, up to a point; exploring my local area by bike, inspired by @alastairhumphreys.bsky.social. I'll keep local on the back-burner but, I think, I might have found a new project...
ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk
ati.woodlandtrust.org.uk
That'll do until more materials arrive on Tuesday. Half the roof is covered and I've fitted a hazel hurdle screen under the rail. Just some slatted walls and the rest of the roof to cover.
Looking forward to moving my chopping block and shave-horse in, then maybe a work-bench...
Looking forward to moving my chopping block and shave-horse in, then maybe a work-bench...
October 25, 2025 at 10:26 AM
That'll do until more materials arrive on Tuesday. Half the roof is covered and I've fitted a hazel hurdle screen under the rail. Just some slatted walls and the rest of the roof to cover.
Looking forward to moving my chopping block and shave-horse in, then maybe a work-bench...
Looking forward to moving my chopping block and shave-horse in, then maybe a work-bench...