squirrelmama.bsky.social
@squirrelmama.bsky.social
Not a bot, honest. Rugby obsessive, weaning myself off politics
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Always liked how early the Royal Navy started down its path of giving its most lethal warships embarrassing names.

Nothing worse than discovering you've just had the crap kicked out of you, in naval terms, by the "Peter Pomegranate"
In 1511, £142 4s 6d (about £132,700 in modern money) was spent on supplies "for painting and staining of certain banners and streamers for the use of our ships called the Mary Rose and Peter Pomegranate"
August 5, 2025 at 1:10 PM
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The greatness that was Tom Lehrer - sad news this evening of his death. I hope he’d approve if this was played at his funeral (and an American pontiff may approve and laugh too)

youtu.be/pvhYqeGp_Do?...
Tom Lehrer - The Vatican Rag - fabulous version - LIVE FILM From Copenhagen in 1967
YouTube video by The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel
youtu.be
July 27, 2025 at 10:14 PM
@snellarthur.bsky.social hope you are well - I don’t have your phone number but need to ask you an actual work related question, please could you drop Damian a line? Also would be great to get you all around for lunch again :)
June 30, 2025 at 11:01 AM
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any excuse to repost the greatest Tetris story ever, when a reporter went to cover early e-gaming championships and discovered that his wife was unknowingly *the world's greatest Tetris player* by a huge margin

archive.boston.com/news/globe/m...
May 4, 2025 at 4:35 AM
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I'm gripped by the ever-increasing bling in Trump’s Oval Office. What does it mean? Yes, Trump has bad taste. But also something else. Here’s an art historical view. 🧵
1/
April 18, 2025 at 1:58 PM
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These have arrived! - the finished, hardback copies of a little book I've written about the joyfully unpredictable experience of producing Father Ted.
Publication is Feb 20th but I'd like to give away two copies early - RT by Saturday 6pm and my dog Watson will pick the winners.
January 15, 2025 at 9:10 AM
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🎶
when you go, will you send back
a lettuce from America?
🎶
January 18, 2025 at 9:16 AM
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Starting tomorrow, I'm posting a #LiteraryAdventCalendar - little excerpts & snippets from other authors - but I'm pre-empting it with one from my own archive: a New Statesman competition entry in which the brief was to write a love letter from one literary character to another:
November 30, 2024 at 7:26 PM
Happily ensconced in the stalls at @royalalberthall.bsky.social for @thenewsagents.com Live! So close to @jonsopel1.bsky.social @lewisgoodall.com and @maitlis.bsky.social that I could hop on stage and join them :security chap just gave me a stern look, just kidding!:
December 1, 2024 at 1:42 PM
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Today’s poem is called “On ‘;..p’[[[[[[[[[[[[[;’;////////////////////////3,’”.
November 27, 2024 at 9:09 AM
BlueSky seems to be mostly photos of cats. Which is fine by me. 🐈
November 24, 2024 at 3:24 PM
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🧵SALT🧵
It's been snowing in the UK and the road gritters are out in force, begging the question:
Have you ever wondered where that grit actually COMES from?
The answer is more magical, beautiful and fascinating than you probably realised.
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November 19, 2024 at 3:03 PM