Susan E Barsby
@susanebarsby.bsky.social
Writer, reader, runner, mum, knitter. I like coffee, cake and conkers. I miss the sea.
Reposted by Susan E Barsby
Let my gravestone read "PUNCTUATION GOES INSIDE THE QUOTATION MARKS."
November 10, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Let my gravestone read "PUNCTUATION GOES INSIDE THE QUOTATION MARKS."
Reposted by Susan E Barsby
A reminder that this anti-trans panic is 100% bullshit and exactly none of our country’s problems are related to someone expressing their gender identity and everyone who isn’t a hate-filled weirdo knows it.
November 10, 2025 at 1:16 PM
A reminder that this anti-trans panic is 100% bullshit and exactly none of our country’s problems are related to someone expressing their gender identity and everyone who isn’t a hate-filled weirdo knows it.
This is an excellent idea. When I worked for Big Lottery Fund, even the easiest application forms needed proven outcomes etc.
Look at this great fund. £200 for really small charities to spend on boring things. Easy, quick to apply.
Link below.
Please share :)
Link below.
Please share :)
Boring Fund | Christina Poulton
Applications now open!
£200 grants available for small charities, CICs and voluntary groups towards some of those boring but hard-to-fund costs.
www.christinapoultoncreative.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 9:43 AM
This is an excellent idea. When I worked for Big Lottery Fund, even the easiest application forms needed proven outcomes etc.
Christ. He must be absolutely insufferable.
Loving today's news that the mysterious "fedora man" outside the Louvre heist was actually a 15-year-old museum visitor who dresses like a 1940s French detective all the time, just because. apnews.com/article/louv...
Fedora man unmasked: Meet the teen behind the Louvre mystery photo
Fifteen-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux has become an internet sensation after an Associated Press photo captured him outside the Louvre on the day of a crown jewels heist.
apnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Christ. He must be absolutely insufferable.
Do donate if you can. #MagicOfBooks
Christmas should feel magical for all children.
And every child deserves to experience the joy of stories.
Will you help to share the #MagicOfBooks with the children who need it most? ✨
https://bit.ly/3LxZycG
And every child deserves to experience the joy of stories.
Will you help to share the #MagicOfBooks with the children who need it most? ✨
https://bit.ly/3LxZycG
November 9, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Do donate if you can. #MagicOfBooks
I served him once in Waterstones. He asked about his own book, the publication of which had been delayed and no one from his publishers had told him the new date. So he asked if we knew it.
This is a rubbish story all round.
This is a rubbish story all round.
Former Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson dies aged 68
Former Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson dies aged 68
Motoring journalist created and fronted shows including Fifth Gear, Britain’s Worst Driver and The Car’s the Star
The former Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson has died after a short illness, his family said on Saturday. He was 68.
The television presenter and motoring journalist died “peacefully surrounded by his family”, a statement said. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:04 PM
I served him once in Waterstones. He asked about his own book, the publication of which had been delayed and no one from his publishers had told him the new date. So he asked if we knew it.
This is a rubbish story all round.
This is a rubbish story all round.
Reposted by Susan E Barsby
sometimes an Oxford comma can make all the difference
November 8, 2025 at 12:36 PM
sometimes an Oxford comma can make all the difference
This sounds splendid. I'm going for Holkham or Whitstable or ideally the Hartland peninsula.
Elizabeth Olsen believes she will die old and alone in a foggy English coastal town. Here are her options
Elizabeth Olsen believes she will die old and alone in a foggy English coastal town. Here are her options
While promoting new film Eternity, the actor outlined a specific end-of-life scenario that should be cold, wet and include one cheese shop
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:33 PM
This sounds splendid. I'm going for Holkham or Whitstable or ideally the Hartland peninsula.
Oooh lovely! Chesil Beach is an amazing place.
October's episodes in one place.
Transport yourself to three special places through sound.
283 - Night trees of Boggle Hole (51mins)
> bit.ly/LenBog
284 - The wind of Long Mynd (32mins)
> bit.ly/LenMynd
285 - Late October on Chesil Beach (32mins)
> bit.ly/LenChesil3
Transport yourself to three special places through sound.
283 - Night trees of Boggle Hole (51mins)
> bit.ly/LenBog
284 - The wind of Long Mynd (32mins)
> bit.ly/LenMynd
285 - Late October on Chesil Beach (32mins)
> bit.ly/LenChesil3
November 7, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Oooh lovely! Chesil Beach is an amazing place.
Reposted by Susan E Barsby
If I had a gun to my head I could whittle my collection of Kate Bush records down to three albums... just... and Aerial would be one of them.
Happy 20th birthday to Aerial... which only came out yesterday not 20 years ago. Surely.
thequietus.com/opinion-and-...
Happy 20th birthday to Aerial... which only came out yesterday not 20 years ago. Surely.
thequietus.com/opinion-and-...
What kind of Language is this? Kate Bush's Aerial At 20 | The Quietus
Matthew Barton looks back twenty years to the Kate Bush album Aerial that seemed to take forever to arrive but was worth the wait
thequietus.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:59 AM
If I had a gun to my head I could whittle my collection of Kate Bush records down to three albums... just... and Aerial would be one of them.
Happy 20th birthday to Aerial... which only came out yesterday not 20 years ago. Surely.
thequietus.com/opinion-and-...
Happy 20th birthday to Aerial... which only came out yesterday not 20 years ago. Surely.
thequietus.com/opinion-and-...
Reposted by Susan E Barsby
I, for the love of dog, do not know why I've had to listen to fireworks for the last 2 weeks going continuously until past 1 or 2 in the morning.
I feel so bad for our furry friends.
I feel so bad for our furry friends.
Since this is STILL going on where we live, I’m sharing this again.
Contact your MP if you’ve had enough of this bullshit firework nonsense going on for over a WEEK! 😡😡😡
action.dogstrust.org.uk/page/178980/...
#dogs #fireworks #fireworksfuckoff #dogsky
Contact your MP if you’ve had enough of this bullshit firework nonsense going on for over a WEEK! 😡😡😡
action.dogstrust.org.uk/page/178980/...
#dogs #fireworks #fireworksfuckoff #dogsky
Help Protect Dogs from Firework Fear | Dogs Trust
action.dogstrust.org.uk
November 6, 2025 at 6:05 PM
I, for the love of dog, do not know why I've had to listen to fireworks for the last 2 weeks going continuously until past 1 or 2 in the morning.
I feel so bad for our furry friends.
I feel so bad for our furry friends.
Reposted by Susan E Barsby
The "why do you care so much about the NY mayoral election" takes strike me as pretty obtuse. The world's sole superpower is being taken over by fascists, and this was part of the struggle to define what the opposition to that will look like. That obviously has major implications for all of us?
November 5, 2025 at 10:06 AM
The "why do you care so much about the NY mayoral election" takes strike me as pretty obtuse. The world's sole superpower is being taken over by fascists, and this was part of the struggle to define what the opposition to that will look like. That obviously has major implications for all of us?
Reposted by Susan E Barsby
Mamdani: "New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant."
November 5, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Mamdani: "New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant."
Loved this book when I read it - great review here.
New on the blog today, I've written about SLANTING TOWARDS THE SEA by Lidija Hilje.
A sultry, sun-drenched, emotionally involving story of first love, the ongoing yearning that follows and the agonising sacrifices we sometimes make for those around us. 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/04/s...
A sultry, sun-drenched, emotionally involving story of first love, the ongoing yearning that follows and the agonising sacrifices we sometimes make for those around us. 💙📚
jacquiwine.wordpress.com/2025/11/04/s...
Slanting Towards the Sea by Lidija Hilje
Written in English (the author’s second language), Slanting Towards the Sea is the debut novel by the Croatian writer Lidija Hilje – a new name to me, but one I will be looking out for again in the…
jacquiwine.wordpress.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Loved this book when I read it - great review here.
Good news! I loved Should We Fall Behind.
We're delighted to be publishing Sharon Duggal's new novel.
LIGHT ON THE PLAIN - September - 2026.
Her 3rd with Bluemoose.
Should We Fall Behind, her second novel was short listed for @rsliterature.bsky.social Encore Prize and selected for BBC Two - Between The Covers.
@thebookseller.com
LIGHT ON THE PLAIN - September - 2026.
Her 3rd with Bluemoose.
Should We Fall Behind, her second novel was short listed for @rsliterature.bsky.social Encore Prize and selected for BBC Two - Between The Covers.
@thebookseller.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Good news! I loved Should We Fall Behind.
One of the only famous folk I met where I had a real fangirl faint afterwards.
Adam Ant is 71 today. Hard to emphasise how seismic this was in playgrounds across the country in 1980. For a period he was as big as any act has been. Was he the perfect pop star? I think so. It couldn't last but if you were there you'll never forget it.
youtu.be/Rm9drIwmmU4?...
youtu.be/Rm9drIwmmU4?...
Adam & The Ants - Antmusic
YouTube video by AdamAntVEVO
youtu.be
November 4, 2025 at 8:48 AM
One of the only famous folk I met where I had a real fangirl faint afterwards.
Reposted by Susan E Barsby
I have been confronted with an ad for Advent calendars and so it is time for the annual PSA:
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS BEGIN
ON
CHRISTMAS
THEY ARE NOT ANY OF THE DAYS LEADING UP TO CHRISTMAS
THAT IS ADVENT
WHICH BEGINS FOUR SUNDAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS BEGIN
ON
CHRISTMAS
THEY ARE NOT ANY OF THE DAYS LEADING UP TO CHRISTMAS
THAT IS ADVENT
WHICH BEGINS FOUR SUNDAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME
November 3, 2025 at 2:56 PM
I have been confronted with an ad for Advent calendars and so it is time for the annual PSA:
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS BEGIN
ON
CHRISTMAS
THEY ARE NOT ANY OF THE DAYS LEADING UP TO CHRISTMAS
THAT IS ADVENT
WHICH BEGINS FOUR SUNDAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS BEGIN
ON
CHRISTMAS
THEY ARE NOT ANY OF THE DAYS LEADING UP TO CHRISTMAS
THAT IS ADVENT
WHICH BEGINS FOUR SUNDAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME
The Guardian has actually forgotten The Wire. You'd never have thought it a few years' back...
‘I definitely needed a lie-down after that!’ Your most intense TV episodes ever
‘I definitely needed a lie-down after that!’ Your most intense TV episodes ever
Bombs on trains, coke-fuelled gambling sprees and canine barbecues … from Bodyguard to Industry, here are your most horrific, heart-in-mouth TV moments
www.theguardian.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:08 PM
The Guardian has actually forgotten The Wire. You'd never have thought it a few years' back...
Reposted by Susan E Barsby
I've been getting back into the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series after many years, and the most relatable part is how everyday objects like doors and elevators have been imbued with artificial intelligence and it just makes them obnoxious and frustrating to use and everyone hates it.
November 1, 2025 at 8:55 PM
I've been getting back into the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series after many years, and the most relatable part is how everyday objects like doors and elevators have been imbued with artificial intelligence and it just makes them obnoxious and frustrating to use and everyone hates it.
Reposted by Susan E Barsby
Write something. Write it today. Write your heart out. Write something weird that only you would think of. Your enemies will not topple to your silence. Write your future and live it.
November 1, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Write something. Write it today. Write your heart out. Write something weird that only you would think of. Your enemies will not topple to your silence. Write your future and live it.
I am. Right now.
November 1, 2025 at 10:47 AM
I am. Right now.
Reading round up for October. #booksky
October reading round up
Sometimes your reading all comes together in a theme and that’s what happened at the beginning of the month, with several books on the theme of place and belonging. Then it all got a bit rand…
susanebarsby.com
November 1, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Reading round up for October. #booksky
Reposted by Susan E Barsby
thank fuck for this
there's a massive difference between saying "I believe x about a group" and saying "that group may not have dignified use of toilet facilities in the public sphere"
the first is your own beliefs, religious or quasi. the second makes a country fundamentally unsafe. for everyone
there's a massive difference between saying "I believe x about a group" and saying "that group may not have dignified use of toilet facilities in the public sphere"
the first is your own beliefs, religious or quasi. the second makes a country fundamentally unsafe. for everyone
You'll have to ignore the buckets of anti-trans campaigning commentary in the piece, but the basic news is quite simple. The EHRC has failed to get the government to accept its anti-guidance in haste. Something is holding it up, perhaps for another a year www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Rules forcing trans people to use birth-sex facilities delayed
The Equality and Human Rights Commission set out statutory guidance on how gyms, clubs and hospitals must judge single-sex spaces based on biology
www.thetimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 9:11 AM
thank fuck for this
there's a massive difference between saying "I believe x about a group" and saying "that group may not have dignified use of toilet facilities in the public sphere"
the first is your own beliefs, religious or quasi. the second makes a country fundamentally unsafe. for everyone
there's a massive difference between saying "I believe x about a group" and saying "that group may not have dignified use of toilet facilities in the public sphere"
the first is your own beliefs, religious or quasi. the second makes a country fundamentally unsafe. for everyone
No and no. I will allow low level talking during all the car adverts.
Don't rustle your food wrappers. And go to the toilet before the film for the love of god.
Don't rustle your food wrappers. And go to the toilet before the film for the love of god.
Is it OK to talk at the cinema? How about if it’s just during the trailers? | Polly Hudson
Is it OK to talk at the cinema? How about if it’s just during the trailers? | Polly Hudson
Some might argue that streaming movies at home has given us all etiquette amnesia. But when it comes to disrupting a screening, I think the rules have some nuance, writes Polly Hudson
www.theguardian.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:55 AM
No and no. I will allow low level talking during all the car adverts.
Don't rustle your food wrappers. And go to the toilet before the film for the love of god.
Don't rustle your food wrappers. And go to the toilet before the film for the love of god.
Reposted by Susan E Barsby
This was so witty and human. What an absolute hero. open.substack.com/pub/bestforb...
A week before my wedding, I woke up with facial paralysis
‘Apart from having to drink my pints through a straw, occasionally needing to wear an eyepatch and the classical guitarist nobody could hear, I wouldn’t have changed a thing about the big day.’ - Nial...
open.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:18 AM
This was so witty and human. What an absolute hero. open.substack.com/pub/bestforb...