Alison M
@alisonm.bsky.social
Editor and lexicographer by day, yarn ninja by night. So, y'know, books and yarn, gardens and language.
It's not about "fairness". We elect governments that make different choices about how to slice up our budget. England could do the same thing, but they don't. We also pay higher taxes than the rest of the UK.
November 22, 2025 at 9:37 PM
It's not about "fairness". We elect governments that make different choices about how to slice up our budget. England could do the same thing, but they don't. We also pay higher taxes than the rest of the UK.
I've been reading, because of a novel I'm reading with a group on Substack, about some of the "science" floating around Europe at the end of the 18th century, and this seems so close to that it's really quite terrifying. Is there any reason, other than £££, why they *couldn't* be prosecuted?
November 22, 2025 at 10:49 AM
I've been reading, because of a novel I'm reading with a group on Substack, about some of the "science" floating around Europe at the end of the 18th century, and this seems so close to that it's really quite terrifying. Is there any reason, other than £££, why they *couldn't* be prosecuted?
I'm an algorithmic ignoramus, but I'm going to guess that saying "cat food" 6 times in two posts isn't going to help your predicament.
November 22, 2025 at 10:32 AM
I'm an algorithmic ignoramus, but I'm going to guess that saying "cat food" 6 times in two posts isn't going to help your predicament.
Ugh. It looks like Space Dubai.
November 21, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Ugh. It looks like Space Dubai.
"openly" doing some heavy lifting there.
November 21, 2025 at 4:55 PM
"openly" doing some heavy lifting there.
I just worry that what might replace him will be even worse. I'm not in the US, but you know, America sneezes, we all catch a cold.
November 21, 2025 at 11:52 AM
I just worry that what might replace him will be even worse. I'm not in the US, but you know, America sneezes, we all catch a cold.
I was being facetious really, but good to know!
November 21, 2025 at 11:46 AM
I was being facetious really, but good to know!
Reminds me of one of my favourite James Thurber cartoons from The Pet Department (an agony column for pet-related problems)
November 21, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Reminds me of one of my favourite James Thurber cartoons from The Pet Department (an agony column for pet-related problems)
Once Trump's minders have been through every inch of them with a black Sharpie and a pair of scissors?
November 21, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Once Trump's minders have been through every inch of them with a black Sharpie and a pair of scissors?
I saw my first lit up garden tree today too. Lawks.
November 20, 2025 at 6:45 PM
I saw my first lit up garden tree today too. Lawks.
Definitely get a will sorted. I'm at the age where friends' parents are dying and legal holes are a big horror at a difficult time.
We have a scheme here where every year there's a month when lawyers will draw up your will for a donation to charity but I guess US lawyers, um, don't do that?
We have a scheme here where every year there's a month when lawyers will draw up your will for a donation to charity but I guess US lawyers, um, don't do that?
November 20, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Definitely get a will sorted. I'm at the age where friends' parents are dying and legal holes are a big horror at a difficult time.
We have a scheme here where every year there's a month when lawyers will draw up your will for a donation to charity but I guess US lawyers, um, don't do that?
We have a scheme here where every year there's a month when lawyers will draw up your will for a donation to charity but I guess US lawyers, um, don't do that?
I agree, and Corbyn's lukewarm-at-best attitude to the EU is not attractive to me either.
November 17, 2025 at 12:59 PM
I agree, and Corbyn's lukewarm-at-best attitude to the EU is not attractive to me either.
I'm not sure. Her "class war" rhetoric is probably massively off-putting for many people. Polanski seems to be saying much the same thing, but also seems to understand much better how to communicate it in a way that doesn't alienate people.
November 17, 2025 at 12:57 PM
I'm not sure. Her "class war" rhetoric is probably massively off-putting for many people. Polanski seems to be saying much the same thing, but also seems to understand much better how to communicate it in a way that doesn't alienate people.
I feel like "pear" is the main problem in both recipes. I love pears, but why anyone would choose pears over apples in any crumble-adjacent pudding is beyond me.
November 17, 2025 at 11:06 AM
I feel like "pear" is the main problem in both recipes. I love pears, but why anyone would choose pears over apples in any crumble-adjacent pudding is beyond me.
I'd go further and say most people are actually turned off by it. Zack Polanski seems to understand the messaging much better (though I'm yet to see much in the way of detail and won't jump on the bandwagon until I do).
November 17, 2025 at 10:54 AM
I'd go further and say most people are actually turned off by it. Zack Polanski seems to understand the messaging much better (though I'm yet to see much in the way of detail and won't jump on the bandwagon until I do).
And one of these policies isn't really a policy at all, more of an anti-policy. It's not as if they're going to address the climate issue by other means, they're just going to deny that it's an issue at all.
November 17, 2025 at 10:41 AM
And one of these policies isn't really a policy at all, more of an anti-policy. It's not as if they're going to address the climate issue by other means, they're just going to deny that it's an issue at all.
Tbh, I find the things that are more time critical, especially fish, to be much more stress-inducing to cook
November 17, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Tbh, I find the things that are more time critical, especially fish, to be much more stress-inducing to cook
I like making risotto, and I always think the stirring thing is a bit overblown. You don't have to stand there watching it like a hawk. Most sauce-based things cooked on the hob require stirring so they don't stick. Risotto never seems terribly different from making, idk, bolognese or curry.
November 17, 2025 at 10:31 AM
I like making risotto, and I always think the stirring thing is a bit overblown. You don't have to stand there watching it like a hawk. Most sauce-based things cooked on the hob require stirring so they don't stick. Risotto never seems terribly different from making, idk, bolognese or curry.