astrotomato
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astrotomato.bsky.social
astrotomato
@astrotomato.bsky.social
240 followers 760 following 3.2K posts
I don't post much these days, but if I do it'll be about #writing #scifi #sustainability #ClimateChange #music // Left of centre

My books:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Graeme%20Maughan/author/B007904WIK
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astrotomato.bsky.social
There's some circular etymology here.
Well, “Rutabaga is a large, round, root vegetable. It's also known as swede. It's a form of Brassica napus and a hybrid between a turnip and wild cabbage. Rutabaga actually looks like a large turnip. The name 'swede' is short for Swedish turnip, and in some regions they're known as turnips. In Scotland they're often called neeps, and in the US they're rutabaga. Swedes (Brassica napus Napobrassica Group) are usually sown direct outdoors in spring and early summer. Rutabaga is the common North American term for the plant. This comes from the Swedish dialectal word rotabagge, from rot, 'root' + bagge, 'lump, bunch'.
November 24, 2025 at 6:05 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
It's a neverending day ...
A little girl on a swing
November 23, 2025 at 2:40 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Lunch!
A colourful salad
November 23, 2025 at 12:56 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
St. Paul's Cathedral in the rain
A view along Watling Street in the City of London. In the distance we can just see St. Paul's Cathedral. A woman stands photo-centre, umbrella up, her body mirrored by the wet pacing beneath.
November 18, 2025 at 1:11 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Purple IS a fruit!

BBC News - Move over açaí - the Amazon has more 'superfoods' to offer
www.bbc.com/news/article...
It sounds like a marketing pitch and the company's slick packaging promises "ancestral ingredients" and the "power of purple fruits from the forest".
November 16, 2025 at 12:28 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
We started watching Riot Women tonight, which appealed to Mrs Astro but not me. I just couldn't get over the central conceit that middle aged women forming a rock band was radical in 2025.
A photo of Kim Gordon.
November 16, 2025 at 12:01 AM
astrotomato.bsky.social
The Anchoress at Union Chapel last night, with Roxanne de Bastion on supporting vocals.

She really is phenomenal.
November 15, 2025 at 8:06 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Scene from a bar

Eszeweria, Krakow
Inside of a bar. Central to the photo is a tad with a lamp on it. Mismatching chairs are either side. A mirror hangs on the wall above the table. Tucked into the left of the scene, two patrons talk further back.
October 31, 2025 at 4:16 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
"I mean to have you boy, even if it must be..."
A street scene at night. Outside a restaurant, a neon sign reads "Burgery".
October 31, 2025 at 1:59 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Just in case
October 30, 2025 at 10:39 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Gotta love a rail replacement service
Platform: Your 12:00 train from Doncaster will depart platform BUS. For leg 3 of your journey with LNER.
October 25, 2025 at 9:23 AM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Unsolicited pick pic
A pick
October 13, 2025 at 6:22 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Some wild trivia from the making of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Gene Wilder's performance was so intense that some of the actors thought he was having a psychotic turn. Their on screen reactions to Wonka are genuine rather than acted.
October 10, 2025 at 7:56 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Roy Kinnear was 37 years old when. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory came out.
The late great actor Roy Kinnear.
October 10, 2025 at 7:40 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Excellent gig at Cadogan Hall last night. Enji was first with her soft Mongolian jazz, followed by Les Égarés with their jazz - north African - gipsy - folk melange.
A jazz trio on stage. From left to right, a man with a double bass, a woman in traditional Mongolian clothes and a man with an electric guitar. Four men on stage, all seated, with the following instruments, from left to right: accordion, kora, cello, clarinet.
October 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Beta Band at Camden Roundhouse. Bonkers psychedelia. What I loved most was how they kept putting their instruments down so they could all wig out on percussion.
A band on stage. A projection on the wall behind shows tiger faces and cartoon explosions. A band on stage. A projection on the wall behind shows a digging machine. A band on stage. A projection on the wall behind shows stars.
October 3, 2025 at 6:32 AM
astrotomato.bsky.social
My WIP is a 3-generation saga, stretching over 50 years of a single family. I'm probably 4 months off finishing the first draft and already over 120,000 words. Starting to wonder if the final version might need to be 3 separate novellas.
Screenshot of the 'word count' function in Google Docs. The word count is 121,421.
September 27, 2025 at 6:21 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Identifying as a man again
A book by notorious trans-scaredy cat female author J K Rowling but published as the male author Robert Galbraith.
September 27, 2025 at 12:08 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Not a bad muster point for a fire alarm evacuation from our office
St. Paul's Cathedral.
September 22, 2025 at 9:07 AM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Paging AI firms, paging AI firms
A billboard advertisement from the company Hiscox, which reads, "If you accidentally infringe someone's copyright, you should've gone to Hiscox."
September 22, 2025 at 5:51 AM
astrotomato.bsky.social
NEU!
A pop group on a stage. Projected behind the is the German word "NEU!"
September 21, 2025 at 8:03 AM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Michael Rother (ex-Neu!) on stage at Islington Assembly Hall tonight. Josh Gaza of Secret Machines guest stars on a drum at stage side.
September 20, 2025 at 11:25 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Marta Salogni on stage at Islington Assembly Hall.
A woman stands on stage lit by spotlights. Old fashioned tape machines surround her.
September 20, 2025 at 11:23 PM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Well, retirement just came a small step closer today!
A notification from the Euromillions Lottery informing of a £6 win. Six whole British pounds!
September 20, 2025 at 7:24 AM
astrotomato.bsky.social
Snack time!
A Tunnock's tea cake
September 19, 2025 at 12:17 PM