Duncan Batey
@duncanbatey.bsky.social
is allegedly a gracefully ageing rocker whose life was demolished in a freak meditation accident back when he was a computer scientist
but also very definitely a singer-songwriter and t'ai-chi enthusiast based in Glastonbury, UK
duncanbatey.bandcamp.com
but also very definitely a singer-songwriter and t'ai-chi enthusiast based in Glastonbury, UK
duncanbatey.bandcamp.com
Re-reading Stone & Sky by Ben Aaronovitch just for the fun of it, in which the still much-disparaged but increasingly well-staffed Wizarding (or "Weird Bollocks") Branch of the Met take a busman's holiday north of the border in search of an alleged Very Big Cat, and find much, much more besides...
November 17, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Re-reading Stone & Sky by Ben Aaronovitch just for the fun of it, in which the still much-disparaged but increasingly well-staffed Wizarding (or "Weird Bollocks") Branch of the Met take a busman's holiday north of the border in search of an alleged Very Big Cat, and find much, much more besides...
Taken by my lovely friend Amber Moon from her attic flat window in Glastonbury yesterday
November 11, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Taken by my lovely friend Amber Moon from her attic flat window in Glastonbury yesterday
(just finished my more or less annual listen to this)
November 10, 2025 at 7:59 PM
(just finished my more or less annual listen to this)
October 31, 2025 at 5:03 PM
About halfway through The Book of Dust, Volume Three: The Rose Field by Philip Pullman, and it has, gratifyingly, gone in all kinds of unexpected directions. Griffins?? Or indeed gryphons. Epic storytelling from a master.
October 27, 2025 at 11:08 AM
About halfway through The Book of Dust, Volume Three: The Rose Field by Philip Pullman, and it has, gratifyingly, gone in all kinds of unexpected directions. Griffins?? Or indeed gryphons. Epic storytelling from a master.
It's here... I'm going in.
Hold my calls, I may be some time.
Hold my calls, I may be some time.
October 23, 2025 at 1:30 PM
It's here... I'm going in.
Hold my calls, I may be some time.
Hold my calls, I may be some time.
Re-re-reading the last few chapters of The Book of Dust, Volume Two: The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman in fevered anticipation of the finale arriving on Thursday. Thirty years in the making - what a long strange trip it's been, Lyra.
October 20, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Re-re-reading the last few chapters of The Book of Dust, Volume Two: The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman in fevered anticipation of the finale arriving on Thursday. Thirty years in the making - what a long strange trip it's been, Lyra.
Re-reading The Legendary Scarlett & Browne, final book in the dystopian trilogy by @jonathanstroud.bsky.social because my inner 12-year-old isn't quite ready to let go of the eponymous outlaws yet, as they heist their way around a future England rendered barely recognisable by unspecified cataclysm.
October 13, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Re-reading The Legendary Scarlett & Browne, final book in the dystopian trilogy by @jonathanstroud.bsky.social because my inner 12-year-old isn't quite ready to let go of the eponymous outlaws yet, as they heist their way around a future England rendered barely recognisable by unspecified cataclysm.
Forget Alien: Romulus and Alien: Earth, instead thrill to the lurking terror of... Alien: Stapler
In the stationery cupboard no one can hear you scream.
In the stationery cupboard no one can hear you scream.
October 12, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Forget Alien: Romulus and Alien: Earth, instead thrill to the lurking terror of... Alien: Stapler
In the stationery cupboard no one can hear you scream.
In the stationery cupboard no one can hear you scream.
Well this is rather like Christmas has come early - I'd forgotten quite what I'd ordered. The book is beautiful, thank you so much, Colleen - now: to read it!
October 9, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Well this is rather like Christmas has come early - I'd forgotten quite what I'd ordered. The book is beautiful, thank you so much, Colleen - now: to read it!
What's your sign?
September 30, 2025 at 5:02 PM
What's your sign?
Alternating between rereading (for the umpteenth time) Philip Pullman's "The Book of Dust Vol. 2 - The Secret Commonwealth" in anticipation of publication of the final volume in a few weeks' time, and reading Timothy White's extraordinary biography "Catch a Fire - The Life of Bob Marley."
September 29, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Alternating between rereading (for the umpteenth time) Philip Pullman's "The Book of Dust Vol. 2 - The Secret Commonwealth" in anticipation of publication of the final volume in a few weeks' time, and reading Timothy White's extraordinary biography "Catch a Fire - The Life of Bob Marley."
Back to Reamde by Neal Stephenson, a rollicking unrolling sometimes comedic catastrophe of errors spooling out from an ill-thought-through computer virus scam involving an MMO RPG. I think this could actually make a good film, the writing is very visual, but then.. I don't know how it plays out yet.
September 22, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Back to Reamde by Neal Stephenson, a rollicking unrolling sometimes comedic catastrophe of errors spooling out from an ill-thought-through computer virus scam involving an MMO RPG. I think this could actually make a good film, the writing is very visual, but then.. I don't know how it plays out yet.
A short way into Clown Town by Mick Herron, latest in the Slough House/Slow Horses series, concerning failed spies sidelined into mind-numbing drudgery, and yet who somehow keep being drawn back into action. Don't know what's going on yet... but it's probably not going to be anything good, is it?
September 15, 2025 at 1:40 PM
A short way into Clown Town by Mick Herron, latest in the Slough House/Slow Horses series, concerning failed spies sidelined into mind-numbing drudgery, and yet who somehow keep being drawn back into action. Don't know what's going on yet... but it's probably not going to be anything good, is it?
Riveted to The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith (yeah yeah, I know), latest in the series featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his partner-in-detection (and preferably more, in a will-they won't-they kind of a way) Robin Ellacott. This one involves some very dodgy extreme Freemasonry.
September 8, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Riveted to The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith (yeah yeah, I know), latest in the series featuring private detective Cormoran Strike and his partner-in-detection (and preferably more, in a will-they won't-they kind of a way) Robin Ellacott. This one involves some very dodgy extreme Freemasonry.
About to start in on Reamde by Neal Stephenson. Hopefully this one won't make my brain hurt *too* much. Maybe?
August 25, 2025 at 4:49 PM
About to start in on Reamde by Neal Stephenson. Hopefully this one won't make my brain hurt *too* much. Maybe?
Thoughts & prayers please for my mate Barney, who's just the best boy ever, but now has something up with his liver and isn't eating, which is Not Good. Get better please, I'm not ready for a Barney-free world yet.
August 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Thoughts & prayers please for my mate Barney, who's just the best boy ever, but now has something up with his liver and isn't eating, which is Not Good. Get better please, I'm not ready for a Barney-free world yet.
About to start The Legendary Scarlett & Browne by @jonathanstroud.bsky.social, my first purchase through Libro.fm, who rather wonderfully supply DRM-free files, so I can listen on my li'l media player and not have to have my phone on. A cut goes to my nominated local bookshop, too. Bye-bye Audible.
August 18, 2025 at 2:49 PM
About to start The Legendary Scarlett & Browne by @jonathanstroud.bsky.social, my first purchase through Libro.fm, who rather wonderfully supply DRM-free files, so I can listen on my li'l media player and not have to have my phone on. A cut goes to my nominated local bookshop, too. Bye-bye Audible.
They seem to have been doing this for an awfully long time now.
July 28, 2025 at 12:27 PM
They seem to have been doing this for an awfully long time now.
Wallpaper time! What's your phone's lock screen?
July 21, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Wallpaper time! What's your phone's lock screen?
Back to Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, a smartarse writing smartarse books about smartarses for smartarses to read. I'm just enough of a smartarse to enjoy this, but it's touch and go. Anyway, no spoilers but the moon explodes, the world ends, everyone dies. Except for a few thousand smartarses...
July 21, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Back to Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, a smartarse writing smartarse books about smartarses for smartarses to read. I'm just enough of a smartarse to enjoy this, but it's touch and go. Anyway, no spoilers but the moon explodes, the world ends, everyone dies. Except for a few thousand smartarses...
Nearly finished Stone & Sky, latest in the wonderful Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch, concerning the still much disparaged but increasingly well-staffed Wizarding (or "Weird Bollocks") Branch of the Metropolitan Police, this time on "holiday" in Aberdeenshire, investigating... whit noo???
July 14, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Nearly finished Stone & Sky, latest in the wonderful Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch, concerning the still much disparaged but increasingly well-staffed Wizarding (or "Weird Bollocks") Branch of the Metropolitan Police, this time on "holiday" in Aberdeenshire, investigating... whit noo???
Just to cheer myself up, I'm reading Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, which turns out to be about The End Of The World As We Know It, courtesy of something rather odd and ultimately catastrophic happening to the moon. Happy days.
July 7, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Just to cheer myself up, I'm reading Seveneves by Neal Stephenson, which turns out to be about The End Of The World As We Know It, courtesy of something rather odd and ultimately catastrophic happening to the moon. Happy days.
Reading Cold Water by @hutchinsondave.bsky.social, a sort of spy thriller set in a near-future Europe no longer a Union after a pandemic. An erstwhile player is called back for One Last Mission investigating the reported death of a former colleague and lover. She seems to have a clue. I don't (yet).
June 23, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Reading Cold Water by @hutchinsondave.bsky.social, a sort of spy thriller set in a near-future Europe no longer a Union after a pandemic. An erstwhile player is called back for One Last Mission investigating the reported death of a former colleague and lover. She seems to have a clue. I don't (yet).