Natalie Alana Ashton
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natalan.bsky.social
Natalie Alana Ashton
@natalan.bsky.social
7.3K followers 920 following 3.3K posts
🚊 connecting disabled communities in the North @transportforall.org.uk.
📚 publishing philosophy on knowledge and social change @ nataliealanaashton.notion.site.

don't blame my employer for my views, they begged me to stop skeeting. she/her.
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natalan.bsky.social
saturday night potato party let's gooo
a buffet of jacket potatoes, chilli, beans, garlic butter, coleslaw, and various condiments and cheeses.
November 15, 2025 at 7:29 PM
natalan.bsky.social
i love living in sheffield.
a white house viewed from above, on a steep hill. there's a low, stone wall in front of it, and a view of yellow and green hills behind it. the trees are orange and yellow. the sky is blue and the clouds are dramatic.
November 8, 2025 at 3:46 PM
natalan.bsky.social
some #inktober trick or treaters
a line drawing of children in costumes, crowded together and peering up through a doorway. one is wearing a witches hat, another is a ghost. the others are wearing a jumble of props and masks. there's a rough street sketched out through the gate in the background.
October 31, 2025 at 9:22 PM
natalan.bsky.social
this is the week that we must shift our mindsets from shirley hughes autumn to shirley jackson autumn
wholesome, illustrated, autumnal scene of children, dogs and adults enjoying a park. it's filled with red leaves and bathed in golden light. shirley hughes was a beloved British children's book author and illustrator. the cover of Shirley Jackson's book "The Lottery and Other Stories". It depicts a woman in a 1940s skirt, seated and holding her handbag on her lap. at first glance it's a fairly ordinary scene, but the way it's harshly lit with the woman casting a dark shadow, and the way she's gripping her bag anxiously suggest a level of anxiety.
October 27, 2025 at 8:05 AM
natalan.bsky.social
spooky AI pinterest halloween slop decorations
a front garden filled with fake tombstones. presumably AI generated, because the text on them is bizarre. i don't know how the following list of nonsense words will translate to screen readers, apologies: "Shew is Fourlets", "Love of Douk a Clatsween", "Tome you wars is Lovestone", "Herles our Trolaties FiVE", "Cut yomery fonds", "Lelives Crrlites", and my favourite "Halines to yuks for CLAMPEN".
October 25, 2025 at 9:04 AM
natalan.bsky.social
and i want to see more post-apocalypse style in the 28 Years Later world. in the first film they're relying on clothes found on the island or along the coast of Northumberland, so it's a mix of 2000s school camping trip and rural grandma's wardrobe. but i think other films will explore other places.
people wearing drab, practical but 'everyday' clothes. utility jackets, jeans, dated jumpers. a group of children wearing a mixture of styles. trainers and boots. hoodies and jumpers. everything is a little ill-filtting and everyone is layered up. indoor classroom scene. looks a bit more 'trad'. women have long hair and tend to be wearing floral dresses (thought with shirts layered underneath), and a lot of girls have their hair tied back with scarves/bananas.
October 17, 2025 at 4:53 PM
natalan.bsky.social
i really like the gyptians in the bbc adaptation of His Dark Materials. really hard to find pics but they're nomadic boat guys so they wear very practical materials, but everything's warm and colourful and mismatching like it's been found or handed down
John Faa in a big, water-repellent jacket with buttons and lapels. it's natural material and maybe looks like a hunting jacket or something. he's got a tweedy waistcoat underneath and a checked shirt. and a hat with a broad brim, and big rings. he looks like he's weathered storms, and caused a few, but for good reasons. Ma Costa wearing some kind of khaki utility trousers and a black and red checked shirt. she's sitting on the roof of her boat, maybe peeling vegetables? she's bathed in sunlight and looks like she's had a hard life but would mother anyone in her vicinity. Ma Costa again, this time wearing dungarees over a sleeveless patterned knitted vest.
October 17, 2025 at 4:53 PM
natalan.bsky.social
my (neurodivergent, lol) friend group went through a big paddy fascination a few years ago and i was really rooting for christine. still check her ig regularly to see if she's thriving
screenshot of an old tweet, by me. it says: "i'm not saying i believe manifesting is real, but i have told the universe that christine mcguinness deserves good things every day for the past month and this week she announced she's leaving paddy.".
October 15, 2025 at 9:20 PM
natalan.bsky.social
another #inktober. really enjoying drawing people
a sketchbook with a line drawing of two women in warm coats huddled together. they're looking a small travel guide that the one on the left is holding.
October 15, 2025 at 7:53 PM
natalan.bsky.social
i was sick for a few days and im not even going to try and catch up. but here's an #inktober sketch
a line drawing of a man and a young child sitting on a low windowsill. the man has his hands clasped in front of him. the child is resting his chin in his hand, his elbow propped up on the man's knee. they both look bored of waiting. i haven't completely messed up the facial expressions.
October 13, 2025 at 6:39 PM
natalan.bsky.social
good for him
Headline which reads "Nobel prizes: Nobel committee unable to reach prize winner who is 'living his best life' hiking off grid".
October 8, 2025 at 10:00 AM
natalan.bsky.social
i missed yesterday, so here's two #inktober drawings today
photo of a sketch pad on my lap, with a line drawing of a person sitting on a wall. the proportions are a bit off but i think you get the feeling that they're hunched over in focus. close-up of another line drawing. a person in a skirt with a large shoulder bag, standing with her arms folded. again i like the expressiveness of the pose. she looks impatient. but i panicked when trying to detail the face so that's a bit odd. and let's not talk about her knees.
October 7, 2025 at 8:45 PM
natalan.bsky.social
day five of #inktober before bed
a line drawing of a cast iron cooking pot on a high shelf. it's a bit wonky and wobbly and there are pencil guide lines visible underneath.
October 5, 2025 at 9:16 PM
natalan.bsky.social
decided last minute to do #inktober this year, because i haven't drawn regularly for a while... i'm not following the prompts. just doodling what i can when i get five minutes.
wonky little line drawing of my fleecy slippers. it's labelled "1.10.25". little scribble of morl at his computer. he's hard to draw because he moves constantly. "2.10.25". the gable end of a terrace, with a line of dormer windows, chimney pots, and TV arials. "3.10.25". egg, kimchi and avocado bagel. i coloured this one in, and for some reason made it mostly luminous orange. "4.10.25".
October 5, 2025 at 9:34 AM
natalan.bsky.social
horrendous weather, so im Getting Things Done indoors.

step one, secretly touching up our landlord's vile radiators:
a white radiator with significant paint peeling, and rust underneath. you can also see the bright orange wall tiles and blue floorboards. same radiator with the rust now covered up with white paint. did i do a great job? no. but it is significantly better than it was.
October 4, 2025 at 9:49 AM
natalan.bsky.social
another potato danish for @seanmorl.com and a date and walnut morning cake (inspired by ontbijtkoek?) for me. and more greek eggs because they're so simple and good
two plates as described in the skeet, on a landlord-grey carpet. we should really get a rug.
September 27, 2025 at 10:23 AM
natalan.bsky.social
basic white girls (me) next week when ms. swift drops a party album just as we hit peak autumn
a very autumnal-looking scarecrow wearing an orange plaid shirt, an orange hat, and a white t shirt with an illustration of 1989 taylor swift wearing sunglasses, over the line "In my Taylor era".
September 26, 2025 at 6:40 AM
natalan.bsky.social
update on the academia dot edu licensing situation: i couldn't delete my account without accepting the new terms, so i contacted them to do it for me. they've replied explaining that the terms 'caused confusion' and have been better updated to reflect their intentions...
Thanks for getting in touch and sharing your feedback about our new terms of use. We understand there was confusion, and we've modified the terms to reflect a more accurate understanding about what being on Academia means to you. We've removed reference to voice and likeness and refined that paragraph to the following: “By creating an Account with Academia.edu, you grant us a worldwide, revocable, non-exclusive transferable license to display your profile information (e.g., your name, city, institutional affiliations, and areas of interest) to other Academia.edu accountholders, including in connection with promoting Academia.edu’s services and features. It does not give Academia.edu any ownership rights in your profile information, which remains yours.”. We've clarified that this license applies only to displaying your profile information to other Academia.edu accountholders—for example, to help people discover relevant researchers and features on Academia.edu. Our intention has never been to sell or commercialize your likeness or voice. The purpose is simply to facilitate features like citation alerts and profile sharing. The terms now state explicitly that nothing in them gives Academia.edu ownership rights in your profile information or your papers.
September 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM
natalan.bsky.social
one of my friends has really enjoyed 'dopamine menus'. like a handful of things you can choose from (so you don't get overwhelmed with infinite options) but you're not obligated to follow a schedule or whatever
an example dopamine menu, with activities listed under different sections. STARTERS: QUICK ACTIVITIES THAT DON'T SUCK YOU IN - Walking for 5min - Doing the dishes - Making tea - Dance break - Journal - Drink a glass of water - Take a shower MAINS: ACTIVITIES THAT TAKE A BIT OF TIME - Spending quality time w someone - Playing w my dog - Working out - Making a nice meal - Reading a book - Taking a long walk - Listening to a podcast SIDES: ACTIVITIES TO ADD TO OTHERS FOR MORE ENGAGEMENT - Listening to music - Walking on my treadmill while working - Setting a timer to beat the clock - Snacking on something DESSERT: ACTIVITIES THAT ARE GREAT IN MODERATION - Scrolling on social media - Watching TV/ movie - Playing video games SPECIALS: ACTIVITIES THAT ARE BIG BUT INFREQUENT - Traveling - Concerts - Shopping spree
August 31, 2025 at 10:52 AM
natalan.bsky.social
i just looked up the wug test and why was my first thought:

there are two wuug
a crude (but very cute) outline drawing of a blobbish birdish creature. underneath text reads "THIS IS A WUG.". underneath this are two further wug drawings, and below them the text reads "NOW THERE IS ANOTHER ONE. THERE ARE TWO OF THEM. THERE ARE TWO [a blank line to fill in].".
August 30, 2025 at 11:03 AM
natalan.bsky.social
ok nevermind im in
wikipedia screenshot reads: "Plot. Kaito, a puzzle-loving high school freshman, is selected as a candidate for "Phi Brain". He and his friend Nonoha find an "unsolvable puzzle" near their school. The puzzle turns out to be a life-threatening "philosopher's puzzle" created by the mysterious group P.O.G. (Puzzle Of God). After successfully solving the puzzle, Kaito is designated as a Solver and is joined by other Solvers as they battle P.O.G. all over the world by solving the "philosopher's puzzles".".
August 30, 2025 at 9:52 AM
natalan.bsky.social
i was up and out before the bakery opened this morning so tried a different place. another almond croissant for me (for comparison purposes) and a potato, parmesan and garlic danish for @seanmorl.com. with a boring but technically well-executed omelette.
two plates of pastries and omelette. mine has an almond croissant. morl's has a frankly astonishing-looking oblong pastry filled with a creamy, yellow potato mixture, dusted with parmesan and browned to absolute perfection.
August 30, 2025 at 9:47 AM
natalan.bsky.social
my holidays are increasingly like my grandparents retirement: sensible shoes, doing a crossword with a cuppa, getting excited about new flavours of jam and old methods of transport.
me reading on the sofa in our little holiday cottage. im under a blanket, wearing big thick socks, and there's a yellow mug on the table next to me. the entrance to a bridge over a canal, shot from the canal side. it's made of yellow bricks that have greyed with age, and a metal girder that's pale blue and rusting. a plant with bright pink flowers is growing over it. a wooden fence in front of a green countryside scene. the fence has a couple dozen little neon cards pinned to it, advertising things like "bramble jelly", "herb bunches 50p", "baby tomatoes", and (my favourite) "nectarine and amaretto jam". me stood next to a canal. im wearing a white t shirt, brown trousers, brown walking shoes, and sunglasses. on the other side of the canal there's a bank sloping up sharply, covered in foliage in various shades of green and purple.
August 29, 2025 at 1:03 PM
natalan.bsky.social
fun update:
screenshot of the Wikipedia list of 'most liked Instagram posts' (the general one, not the one excluding footballers). Taylor's (and Travis's) Instagram handles are in 13th place.
August 28, 2025 at 5:27 PM
natalan.bsky.social
the second part of the kombucha girl meme where a white woman with blonde hair has stopped wincing and has raised her eyebrows in a "wait a minute, this could be good..." expression.
August 27, 2025 at 6:34 PM