Philippa
@philippa11.bsky.social
reader, knitter, traveller, flâneuse. Academic-adjacent.
Pinned
Philippa
@philippa11.bsky.social
· Jun 9
This is me for those who know me.
Oh this is so sad. Loved Rachel's writing and I'd really noticed her absence from the paper recently. Didn't know of her book about 1950s career women so it's gone straight on my list. RIP. 😢
So sorry to hear the sad news about Rachel, who was the most brilliantly versatile, warm, perceptive writer (& lovely colleague). And way too young for this. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
Remembering Rachel Cooke | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Oh this is so sad. Loved Rachel's writing and I'd really noticed her absence from the paper recently. Didn't know of her book about 1950s career women so it's gone straight on my list. RIP. 😢
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
November 14, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Evidence that studying too much literature warps your brain: my friend who teaches A level English gave the new Dan Brown 5 stars on Goodreads.
Possibly a glitch in the matrix?
Possibly a glitch in the matrix?
November 9, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Evidence that studying too much literature warps your brain: my friend who teaches A level English gave the new Dan Brown 5 stars on Goodreads.
Possibly a glitch in the matrix?
Possibly a glitch in the matrix?
Off to Australia for the first visit since my bro died and meeting my great-niece who is 2 already.
Cat sitters have arrived and are lovely, but it's safe to say my associate is Not Happy about all this.
Cat sitters have arrived and are lovely, but it's safe to say my associate is Not Happy about all this.
November 9, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Off to Australia for the first visit since my bro died and meeting my great-niece who is 2 already.
Cat sitters have arrived and are lovely, but it's safe to say my associate is Not Happy about all this.
Cat sitters have arrived and are lovely, but it's safe to say my associate is Not Happy about all this.
Reposted by Philippa
UK followers can use the code 'LIVES' to get 10% off Atwood's memoir, Book of Lives, @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social during November.
uk.bookshop.org/a/15... *
(*If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support indie bookshops.)
uk.bookshop.org/a/15... *
(*If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support indie bookshops.)
November 7, 2025 at 9:30 AM
UK followers can use the code 'LIVES' to get 10% off Atwood's memoir, Book of Lives, @bookshop-org-uk.bsky.social during November.
uk.bookshop.org/a/15... *
(*If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support indie bookshops.)
uk.bookshop.org/a/15... *
(*If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support indie bookshops.)
Reposted by Philippa
"You'll meet someone eventually" is well-meant but just not always true, it's down to luck. Some of us aren't going to meet the right person for us, we're destined to become a vaguely sinister slime that lurks in bogs to drag unsuspecting walkers to their doom in our gloopy depths and that's okay!
November 6, 2025 at 11:42 PM
"You'll meet someone eventually" is well-meant but just not always true, it's down to luck. Some of us aren't going to meet the right person for us, we're destined to become a vaguely sinister slime that lurks in bogs to drag unsuspecting walkers to their doom in our gloopy depths and that's okay!
Reposted by Philippa
The king to prince andrew
November 6, 2025 at 9:48 PM
The king to prince andrew
Reposted by Philippa
November 6, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Reposted by Philippa
I don't think I can ever believe anything David tells me about a house again.
November 6, 2025 at 10:23 PM
I don't think I can ever believe anything David tells me about a house again.
Reposted by Philippa
"Everything not a sheep is dangerous" works pretty well for Australia too, tbf
In Icelandic we have 'Ókind' for monster. But the translation is un-sheep. So everything not a sheep is dangerous.
November 6, 2025 at 1:55 PM
"Everything not a sheep is dangerous" works pretty well for Australia too, tbf
Reposted by Philippa
I’ve just seen a narrowboat that looks like it’s entirely crewed by cats, and it’s not even 10am
November 6, 2025 at 9:58 AM
I’ve just seen a narrowboat that looks like it’s entirely crewed by cats, and it’s not even 10am
Reposted by Philippa
Think Wild posted a juvenile Northern Saw-Whet Owl noting she was well-flighted and eating live prey. A week later she was self-feeding and hunting crickets, with mouse tests next. 🦗🍴 Want to donate to Think Wild Central Oregon? thinkwildco.org/donate/ Source: fb.com/125479683001... #owlsintowels 💛🦉
November 6, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Think Wild posted a juvenile Northern Saw-Whet Owl noting she was well-flighted and eating live prey. A week later she was self-feeding and hunting crickets, with mouse tests next. 🦗🍴 Want to donate to Think Wild Central Oregon? thinkwildco.org/donate/ Source: fb.com/125479683001... #owlsintowels 💛🦉
With thanks to @toft.bsky.social for alerting me - awful news that Nevvie, someone whose company I greatly enjoyed as a fellow LotR fan when we both lived in London, has died suddenly. She was a sweet and gentle person who I remember with great fondness. neverwhere.tumblr.com/post/7987771...
November 6, 2025 at 10:15 AM
With thanks to @toft.bsky.social for alerting me - awful news that Nevvie, someone whose company I greatly enjoyed as a fellow LotR fan when we both lived in London, has died suddenly. She was a sweet and gentle person who I remember with great fondness. neverwhere.tumblr.com/post/7987771...
Reposted by Philippa
A particularly important result: the Dems retained all three seats on the PA supreme court which means the GOP can't get a majority before 2028.
State supreme courts matter a lot in the fair running of Presidential elections and PA is one of the key swing states.
State supreme courts matter a lot in the fair running of Presidential elections and PA is one of the key swing states.
November 5, 2025 at 7:34 AM
A particularly important result: the Dems retained all three seats on the PA supreme court which means the GOP can't get a majority before 2028.
State supreme courts matter a lot in the fair running of Presidential elections and PA is one of the key swing states.
State supreme courts matter a lot in the fair running of Presidential elections and PA is one of the key swing states.
Agree with all of this. Although I'd add that I find Fielding's jeans a tad distressing.
That was a vintage Bake Off series, I think. Full of charming characters, delightful to watch, a lot of Good Vibes in the tent, Alison Hammond making me laugh out loud at least once every episode, several hundredweight of cake. That’s my review.
November 4, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Agree with all of this. Although I'd add that I find Fielding's jeans a tad distressing.
Reposted by Philippa
November 4, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Reposted by Philippa
They could bury him where they're building the White House ballroom. Demand to rent it out would explode.
November 4, 2025 at 1:39 PM
They could bury him where they're building the White House ballroom. Demand to rent it out would explode.
Thanks to @backlisted.bsky.social this is my current reading. It's thoroughly engrossing but I'm also reminded about the fantasy tropes that annoy me.
November 4, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Thanks to @backlisted.bsky.social this is my current reading. It's thoroughly engrossing but I'm also reminded about the fantasy tropes that annoy me.
Reposted by Philippa
I’m sure Matt Goodwin will be along shortly to tell us all whether LNER Customer Service Host Samir Zitouni counts as British or not. news.sky.com/story/train-...
Train company LNER 'extremely proud' of rail worker in critical condition after mass stabbing as family call him 'hero'
The "extraordinary bravery" of the LNER worker who intervened during the train mass stabbing attack on Saturday has been hailed by his company.
news.sky.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:59 AM
I’m sure Matt Goodwin will be along shortly to tell us all whether LNER Customer Service Host Samir Zitouni counts as British or not. news.sky.com/story/train-...
this greatly tickles my fancy
I drew this cover for WOMAN ALIVE from @manderleypress.bsky.social "A forgotten #sci-fi #dystopian classic, first published 90 years ago and now reissued with an introduction by Graham Norton". Preorder it now: www.manderleypress.com/shop/p/womanalive
November 3, 2025 at 2:28 PM
this greatly tickles my fancy
Reposted by Philippa
Given who the current rail minister is - a chap who has run more railways than nearly any other living British person - this seems a very odd example for Farage to pick on.
November 3, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Given who the current rail minister is - a chap who has run more railways than nearly any other living British person - this seems a very odd example for Farage to pick on.
This is a slightly weird thing to advertise on a milk bottle
November 3, 2025 at 9:13 AM
This is a slightly weird thing to advertise on a milk bottle
On her insta, Motsi has a timelapse of her getting her halloween make-up removed at top speed. I did wonder how they did it, all the judges looked so amazing in their costumes and it was such a transformation for the result show.
November 3, 2025 at 8:53 AM
On her insta, Motsi has a timelapse of her getting her halloween make-up removed at top speed. I did wonder how they did it, all the judges looked so amazing in their costumes and it was such a transformation for the result show.
This has given me a huge lightbulb moment re someone I had dealings with recently. I had a lucky escape.
A mate who’s a professor in this stuff blew my mind when she gave me the phrase “prosocial psychopath”. Not all psychos leave a trail of bodies. Lots of them do really well in our society. We value their drive and clarity. Because for them, other people aren’t real. Just NPCs. It’s… efficient.
November 3, 2025 at 8:12 AM
This has given me a huge lightbulb moment re someone I had dealings with recently. I had a lucky escape.