Usman-Smith
@usmansmith.bsky.social
Now enjoying Malta sun & sea.
A life behind me of curious change and interesting people.
From Mancunia and yet travelling in both time & space here.
Join me for the craic & childlike adulting.
A life behind me of curious change and interesting people.
From Mancunia and yet travelling in both time & space here.
Join me for the craic & childlike adulting.
Reposted by Usman-Smith
Pet peeve: customers who take mobile calls on loudspeaker in the middle of the bookshop 🙄
November 15, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Pet peeve: customers who take mobile calls on loudspeaker in the middle of the bookshop 🙄
Rochdale.
A town I know well.
Birthplace of the Co-Op.
Gracie Fields
Lisa Stansfield.
Magnificent Town Hall even Hitler loved from afar.
A jewel set in the folds of the pennines & magnificent moors.
The rain is gone!
The urban street art festival made it a town even more worthy of a visit.
Stunning
A town I know well.
Birthplace of the Co-Op.
Gracie Fields
Lisa Stansfield.
Magnificent Town Hall even Hitler loved from afar.
A jewel set in the folds of the pennines & magnificent moors.
The rain is gone!
The urban street art festival made it a town even more worthy of a visit.
Stunning
November 15, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Rochdale.
A town I know well.
Birthplace of the Co-Op.
Gracie Fields
Lisa Stansfield.
Magnificent Town Hall even Hitler loved from afar.
A jewel set in the folds of the pennines & magnificent moors.
The rain is gone!
The urban street art festival made it a town even more worthy of a visit.
Stunning
A town I know well.
Birthplace of the Co-Op.
Gracie Fields
Lisa Stansfield.
Magnificent Town Hall even Hitler loved from afar.
A jewel set in the folds of the pennines & magnificent moors.
The rain is gone!
The urban street art festival made it a town even more worthy of a visit.
Stunning
Finally in the UK for a family visit.
Wet Wet Wet.
Windy.
Cold.
A strong reminder of why Gozo is my happy place.
Left this morning, baking sunshine over clear blue seas.
I have become a cold wet miserable sponge after five hours here.
A warm caring family masks the horror.
Move back here?
Hell no!
Wet Wet Wet.
Windy.
Cold.
A strong reminder of why Gozo is my happy place.
Left this morning, baking sunshine over clear blue seas.
I have become a cold wet miserable sponge after five hours here.
A warm caring family masks the horror.
Move back here?
Hell no!
November 14, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Finally in the UK for a family visit.
Wet Wet Wet.
Windy.
Cold.
A strong reminder of why Gozo is my happy place.
Left this morning, baking sunshine over clear blue seas.
I have become a cold wet miserable sponge after five hours here.
A warm caring family masks the horror.
Move back here?
Hell no!
Wet Wet Wet.
Windy.
Cold.
A strong reminder of why Gozo is my happy place.
Left this morning, baking sunshine over clear blue seas.
I have become a cold wet miserable sponge after five hours here.
A warm caring family masks the horror.
Move back here?
Hell no!
Flying to the UK tomorrow.
Thermals, jumpers & waterproofs packed.
Family wedding.
Two weeks of family fun.
I spent the day imitating a solar panel soaking up the sun here in Gozo.
I may come back remembering why I moved here.
But I am very excited.
How has the UK changed?
Or will it be the same
Thermals, jumpers & waterproofs packed.
Family wedding.
Two weeks of family fun.
I spent the day imitating a solar panel soaking up the sun here in Gozo.
I may come back remembering why I moved here.
But I am very excited.
How has the UK changed?
Or will it be the same
November 13, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Flying to the UK tomorrow.
Thermals, jumpers & waterproofs packed.
Family wedding.
Two weeks of family fun.
I spent the day imitating a solar panel soaking up the sun here in Gozo.
I may come back remembering why I moved here.
But I am very excited.
How has the UK changed?
Or will it be the same
Thermals, jumpers & waterproofs packed.
Family wedding.
Two weeks of family fun.
I spent the day imitating a solar panel soaking up the sun here in Gozo.
I may come back remembering why I moved here.
But I am very excited.
How has the UK changed?
Or will it be the same
Reposted by Usman-Smith
BREAKING: Rep. Adelita Grijalva signs the Epstein discharge petition, serving as the 218th vote to force the bill to the floor for a full vote of the House.
November 12, 2025 at 9:25 PM
BREAKING: Rep. Adelita Grijalva signs the Epstein discharge petition, serving as the 218th vote to force the bill to the floor for a full vote of the House.
Strayed onto Fox news today.
Surreal.
It's 'news' bears no relationship to the rest of the press.
I felt like I had passed through a wardrobe into Narnia.
Magic is clearly very real to its readers, unlike science or facts.
I managed to escape without the usual threats a trip to X once risked.
Safe
Surreal.
It's 'news' bears no relationship to the rest of the press.
I felt like I had passed through a wardrobe into Narnia.
Magic is clearly very real to its readers, unlike science or facts.
I managed to escape without the usual threats a trip to X once risked.
Safe
November 13, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Strayed onto Fox news today.
Surreal.
It's 'news' bears no relationship to the rest of the press.
I felt like I had passed through a wardrobe into Narnia.
Magic is clearly very real to its readers, unlike science or facts.
I managed to escape without the usual threats a trip to X once risked.
Safe
Surreal.
It's 'news' bears no relationship to the rest of the press.
I felt like I had passed through a wardrobe into Narnia.
Magic is clearly very real to its readers, unlike science or facts.
I managed to escape without the usual threats a trip to X once risked.
Safe
Reposted by Usman-Smith
Apparently my personal trainer was actually telling me to do 100 crunches a day and now I’m even further away from having abs.
November 12, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Apparently my personal trainer was actually telling me to do 100 crunches a day and now I’m even further away from having abs.
Reposted by Usman-Smith
This is America today. It doesn’t have to be this way.
November 13, 2025 at 3:04 PM
This is America today. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Reposted by Usman-Smith
Watching Alien Earth and got to admit I am struggling a bit with how much Timothy Oliphant looks and sounds like Billy Idol, I keep expecting hm to break into White Wedding.
November 13, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Watching Alien Earth and got to admit I am struggling a bit with how much Timothy Oliphant looks and sounds like Billy Idol, I keep expecting hm to break into White Wedding.
Reposted by Usman-Smith
There's a toy car company called Oxford and they do Commer vans.
November 13, 2025 at 2:40 PM
There's a toy car company called Oxford and they do Commer vans.
England my England
Tea & crumpets long gone
Still my birth land
But so much has gone wrong
Institutions & enquiries
Leaders chasing money that flees
Countryside drooping ragged flags
Hung not with pride but hate
Corruption with a small C
A nod
a wink
a special rate
Pretence we are free
Forever serfs
Tea & crumpets long gone
Still my birth land
But so much has gone wrong
Institutions & enquiries
Leaders chasing money that flees
Countryside drooping ragged flags
Hung not with pride but hate
Corruption with a small C
A nod
a wink
a special rate
Pretence we are free
Forever serfs
November 13, 2025 at 10:56 AM
England my England
Tea & crumpets long gone
Still my birth land
But so much has gone wrong
Institutions & enquiries
Leaders chasing money that flees
Countryside drooping ragged flags
Hung not with pride but hate
Corruption with a small C
A nod
a wink
a special rate
Pretence we are free
Forever serfs
Tea & crumpets long gone
Still my birth land
But so much has gone wrong
Institutions & enquiries
Leaders chasing money that flees
Countryside drooping ragged flags
Hung not with pride but hate
Corruption with a small C
A nod
a wink
a special rate
Pretence we are free
Forever serfs
The Mount.
My aunt lived there alone in the 1960's.
Rooms long abandoned, furniture draped in grey dust cloth, ghosts of past tragedies.
The kitchen.
Huge black range fire & oven, her evenings whispering to.
The grounds.
Giant rhododendron bushes I played under.
Cool shadowed dens.
Childhoods end
My aunt lived there alone in the 1960's.
Rooms long abandoned, furniture draped in grey dust cloth, ghosts of past tragedies.
The kitchen.
Huge black range fire & oven, her evenings whispering to.
The grounds.
Giant rhododendron bushes I played under.
Cool shadowed dens.
Childhoods end
November 12, 2025 at 10:21 PM
The Mount.
My aunt lived there alone in the 1960's.
Rooms long abandoned, furniture draped in grey dust cloth, ghosts of past tragedies.
The kitchen.
Huge black range fire & oven, her evenings whispering to.
The grounds.
Giant rhododendron bushes I played under.
Cool shadowed dens.
Childhoods end
My aunt lived there alone in the 1960's.
Rooms long abandoned, furniture draped in grey dust cloth, ghosts of past tragedies.
The kitchen.
Huge black range fire & oven, her evenings whispering to.
The grounds.
Giant rhododendron bushes I played under.
Cool shadowed dens.
Childhoods end
When a close friend & his wife are building an orphanage in Gambia & the locals drop by!
These two have done so much for charity the world over & in the UK despite age & health challenges.
I feel honoured to know them.
They are there for three weeks & inspire me.
These two have done so much for charity the world over & in the UK despite age & health challenges.
I feel honoured to know them.
They are there for three weeks & inspire me.
November 12, 2025 at 7:46 PM
When a close friend & his wife are building an orphanage in Gambia & the locals drop by!
These two have done so much for charity the world over & in the UK despite age & health challenges.
I feel honoured to know them.
They are there for three weeks & inspire me.
These two have done so much for charity the world over & in the UK despite age & health challenges.
I feel honoured to know them.
They are there for three weeks & inspire me.
AJ Aberford.
The Inspector George Zammit series.
Set on Malta & Gozo & an enjoyable exciting ride through Malta with unforgettable characters.
A book signing & Q&A at Gozo library today which was well attended.
Great friend of mine and if you have ever been to Malta read these.
Fascinating.
The Inspector George Zammit series.
Set on Malta & Gozo & an enjoyable exciting ride through Malta with unforgettable characters.
A book signing & Q&A at Gozo library today which was well attended.
Great friend of mine and if you have ever been to Malta read these.
Fascinating.
November 12, 2025 at 3:01 PM
AJ Aberford.
The Inspector George Zammit series.
Set on Malta & Gozo & an enjoyable exciting ride through Malta with unforgettable characters.
A book signing & Q&A at Gozo library today which was well attended.
Great friend of mine and if you have ever been to Malta read these.
Fascinating.
The Inspector George Zammit series.
Set on Malta & Gozo & an enjoyable exciting ride through Malta with unforgettable characters.
A book signing & Q&A at Gozo library today which was well attended.
Great friend of mine and if you have ever been to Malta read these.
Fascinating.
Reposted by Usman-Smith
Even Jesus came back.
a painting of a group of people standing in front of a rock
Alt: a painting of a group of people standing in front of a rock
A cave tomb, the rock rolling away, Jesus flying out
media.tenor.com
November 11, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Even Jesus came back.
Reposted by Usman-Smith
Reposted by Usman-Smith
Oh look. There really are "no go areas" in England.
And they're marked by St George's flags
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
And they're marked by St George's flags
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
NHS staff who visit patients at home say St George’s flags can mean ‘no-go zones’
Black and Asian staff left feeling ‘deliberately intimidated’, according to chief executive of one NHS trust
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Oh look. There really are "no go areas" in England.
And they're marked by St George's flags
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
And they're marked by St George's flags
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
ICE agents in the USA are now conducting 50 Shades of Grey operations.
Any shade not pale enough results in some very dangerous non consensual acts, with no safe word!
The aim seems to be a whitewash of America & its history.
Any shade not pale enough results in some very dangerous non consensual acts, with no safe word!
The aim seems to be a whitewash of America & its history.
November 11, 2025 at 7:21 AM
ICE agents in the USA are now conducting 50 Shades of Grey operations.
Any shade not pale enough results in some very dangerous non consensual acts, with no safe word!
The aim seems to be a whitewash of America & its history.
Any shade not pale enough results in some very dangerous non consensual acts, with no safe word!
The aim seems to be a whitewash of America & its history.
Reposted by Usman-Smith
While other organisations brush off minor mistakes, the BBC spends days self-flagellating like a mentally-disturbed medieval monk - but only if the criticisms have come from the right. They literally couldn't give a toss if they're being attacked from the centre or left.
November 10, 2025 at 1:14 PM
While other organisations brush off minor mistakes, the BBC spends days self-flagellating like a mentally-disturbed medieval monk - but only if the criticisms have come from the right. They literally couldn't give a toss if they're being attacked from the centre or left.
Reposted by Usman-Smith
Hello team. How's your SAD doing this year? Mine is making me feel like an inside out football sock forgotten in a half term sports bag.
November 10, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Hello team. How's your SAD doing this year? Mine is making me feel like an inside out football sock forgotten in a half term sports bag.
Reposted by Usman-Smith
Times remnants across nature's canvas.
Gone, yet clinging on.
Not forgotten & likely ready for resurrection as another holiday home.
The view.
The sea.
The sky.
The future is bright.
A mixture of centuries constantly stirred by adding people.
But what a feast for the eyes, the soul & heart lifted!
Gone, yet clinging on.
Not forgotten & likely ready for resurrection as another holiday home.
The view.
The sea.
The sky.
The future is bright.
A mixture of centuries constantly stirred by adding people.
But what a feast for the eyes, the soul & heart lifted!
November 10, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Times remnants across nature's canvas.
Gone, yet clinging on.
Not forgotten & likely ready for resurrection as another holiday home.
The view.
The sea.
The sky.
The future is bright.
A mixture of centuries constantly stirred by adding people.
But what a feast for the eyes, the soul & heart lifted!
Gone, yet clinging on.
Not forgotten & likely ready for resurrection as another holiday home.
The view.
The sea.
The sky.
The future is bright.
A mixture of centuries constantly stirred by adding people.
But what a feast for the eyes, the soul & heart lifted!
Calypso's cave.
I understand how Odysseus was here for seven years, captivated by beauty.
Hers & Ramla Beach.
Gozo.
Island of a thousand viewpoints.
The Knights submerged breakwater can be seen.
Slave ship stopper.
The square outlines at the rear of the beach on the right, a buried Roman villa.
I understand how Odysseus was here for seven years, captivated by beauty.
Hers & Ramla Beach.
Gozo.
Island of a thousand viewpoints.
The Knights submerged breakwater can be seen.
Slave ship stopper.
The square outlines at the rear of the beach on the right, a buried Roman villa.
November 9, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Calypso's cave.
I understand how Odysseus was here for seven years, captivated by beauty.
Hers & Ramla Beach.
Gozo.
Island of a thousand viewpoints.
The Knights submerged breakwater can be seen.
Slave ship stopper.
The square outlines at the rear of the beach on the right, a buried Roman villa.
I understand how Odysseus was here for seven years, captivated by beauty.
Hers & Ramla Beach.
Gozo.
Island of a thousand viewpoints.
The Knights submerged breakwater can be seen.
Slave ship stopper.
The square outlines at the rear of the beach on the right, a buried Roman villa.
Reposted by Usman-Smith
‘But now, for the first time, I see you are a man like me. I thought of your hand grenades, of your bayonets, of your rifle; now I see your wife, and your face and our fellowship. Forgive me, comrade.’
📚E.M.Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front
🎬 directed by L.Milestone, 1930
#BookWormSat #War
📚E.M.Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front
🎬 directed by L.Milestone, 1930
#BookWormSat #War
November 8, 2025 at 10:12 AM
‘But now, for the first time, I see you are a man like me. I thought of your hand grenades, of your bayonets, of your rifle; now I see your wife, and your face and our fellowship. Forgive me, comrade.’
📚E.M.Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front
🎬 directed by L.Milestone, 1930
#BookWormSat #War
📚E.M.Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front
🎬 directed by L.Milestone, 1930
#BookWormSat #War
I do enjoy a bar that wears it's sporting heart on its sleeve.
November 9, 2025 at 12:16 AM
I do enjoy a bar that wears it's sporting heart on its sleeve.