iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

@weirdguita.rs @vintagesilvertones.bsky.social @steveroonie.bsky.social Any ideas what brand of guitar the singer of Macclesfield band Snowdrop is playing here? I’m thinking maybe Epiphone or Maton but can’t spot the model. (Pics are stills from a Youtube video on their website snowdropband.com)

B&W pic from a YouTube video of the indie band Snowdrop from Macclesfield, U.K. ‘One of the UK’s most exciting new indie bands,’ says the quote from Get Noticed Magazine. The band are playing in an empty outdoor park bandstand. The singer is playing a guitar and wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and a woolly beanie-hat (looks like they’re out in cool weather ). The drummer has a smallish drum-kit by some standards (well, they’ve had to cart all their gear out to the bandstand, after all!), and the bass-player is also partly in view along with the headstock of a second guitarist’s guitar.

See the alt text accompanying the other pic.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Aww, shucks - and there was me thinking it was this one….! (It‘s the same age as me, near enough; one of the pics in the listing shows the date in pencil on the end of the fretboard.)

Photo of a Fender Esquire guitar - rare and eyewateringly expensive - on ‘a popular online auction site’. At first sight an old, butterscotch Telecaster, but this is a single pick-up, earlier model.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Is he on the same stuff as RFK Jr? It sure looks like it:

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Looking OK on here vis-à-vis rain down your way at time of writing 12.20pm, but it‘s clouding up our way now in solidarity with your clouds. Hope you’re doing OK with everything.🤝

Weather map of U.K. from 12.19 pm Mon 21 Sept; shows U.K. generally dry (but probably cloudy), some scattered rain in NW Scotland; not a windy day, so generally a benign general situation.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

He’d fit in well in this compilation:

An amusing compilation of 9 characters from history who have portraits associated with The Rijksmuseum, each with - to modern eyes - distinctly dodgy-looking hairdos. Not really enough room here to describe each hairdressers’ nightmare in great detail (maybe get someone to look at them with you and do the honours verbally) but suffice it to say that if this was your crowning-glory after a visit to your high-street hairdresser/barber of choice you’d want your flipping money back pronto.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

See these screenshots for helpful info and views on the topic of the AGM and who to vote for. Or who not to vote for.

Screenshot of a post informing of the upcoming National Trust AGM vote, where - once again - the opaquely-funded, astroturf group Restore Trust is seeking to get a foothold in our beloved national treasure.

To avoid a vote for candidates who are in the Restore Trust camp, the names to avoid are: Bonigala, Cristea, Goldman, Mealing and Omrani. Whether you use a paper, postal-voting form or the online form, choosing the ‘quick vote’ option will sort this out for you by selecting the NT’s own, preferred candidates.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

The National Trust mag just arrived. Talking of windows, time to slam the window shut on the Restore Trust crew once again in the upcoming AGM vote:

Photo of the latest National Trust magazine. Salient point, the mention of info for the upcoming AGM in the blue circle in the bottom right corner of the package. Time to see off the Restore Trust characters seeking to be elected. Again.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Yes, Saddlers are one of our bogey teams, for sure. I remember son and I went to first match of 2004-5 season, which was Walsall v Vale on Aug 7. Hot, sunny afternoon, in the days of Martin Foyle’s managership, Jonny Brain, Billie Paynter etc. 3-2 to Walsall; great day out, a shame that we lost!

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The little guy in 1/3 (which, btw is - like the others - a wonderful carving) reminds me of either Lee Pomeroy (Take That band, It Bites, etc) Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) or Bill Bailey (him off the telly). Or all three - can’t decide! (I know that the flute doesn’t really go with a gittern theme😂.)

Lee Pomeroy, highly-regarded bassist, shown onstage under red stage-lighting. A tallish, imposing figure, clearly enjoying playing his left-handed light-blue Fender Jazz Bass styled instrument.

Ian Anderson of the band Jethro Tull, shown in a black-and-white photo performing on stage in a characteristic one-legged stance. He’s dressed in 70’s hippy-style clothing of stripey trousers, medieval-looking long suede boots and a long-flowing frock coat with velvet (?) borders to the lapels and edges.

Popular comedian, musician and TV personality Bill Bailey, shown in an onstage colour photo, dressed in a black jacket, shirt and trousers, singing at a mic and playing a really nicecherry-red, sunburst shaded jumbo-style acoustic guitar. Part of the stage set is seen out-of-focus behind him.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I thought, “I hope that isn‘t Bert Weedon….”

Photo of a record cover featuring the famed British instrumental guitarist, the late Bert Weedon. A popular performer, recording artist and entertainment figure, Bert will be well known to whole generations of U.K. guitar-players who learnt their craft through his learn-the-guitar books “Play In A Day” (it was true, you could!) and “Play Every Day”. Here Bert looks characteristically cheery, with a moustache and coiffed 70’s hair, dressed in a suit, shirt and tie and posing with a really nice, red Guild slimline semi-acoustic guitar. The background coral-red colour is embellished with his signature where he has signed the vinyl album “Rockin’ At The Roundhouse” to ‘Pauline’. I’m sure that she enjoyed his fluid, tuneful playing.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Agreed. Also of concern is (a) the media response of labelling this action as a ‘protest‘ and (b) the apparent police response so far to what clearly looks like attempted intimidation and OBSTRUCTION. Even AI suggests that deliberate, wilful, premeditated obstruction is unlawful in the U.K. :-

Screenshot showing an AI response as to whether obstruction is a crime in the U.K.
AI overview: ‘Yes, causing an obstruction on a public highway, road, or pavement is a criminal offence under U.K. law.’

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Thanks, will have a look! I reminded myself of the illustrious history of HMS Revenge via Wikipedia : WW1, Bismarck and other action in WW2 as something of a relatively old lady of the seas and then after being based in Soton for training, scrapped! Bits of her used in construction of Jodrell Bank:-

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Jeez….£154,000? Nearly enough to buy an entire semi-detached house in Stoke-on-Trent…..! (Says AI, admittedly, but probably not far wrong.)

AI’s stab at average house-prices in Stoke-on-Trent (a city in the North Midlands of England, once famed for its pottery industry).

From flats and apartments at £88,000 to £92,000 on average up to £233,000 to £296,000 on average for a detached house.

Prices in the area have increased by roughly 2.9% to 3% over the last year.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

😲I‘ve no direct, personal experience or evidence, but this sounds a bit steep? If it’s useful, I just found this via the ONS for reference:

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I’m guessing that you‘re maybe based in Spain, but if you’re ever back over here I think we’d love to hear you at Biddulph or in Congleton!

Screenshot of the cover of the guide to Congleton Jazz and Blues 2026, a free community live music event that was on over this Bank Holiday weekend. The booklet is shown on an oak worktop. The image is a of a bear with a blue backpack and a blue jumbo guitar, sitting on a drystone wall by the trig point on the top of Bosley Cloud gazing into the sunset.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Definite 10, says the park keeper! And if the swing gets stuck, just give him a shout:

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Here’s another Boomer, the mascot of Port Vale Football Club in Staffordshire, England: (Your Boomer is the better-looking, imho 😂)

Boomer, the popular Port Vale FC matchday mascot. The performer wears an oversized-headed, furry suit in black-and-white, the club colours. The grinning figure is shown wearing a club jersey, doing an arms-raised, celebratory pose. In the background is part of the Vale Park stadium seating.

Port Vale Football Club matchday mascot, seen on the football-pitch touch-line in his black-and-white team jersey. On the back is his name ‘Boomer’ - with the (inevitable😂) squad-number ‘K9’. The performer is shown in his furry suit and oversized boots with one arm partly-raised, urging on the fans.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Btw, I love the way that ‘Fred Elliott’ seems to have got a walk-on cameo part in a famous Picasso painting:

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I also had to look it up (a new plant on me). Sold as a garden-plant but phacelia also has value as an agricultural crop as in the Shropshire sunrise photo above. Screenshot below of an (AI) overview of why farmers grow it as a crop:-

Screenshot of info about the Phacelia plant featured in the beautiful Shropshire sunrise photo in the post at the head of this thread. ‘Farmers grow phacelia primarily as a fast-growing, multi-benefit cover crop or green manure. It improves soil health, captures excess nutrients, and supports local wildlife during fallow periods between main crops.’

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Brilliant! There are some wonderfully acerbic comments (take a bow, Al Barz) below this fine piece, too:-

A pithy comment on the above article:
‘Contrary to what B De Thorpe Millard says in these comments, Donald J Trump has achieved nothing. Cheating at everything is not achieving. Stealing is not winning and everything he has gained has been stolen, mostly from Americans. He has made no peace between any nations. He is the sole reason for the failing economy of his country. He is directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths of many thousands of innocent people, for the demise of many of the most distinguished organisations that used to keep the United States high in the world’s esteem. Everything is poisoned by his touch and only those with a poor grip on reality can forgive his absence of a single redeeming feature. He deserves no eulogy, no gravestone, only a burial at sea, where he can propagate no further harm.’

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Calling UK gardeners: any ideas on cause of jet-black gunk on the growing-tips of our Escallonia ‘Gold Ellen’? It isn’t the usual escallonia blackspot (plant is prone to it but the hot, dry weather has seen it off this yr). Maybe sudden overwatering (it had badly wilted whilst we were away last wk)?

Alt text here applies to all 4 pics shown: 4 photos of mystery, jet-black ‘mould’/gunk on the very newest growing-tips of our Escallonia ‘Gold Ellen’ shrub (growing in a container on patio). The older leaves themselves are very pretty in a two-tone green/lime-yellow variegation. The plant is a bit prone to escallonia black spot but I’m familiar with this and careful garden hygiene plus the hot, dry June, July and August has successfully seen this fungal infection off for this season. Escallonia black spot is all the regular garden sites on here plus AI seem to suggest. Have any U.K. BlueSky gardeners have any other ideas? My best guess is that it’s some reaction to the plant suddenly having (probably too much) sudden water after it wilted badly in the drought whilst we were away for the week? All the current flower heads that it had (it was doing very well🙄) have dried out and gone kaput - so I’ve trimmed all those off, except for one gunky one as seen in one of these pics. Any ideas would be welcomed. Plant itself has survived and bounced back which is the main thing; we’d left home leaving it well-watered (as I thought…)!

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

My daughter has an Aria Nexter which she’s had from new 20+ (?) yrs ago and is very fond of. Very good value starter guitar! (This 👇isn’t hers, this is from an auction site advert - but hers looks similar, colour and fittings-wise, though hers has a bridge humbucker plus coil-tap switching, iirc.)

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Nice win for the Bears! (Couldn’t be there this aft, but here’s this from that other obscenely-rich fellow’s platform:)

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Giant UFO seen over N. Wales this evening! (Or it might be a lenticular cloud.) One identified flying object that did come over earlier on a relatively low flightpath was the BBMF Douglas C47 ‘Dakota’ aircraft on a flypast over the Conwy valley area.

Spoof ‘UFO’ picture - it’s an unusual-looking lenticular cloud (probably😂) that looks a bit like the classic flying saucer format of a dish-shaped craft with a dome on top. The cloud is over suburban houses with woodland in the background.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Yep - or in the words of these guys (nearly): “Rock it to Russia.”

Screenshot of the visually-striking cover of the Ramones vinyl album “Rocket To Russia.”
The band members, dressed in their trademark leather jackets, holed skinny jeans and battered sneakers, are shown standing in front of a worn brick frontage in a bleached-out, screenprinted-effect black-and-white image with the band name and album title at the top in bright pink block letters.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Not a great week for space research, really😢:

Photo of the tragic wildfire in Spain near Madrid which is seen here engulfing the Madrid Deep Space Communication Complex at Robledo de Chavela. A telescope dish is disappearing from view in the smoke from the fire that is raging on the ground beneath the structure itself. Tinder-dry grassland and bushes in the immediate foreground.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

National Police Air Service aircraft G-POLV currently active over SE Cheshire this afternoon, circling on a training exercise or something more significant? Has been airborne over here for an hour and still ongoing. Locally, there‘s poss a wildfire in Macc Forest but this isn’t the apparent focus.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

This one needs much more support. It’s staggering that this vitally-important petition still only has 21,156 signatories at the time that I’m writing here:

Screenshot of the info page for this petition (‘Ban Foreign Media Ownership, Enact A Social Media Levy & New Regulatory Reform’) showing that at the time of posting a total of 21,156 people have so far signed.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

was iirc more about getting the ‘traditional ‘crown’ symbol back, but the CE standard 1 pint measure is clearly shown - and I’m pretty sure that you could buy ‘crown’ pint-glasses all along in any case. Tousle-haired nonsense. (I actually prefer 500ml or 440ml as a capacity for a quaff anyway.)

Photo of a Hobgoblin Brewery promotional Hallowe’en 1 pint beer-glass from 2017, long before Boris Johnson was crowing some nonsense a couple of yrs ago about us getting pint-glasses back. The straight-style glass is screenprinted with a Hobgoblin image and the brewery name in a bold white design with bright orange lettering. The date 2017 is clearly to be seen, with the 1 pint standard measure (validated by the CE mark) also clearly in evidence. Iirc, Bozo’s fuss was all about the additional point that the traditional ‘crown’ mark was being reintroduced too - thanks to the marvel of Brexit. I, however, am pretty sure that you could buy pint glasses with the crown on all along in any case. The usual Johnson bollocks then, basically. The glass is shown on our bijou ‘Berlin’ model beechwood mini dining-table bought from local independent high-street furniture-shop/superlative cabinet-maker (they built our bookshelves, too). Also in the shot a black granite mat supporting the salt n pepper, etc and part of an etched-glass table-mat. Beer itself not pictured; no idea where that went😉

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

The magnitude of the war effort and its impact on both service personnel and civilians encapsulated in one image and one account. The photo documents so faithfully the technical skill and industrial labour of women, similarly recorded by war artists like Dorothy Coke (l) and Dame Laura Knight (r):

“WAAF Instrument Mechanics At Work” by Dorothy Coke (1941). The busy workshop is rendered in a geometric composition in industrial tones of indigo, slate-blue, browns, fawns, stone and earth - to my sensibility giving the work an ‘organic’ and human dimension that a straightforward b&w photo wouldn’t so effectively convey.

“Ruby Loftus ScrewingA Breech-Ring” by Dame Laura Knight. The horizontal and vertical planes of the workshop background are pushed aside by the dramatic diagonals of the figure intently at work on the lathe. Strong contrasts of light and shade are utilised to give dynamism to the composition, with the ‘human’ colours of skin-tones, blue overalls and reds/greens of other clothing and the headscarf contrasting with the metallic surfaces of the lathe and bench. A powerful interpretation of what the ‘war effort’ was all about for a generation of the skilled women who undertook this vital work in addition to running their households and caring for their children, looking out for the needs of other relatives and of their neighbours.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Indeed; here’s a book that my wife bought me from a charity-shop as part of a family in-joke about how I ‘like to know stuff’. In the days when this was published (2003) it was still the stuffy old Torygraph, but at least it was authoritative and reasonably objective (instead of shite as it is now).

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

I wish I’d seen that one at the time! Pricey to obtain to look at just out of interest, but it might turn up cheaper in an indy s/h bookshop or a charity-shop… Thanks for the heads-up! My old “Our World In Space And Time” (well-thumbed😂) went astray in one of life’s house-moves at some stage.☹️

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

As a 50’s kid, I owned this book (published 1959). It didn’t mention ‘greenhouse gases’ or ‘global warming’ in those modern terms, but the concept was clear amongst its richly-illustrated pages over SIXTY years ago. We got married in the drought of 1976; clear enough then, too. Not enough was done.

Screenshot of a classic children’s book “Our World In Space And Time”, published in 1959. Wonderfully informative and richly illustrated with hand-drawn/painted illustrations (not photos), it was a great non-fiction book. In its pages - amongst all the other science, history, dinosaurs, Egyptians, outer space and everything else a bright kid would want to know about - our current global warming dilemma was predicted clearly enough - OVER SIXTY YEARS AGO. We had over 60 years to to mitigate our present burgeoning crisis but we’ve done bugger all.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Very good point - for ppl’s quick reference, screenshot below:

Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology commented that:
‘Sexually manipulating images of women and children is espicable and abhorrent….I, and more importantly the public, would expect to see Ofcom update on next steps in days not weeks.’

She also noted that the Online Safety Act:
‘…includes the power to block services from being accessed in the U.K., if they refuse to comply with U.K. law’ and that ‘if Ofcom decide to use those powers they will have our full support.’

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

I was on about those Audition guitars sold by Woolworths in a reply to the previous Silvertone guitar posted. Teisco did make some of the Audition models apparently 👇 and I’m pretty sure that the semi-acoustic one you describe (I remember them being in our Woolies at the time) would have been one.

Screenshot of info about the Audition range of guitars sold by FW Woolworth in the U.K. in the 60’s/70’s. This one is a solid-bodied electric, in a warm sunburst finish. They were popular as budget, beginners’ guitars and were decent value for money.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Puts me in mind of the ‘Audition‘ range of budget guitars sold Woolworths stores in the UK in the 60’s and 70’s - though they were more likely made by Teisco.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

We love Deganwy! We were there the other week; sea buckthorn was coming on well. I’m also sure that I saw a great grey shrike on the shrubs along by the level-crossing. Makes no sense in terms of migration-patterns but I don‘t know of another bird that it could have been. (A cheerful Deganwy house👇)

A slightly-cross-eyed Welsh seaside gable looks pleasantly surprised to find that it isn’t raining today on the shores of the Conwy estuary.
(The way that the curtains are arranged on the two upstairs windows give an appearance of two - cross-eyed - eyes, with a downstairs window giving the effect of a pleasantly-surprised mouth. If you are as ancient as me the facial effect is similar to the faces on the Sunday morning children’s TV animation “Shoe People” which I used to watch with our children back in the 1990’s (?).

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

I was born a few yrs after WW2; I never thought that in my lifetime I would see such fascistic thuggery in a city that played such a pivotal role in the nation’s defence 1939-1945. The irony too of this happening just down the road from where wartime aircraft-designer Reginald Mitchell once lived.

Google Maps view of Portswood, Southampton where the recent ‘protest’ disorder occurred. The police station that was the focus of the clash is located in the centre of the screenshot. Nearby consequential (?) road-closure is also prominent - shown by a no-entry symbol and red & white highlights.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

If the lead-role notionally has to be Belgian, there was another Walter Presents Belgian series a few yrs back called “Code 37: Sex Crimes”. Marc Lauwrys as ‘Charles Ruiters’ was a wonderful characterisation; he’d scrub up well I’d say? Michael Pas as ‘Bob de Groof’ was also a great character actor.

Screenshot of some of the main cast of the Belgian crime-thriller series “Code 37: Sex Crimes” from a few years ago (aired in Belgium 2009-2013??) in the context of who would make a good Belgian-national role as BBC TV’s ‘Hercule Poirot’ adaptation. Marc Lauwrys as ‘Charles Ruiters’ (2nd down on left-hand column) was a great characterisation; here as a rotund, scruffy, down-at-heel but thoroughly-decent detective, but could no doubt play an excellent Poirot. Ditto Michael Pas (top of second column); his character ‘Bob de Groof’ was a slim, suave, rather sexist ladies-man, but could carry off Poirot’s debonair panache (with some judicious midriff-area padding). Ben Segers as ‘Mark Vermaelen’ (4th down in l/h column) could also carry off the Poirot role, imho. A notional discussion in any case because I’ve no idea whether the BBC actually wants a Belgian to play the role in the first place😂; this is just one of those agreeable exchanges that you get on BlueSky on cultural topics. The obvious choice would be David Suchet from ITV’s original adaptation but with in advancing years he might not want it.
Will it work? Well, the recent remakes of both “Bergerac” and “Van der Valk” were both credible and to my mind successful reinterpretations…!

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Not related to this one, though?👀

Group photo of the characters from the TV sitcom “The Royle Family”, posing on and around the saggy old-gold/mustard (?) sofa in the set of the family living-room. A profusion of items - a cup, baby-bottle, various snacks and an overflowing ash-tray are on the coffee-table in front of them.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Current star of the garden - a Lewisia plant that we originally got as a (much smaller) special-offer freebie via a mail-shot voucher from our local Klondyke & Strike garden-centre a couple of wks ago. Their plants always do well, tbf, and - from our experience - they can be highly recommended.

A flourishing Lewisia rockery-plant in a round shallow pot on an Indian-sandstone courtyard. The plant has the typical rosette of leaves with an array - of in this case - pretty, coral-pink flowers in full bloom. The plant is in a gritty compost, set slightly above the soil-level and surrounded by a grit top-dressing and a decorative circle of pebbles. This will help to keep slugs away and to prevent the rosette from rotting in the colder, wetter weather. We’ve had this lovely plant for about 3 (?) weeks. It came as a (much smaller) special-offer freebie via a mail-shot voucher from our local garden-centre…!

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Further to my previous, here’s an equivalent composition by a traditional painter. (I don’t know who the artist/illustrator is - not credited.) The rendering of fine foreground detail v background atmosphere is superb, but it has an analogue ‘softness/warmth’ v the digital ‘sharpness’ of your AI.

Superb painting of a formation of Spitfires, showing five planes in a setting of bright sky against a backdrop of towering cumulus clouds. Below, the (English?) countryside is rendered in warm, golden shades of tan, green, and russet , whilst higher in the sky are shown the vapour-trails from earlier dogfight combat. The ‘lighting’ maybe suggests late afternoon, with the Spitfires returning to base after an op. The detail on the planes, especially nearest plane (squadron code K-FY), is finely-handled by the artist, with a great sense of form and surface. Sadly, the painter isn’t acknowledged in the book’s credits.

The painting features as the book-jacket illustration on “Fighter Command 1939-45: From The Battle Of Britain To The Fall Of Berlin” by David Oliver. Book here shown on an oak worktop.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Conwy Castle in the evening sunlight, seen from the Deganwy side of the estuary:

View of Conwy Castle in Wales seen in the evening sunlight.The castle battlements and stonework glows golden in the light, as does the road-bridge over the Conwy estuary to the left of the castle. A sandbank in the near distance and a wall below woodland (Bodllondeb Woods) on the other shore glow with the same warm tones, contrasting with the soft grey-blue of the water and the dark bronze-green of the trees across the water and on the near bank. Moored yachts add pinpoints of white to the composition. Above, the sky is a clear duck-egg blue contrasting with slate-coloured and cream clouds.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Cross-eyed gable-end of a house in N.Wales looks astonished that it‘s turned out to be a sunny day once again:

Gable-end of a house where the positions of the curtains in the pair of upstairs windows give the effect of two slightly-crossed eyes. An offset, bigger window below gives the effect of a rectangular open mouth well to one side of the face, giving the effect of an askance expression of surprise, looking expression-wise a bit like one of the shoe characters from the vintage kids TV Sunday-morning cartoon series “Shoe People”.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Also - Reform have possibly broken electoral regulations; complaints can be made:-

Screenshot of a post, the gist of which is that The Electoral Commission can be contacted about the Reform U.K. party’s protection-racket-style proposal to site detention centres in areas that didn’t vote for them in the May local elections. The Electoral Commission website will give details.

Screenshot of a different post which also explains that The Electoral Commission may be contacted by people who have concerns about the legality/legitimacy of the Reform U.K. party’s proposal for detention centres to be sited in areas that didn’t vote for the Party’s candidates in the May local elections. In this case, the complaint can be addressed to complaints@electoralcommission.org.uk on the grounds of ‘undue influence’.

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Found this (top row) - looks like the same image - but I’ve no idea whether the writer of the text accompanying the pic has the correct ID of the plane... (I’m told that Taylor Swift just tuts, rolls her eyes and says “Jeez - you boys and your goddam planes..!”🙄)

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Bob Griffiths @bobgriffiths20.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I love the lyrical, fluent qualities and the colour-range of this beautiful composition! It reminds me very much of the rich, decorative style of vintage Moorcroft pottery:

A group of vintage Moorcroft pottery (two vases, one bowl) on a bookshelf. The bowl has the harder-edged, linear, graphic quality of the more modern ranges and the design depicts lilies in warm coral colours against a background of cream and shades of cobalt blue. The vases are older (1930’s - 1950’s?) and although not from the same design-range they do complement each other in terms of their soft, rich range of reds, creams and greens on a deep green/blue background. I’m not entirely sure of the flowers depicted - on the larger one, the flowers may be hellebores or possibly anemones; on the smaller, the flowers are almost certainly irises.

A closer view of the same group of Moorcroft pottery in the distinctive, decorative floral designs characteristic of this British ceramics range.

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