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Came across this odd looking sheep today. Its eyes are to the side of the dark patches that look like eye sockets. Is this a breed thing?

Three normal looking sheep in grassy field with countryside fields in background.

Close-up of one of the sheep shows brown faces sheep with dark eye sockets in front of face but actual eyes further back.

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We’ve had to hoik Erica over loads of high stiles on this walk. She now runs up to them, half clambers up and waits for us to lift her over.

Five-step wooden stile over drystone wall with dog at top being held by woman in orange jacket wearing a rucksack. Dog is wearing orange rucksack.

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Found more of those Roman pointers today. At the bridge abutment opposite Chesters fort.

Phallus cut into old stone with mud and grass to one side.

Wide shot of Phallus cut into old stone, showing large blocks and muddy ground.

Phallus cut into old stone showing large blocks and muddy ground.

Man in black jacket wearing black rucksack and grey cap leaning down to take smartphone photo of phallus cut into old stone showing large blocks and muddy ground. Smartphone screens shows image of phallus.

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 01/09/2026

After yesterday’s epic 21-mile hike we’re doing just seven miles today, savouring the fine Roman antiquities along the way including the fine bath house at Chesters.

Golden Retriever and woman in orange jacket entering old doorway.

Pastoral scene. River in background. Extensive ruins above ground. People looking at them. Plus Golden Retriever and woman in orange jacket.

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Eventually did 21 very hard miles, often in pouring rain but Erica had a whale of a time, especially as she’s been getting bits of my full English sausages and bacon.

Smiling Golden Retriever with red rucksack walking next to Roman wall with crags behind.

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 01/09/2026

Just past Steel Rigg, with Crag Lough in the distance. Erica has walked 15 tough miles.

Ruined milecastle attached to Hadrian’s Wall. Moody grey sky. Lots of green. Woman in orange jacket in distance with dog in front of her. Dog wearing red rucksack. Lake off in far distance with wall snaking over hills.

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Although Erica thinks it’s best to walk/run west to east.

Golden Retriever wearing red rucksack running towards camera, seemingly smiling. Running next to ancient wall with woman behind out of focus next to grasses on a bank.

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And, further along, another one of those helpful pointers.

Blocks of cut stone in ancient wall with phallus symbol in one of the blocks.

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Pointer on Hadrian’s Wall saying it’s best to walk east to west.

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And Erica’s first turret (Banks). Taking it all in her stride.

High Roman walls from turret with Golden retriever wearing red rucksack exiting with woman in orange jacket and black rucksack. Moody cloudy sky. Green fields and hills behind.

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 30/08/2026

Walking Hadrian’s Wall? You’ve got to stay with Charlotte at Lanercost Priory farm B&B. She’s a brilliant (former press) photographer. Erica wasn’t so fond of one of her dogs.

Golden Retriever in red vest walking in front of old stone building and a ruined priory.

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Erica’s longest ever walk today. 16 miles, and with a backpack full of her food and toys.

Golden Retriever with red rucksack on road looking at camera with foliage to one side of her.

Golden Retriever with red rucksack on bridge with woman ahead and pink flower in foreground.

Golden Retriever with red rucksack running and smiling.

Rear view of Golden Retriever with red rucksack and woman in leggings and orange rain jacket with hood up on train and with black rucksack on back.

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 27/08/2026

Henry Scampi has two entries in the index for “31 Inventions that Built our World,” the new and fun book from @jonnelledge.bsky.social Henry Scampi is Jon’s dog.

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 26/08/2026

Cycle headbadge experts — any idea which this brand may be? Late 1920s, early 1930s. Southern England.

Headtube of old bicycle. Letters/ IGHT? Crown above two wings on an upright.

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 26/08/2026

Back again. NUFC v WBA. Rotated squad. Will be another interesting match.

Green pitch in large football stadium. Evening sky with lots of high clouds in blue sky. Teams warming up.

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 24/08/2026

Moses quite liked (recreational) bike paths. Here’s one of his proposals from 1938.

1938 map of proposed bike paths in New York.

Program of Proposed Facilities for Bicycling — dept of Parks city of New York.

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 23/08/2026

Perhaps amazingly, Newcastle was by far the better team. Augurs well for the season. Some great young new talent on show today. Keegan would have loved that match.

Fans holding black and white signs at football match. “Howay the lads” on new stadium screen.

Side on shot of most of fans holding signs making black and white stripes.

Fans in foreground holding large black signs. Behind stadium roof and fans making stripes with cards.

Huge banner of “King Kev” under Newcastle United stadium title.

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 23/08/2026

It’s the result that Keegan would have wanted but, still, we woz robbed.

One man’s face below black signs held up in football ground with red signs above and ribbed roof.

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 22/08/2026

Pavement/sidewalk parking has a long history. Here’s an example from Automobile Magazine (USA) in 1902.

Black and white photo of old style open roofed car mostly parked on an American sidewalk. Horse and rider to one side; pedestrian leaning against a wall to the other.

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 22/08/2026

Interesting that the 1993 Sesame Road album has the VW Beetle parked correctly.

Sesame Street characters walking across zebra crossing in pastiche of Beatles 1969 album cover.

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 19/08/2026

Doing some deep research into T. E. Lawrence — Lawrence of Arabia — and found this glorious anecdote about him during his short 1920s Fellowship at Oxford Uni:

Professor Edgeworth, of All Souls, avoided conversational English, confidentiy using words and phrases that one only expects to meet in books. One day Lawrence returned from a visit to London, and Edgeworth met him at the gate. "Was it very caliginous in the Metropolis?' 'Somewhat caliginous, but not altogether inspissated,' Lawrence replied gravely.

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 17/08/2026

Pot calling the kettle black.

Email from The Telegraph.

The far-Right conspiracy infiltrating Britain

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 16/08/2026

Two words: “free healthcare”

Daily Telegraph
EDITOR
Good morning.
A new slur, "Europoor", has proliferated on social media and been championed by the American Right. It is used to taunt Europeans for their comparative impoverishment and entrench the narrative that life is inferior on their side of the pond.
Are our transatlantic neighbours right?

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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 14/08/2026

Insightful, macro view by @iandunt.bsky.social of why Farage is fucked. In short, we're Brits, we don't, as a mass, fall for fascists. iandunt.substack.com/p/clacton-by...

I don’t think this is Farage’s fault. He is really very effective as a political communicator. I think the reason he struggles is because Brits are not Americans. We are basically incapable of sincerity. We are averse to idealism, positive or negative. We do not do religion, and therefore lack a pattern of behaviour in which we relinquish our minds to a spiritual leader. The whole muscle-memory of evangelism, from pulpit bashers to TV preachers, means nothing to us. We do not have a pattern of historic racial politics which slots political debates into a pre-existing us-vs-them narrative.

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And here’s John Mayall’s account of the first cycle ride in England, with a map of 1870s London where it can be roughly guessed where Mayall went. maps.nls.uk/view/103312994

almost to myself. About one o'clock it was agreed to put the machine on a cab and go to Regent's Park and try it. Amidst the plaudits of some hundred or so of the workmen of Mr. Spencer's and the adjoining factory, who were then leaving their work, the machine was hoisted on to a cab. In due course we reached the end of Portland Place, and the machine was put on the pavement. There was rather a high and gusty wind, and the streets were muddy with recent rains-a thoroughly raw day. I handed my overcoat to Mr.
Spencer, and after a moment's preparation sprang on to the Velocipedo.
But it slipped on the wet pavement and I went down. In a moment, I straddled across the saddle and Mr. Spencer gave me a start. I bowled gently along the pavement, round the corner on to the curve of Park Crescent, and cautiously guiding between the iron posts at the gateway-down, off the pavement into the roadway of the Marylebone Road-across the road and with a rush bumped at the opposite pavement, and the machine went over sideways. Up again, and with a more deliberate vault I succeeded in maintaining my balance and rode along the pavement across the road and on to the footway in the Park. I went along the smooth path, and guided very fairly into the broad-walk, through the wicket gates, across the road, through the Lodge-gates, and right up to the drinking-fountain near the Zoological Gardens. I tried to turn round the drinking-fountain, but I was rather too much winded by the efforts I had made, and so

1870s 25-inch OS map of London, mainly showing Regent’s Park.

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This account of the first track stand in the UK was by John Mayall, who, the next year, joined Spencer and a mate to ride their velocipedes to Brighton, the first long distance cycle ride in England. The account was in first cycle mag, Ixion, of 1875.

Yellow magazine cover of "Ixion" of January 1875, "A Journal of Velocipedes, Athletics and Aerostatics." Man on high wheel bicycle has outrun an exhausted hare and leads a man on a horse. Inset images of a hot air balloon and gymnast on parallel bars.

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In January, 1869, in his gym on Old Street in London, wealthy gym equipment supplier Charles Spencer showed off the first pedal velocipede seen in the UK. He had imported it from Paris. After riding it around the room he did what became known as a "track stand," amazing the six of so onlookers.

This two-wheeled machine was taken out of the packing-case. The Gymnasium was cleared. Mr. Turner took off his coat, grasped the handles of the machine, and, with a short run, to my intense surprise, vaulted on to it, and putting his feet on the treadles made the circuit of the room. We were some half-dozen spectators, and I shall never forget our astonishment at the sight of Mr. Turner whirling himself round the room, sitting on a bar above a pair of wheels in a line that ought, as we innocently supposed, to fall down immediately he jumped off the ground. Judge then of our greater surprise when, instead of stopping by tilting over sideways on to one foot, he slowly halted and turning the front wheel diagonally remained quite still balancing on the wheels! I turned to Mr. Spencer and exclaimed "by Jove, Charley, there's a balance!"
But when Mr. Turner started off
again, whirled round the room and halted again as before, we spectators

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