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Some of the other staff asked for autographs, and they were duly rewarded, each member of the group signing their name with '3°' underneath. Given that this was over 50 years ago, it feels way more recent. "Marti Caine was also lovely.

All three were absolutely delightful, friendly and chatty, seemingly pleased with the food I made them. We were somewhat used to entertainers calling in for refreshments - pop groups, and stand up comedians mainly, but very few* were as down-to-earth as the Three Degrees, and, to be fair, as famous.

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As a young bloke of 18 or 19, it was an extraordinary experience for me. We had a limited menu (standard 1970s motorway cafeteria fare), but the couple of minutes I spent helping them to choose their meals left a forever impression on me.

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It was quiet in the cafeteria and I wasn't doing much when I was suddenly aware of these three walking towards my position. They were in long evening dresses and little short fur jackets, high heels and big hair. Just them - no entourage or anything.

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I had the pleasure of serving the Three Degrees with meals, back in 1975 or 76, at Charnock Richard motorway services, in the early hours one morning.

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David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Got a few shots of this great egret today. There were a lot of tall grasses and whatnot between me and the egret, so very few completely clear shots, but I like some of them anyway. #birds #photography

A great egret (Ardea alba) hunts in a shallow pool. Our view is slightly obscured by out-of-focus foliage between our viewpoint and the egret.

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Pair of tufted ducks from this morning's walk. Female on left, male on right. #birds #photography

A pair of tufted duck (or tufted pochard) (Aythya fuligula). The male is on the left, with the typical black & white colouring, while the female to the left, has a similar pattern of plumage, but in shades of brown. Both have the bright yellow eye and thin tuft on the back of the head.

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David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BlueSkies: any bird against a blue sky. I think this is a lesser black-backed gull. #birds #photography

A lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus) in flight against a blue sky.

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David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay is #BestBeaks, which gives me an opportunity to share yet another shot of puffins from Lunga in May. #birds #photography

Two Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) that were knocking thier beaks together.

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David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Everyone in that side understood the assignment completely. They had a coherence at least equal to that of Bobby, Sadio & Mo in their pomp, but all through the side. Steve McMahon was sublime and John Barnes was completely unplayable at times.

David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

#BirdOfTheDay theme today is #BestOfTheMonth. Due to one thing and another, I've done very little photography this month, but just managed to sneak this one in on the 2nd - a long-tailed tit that I was really pleased to see. #birds #photography

A long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus) perched on a slim vertical branch.

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David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

#BirdOfTheDay theme is #EFG, birds beginning with any of those letters (1st name) and the Alt theme is #Paridae, any of the species. I am therefore claiming a twofer with this Great tit, a member of the Paridae. #birds #photography

A great tit (Parus major) feeding on birdseed atop a wooden fence.

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David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BokehBirds - any bird captured with a soft, muted or blurry background. I think this robin meets the brief. #birds #photography

A European robin (Erithacus rubecula) perched on a slim branch, preparing for takeoff.

The photo is SOOC - no editing at all, just resized for BS.

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David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Seabirds so here's a puffin from my trip to Lunga in May. #birds #photography

An Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) amid out-of-focus clifftop vegetation.

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David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

B. Hat-trick against the scum guarantees nothing less.

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David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Borbs, birds looking plump, and the Alt theme is #Brown, birds with brown in their plumage, so I reckon this robin constitutes a twofer. #birds #photography

A European robin (Erithacus rubecula) perched on a fence, looking a bit grumpy.

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David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I think it's rendering. That little 2/2 badge is mispositioned and covering part of the text.

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David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Was in Asda earlier, they had mince pies. With a 'best before' date of 6th Nov. Just right if your family eats mince pies on Bonfire Night.

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Reposted by David Preston

Humanists UK @humanists.uk · 23/09/2026

Of all the books we've been recommended for our #HumanistBookshelf, Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark has been recommended more than any other. It's easy to see why.

‘I have a foreboding of an America in my children’s or grandchildren’s time – when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues... when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what’s true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness.’ Carl Sagan. Cosmologist, author, humanist.

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David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Today’s #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Raptors and the Alt is #Corvids. Turns out I got shots of both during a session at Willow Tree Fen, Lincolnshire, back in July. The raptor is a marsh harrier and the corvid, a carrion crow (probably). #birds #photography

A western marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) flying low over grassy marshland.

A carrion crow (Corvus corone) in flight against a blue sky.

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David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Would be very generous if they award an assist on that one.

David Preston @dave1957.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #Redheads, any bird with a Red on its head/beak. This oystercatcher has a red beak and a red eye. #birds #photography

A Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) standing on a pebbled shoreline, a small wave breaking in the background.

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Travelling back from France in a mate's car some years ago, he apparently only had 'Diamond Life' by Sade. Great album but by the 4th or 5th time through it got a bit samey.

Gerry Gilet brilliant for the reds this afternoon. #LFC

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Hell yeh. He and Conor Bradley would make a big difference. Leoni's still a bit of an unknown quantity but we could do with another viable CH option.

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