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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Also interesting that he takes a dim view of relaxing regulations for some powerful people that stand to get even richer at the expense of everyone else who might be in competition with them... 👀

...to exempt a particular set of dealers from some of the general laws which take place with regard to all their neighbours, merely because they might be capable of thriving, if they had such an exemption, would certainly not be reasonable.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

Back on Wealth of Nations (so close to finishing it!) and it's safe to say Adam Smith was not a fan of the East India Company...

No other sovereigns ever were, or, from the nature of things, ever could be, so perfectly indifferent about the happiness or misery of their subjects, the improvement or waste of their dominions, the glory or disgrace of their administration, as, from irresistible moral causes, the greater part of the proprietors of such a mercantile company are, and necessarily must be.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Finished reading this, and it's not often I agree with the journalistic praise on book covers, but "eerily prescient" about sums it up. 📚💙

Paperback copy of "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis. The cover is designed to look like a 1930s newspaper with the title as the main headline..

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Got given this by a friend and finished reading it last night. A short collection of writings, but still topical well over half a century later. 💙📚💡

"Committed Writings" by Albert Camus. The cover is plain white with a black and white photo of the author looking philosophical with his hands in his suit pockets.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

This was a sweet little read - Fairy Tales from the Isle of Man by Dora Broome. It was nice to read some folktales from a part of the British Isles I'm not so familiar with, and the heavy dose of dialect in the telling was a delightful touch. 💙📚

Fairy Tales from the Isle of Man by Dora Broome. The cover image depicts a merman lifting up a smiling young child mermaid holding some seaweed.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Suttons seed catalogue arrived today and something tells me I'm not their average demographic... #gardening

Another runner bean variety called "St George", which boasts bicoloured red and white flowers.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

After a bit of a break and pallet cleanse I'm back reading Wealth of Nations. It seems the idea that the colonisation of the Americas wasn't entirely noble and unproblematic isn't as new a phenomenon as some people like to suggest... 💙📚💡

An extract from Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations (published 1776), in which he lays into European colonists for their "folly and injustice" in "hunting after gold and silver mines, and the injustice of coveting the possession of a country whose harmless natives, far from having ever injured the people of Europe, had received the first adventurers with every mark of kindness and hospitality".

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Picked another tubfull of tomatoes this evening, and found this little oddity - conjoined tomatoes!

Two ripe cherry tomatoes sharing one stalk. They are both perfectly round but joined in the middle, a little like a Venn Diagram

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

This took me far longer than it should have done, because I decided to read a chapter per night and...it's 101 chapters long...but I've finally finished @fakehistoryhunter.net's book! 💙📚💡

Fake History: 101 things that never happened, by Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, The Fake History Hunter. A horned helment sits at a jaunty angle on the K

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Here's the finished result: about 1.2kg of elderberries! They're really good this year - very plump and juicy! Last year it took multiple trips in different directions to get enough, but we managed to get all these in under an hour!

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Took @mrsemilia.bsky.social out for a romantic walk with a bucket and some secateurs this evening, so now I have some elderberries to sort out! Definitely feel better than last year's, despite the horridly hot summer.

A black plastic bucket with lots of elderberries in it, still on their stalks.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Just finished reading I, Robot. I've seen a lot of people talking about it in the light of -gestures wildly- everything, so thought I'd best read it. I'm glad I did! 💙📚

'I, Robot' by Isaac Azimov. The cover image is the silhouette of a man's head made up of light green circuits with the author and title incorporated into the middle, on a plain dark green background

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

My tomatoes are doing really well - tonight we were able to enjoy a chicken sofrito made with 100% homegrown tomatoes, alongside homegrown garlic and oregano. It's always satisfying to cook with multiple ingredients from the garden!

A butter tub full of bright red cherry tomatoes

A plate of chicken sofrito. Strips of fried chicken mixed with red tomatoes, green peppers, and yellow onions sit on a bed of spiral pasta

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Just finished reading this short book from @churchofengland.org. Nothing groundbreaking for anyone who pays attention to these matters, but it provides a good summary of where we are and a theological framework to sit it in. 💙📚💡 ✝️

Book cover for "Hope for All Creation: A theological response to the environmental crises", from the Church of England. The cover is mainly a dark bluey-green, with the title in golden yellow.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Harvested our first beetroot of the year!

A big beetroot in the ground. Some smaller ones are growing next to it. The leaves are a mixture of bright red and green and are sticking upwards

A beetroot laid out on a paving slab - the root is round and a deep reddy purple. From the tip of the root to the top of the leaves it's almost as long as the paving slab!

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Finished reading this today - I bought it a few years ago but decided to read it now beacuse this year marks the 650th anniversary of the Black Prince's death. 💙📚💡

Paperback copy of "The Black Prince" by Michael Jones. The cover is black with a gold embossed image of a medieval knight in full armour with his hands together.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

(Context in case anyone missed it:

Starbucks branded the date of its promotion “Tank Day”. It also featured the slogan “thwack on the desk”, evoking a notorious police explanation for the 1987 torture death of student activist Park Jong-chul. Authorities falsely claimed he had died after an officer “hit the desk with a thwack” during questioning.
Marketers chose the “thwack” slogan after consulting an AI tool for suggestions, Shinsegae Group said. It turned out some managers who approved the campaign never opened the email attachments showing the marketing material.
The company pulled the campaign within hours, but the fallout was swift and the chief executive was sacked the same day.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Summer evening done right: sat in the garden with a refreshing AF beer and a book 📚💙

Paperback copy of The Black Prince by Michael Jones alongside a Jump/Ship Brewing pint glass which is 2/3 full of lager. In the background some sweet peas are climbing up a trellis.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

The rhubarb has started to take over the garden, so it's time to make some jam! Part 1 tonight - chopped and left to macerate overnight in sugar.

A glass mixing bowl full of chopped rhubarb. The skin is a very vibrant red, in contrast with the pale green flesh inside.

The same bowl, but now a ridiculous quantity of sugar has been mixed in. It all looks very crunchy.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

My eyebrow was raised by that too. It feels like it comes from a 1960s guidebook uncritically parroting an antiquarian…

A picture of a bong-pipe with the caption “Works Cited”

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

This weekend's reading just arrived 😃 💙📚✝️

Magnifica Humanitas by Pope Leo XIV. It is subtitled "On safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence"

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

OF COURSE the Snake is a creeper 😆

Minecraft Eve (dressed in a pixilated green bikini) is being tempted under a minecraft tree by a creeper. Amongst the leaves is a minecraft apple

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

I went on an adventure to Lincoln Cathedral today. I found this in the gift shop, so of course I bought it ✝️

The (Unofficial) Bible for Minecrafters: stories from the Bible told block by block.

The cover depicts Jesus in minecraft form - complete with robes and halo, ascending into ueaven via a beacon.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

*St Nick has re-entered the chat*

Jasper from the Simpsons menacingly holding a cricket bat with the caption: “The Son is subordinate to the Father? Oh you better believe that’s a paddlin”

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

And even then, it took them a while to realise they shouldn't have corners

An 18th/19th century painting of a very rectangular cow with tiny lil legs

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Just looked on wikipedia to see how many members they had, and what in the Bobson Dugnutt is this lineup?!

List of past members of Chumbawamba from Wikipedia. Highlights include Boff Whalley, Danbert Nobacon, Dunston Bruce, and Diane.

Meme: This is from a 90s baseball video game where a Japanese game designer had to make up a bunch of “American” names.

The screenshot below is a list of names including Sleve Mcdichael, Bobson Dugnutt, and Willie Dustice.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

I've had my eye on this book since it was first published in 2024, but given -gestures at everything- I have decided now's the time to get a copy! 💙📚💡✝️

A paperback book: The Church, the Far Roght, and the Claim to Christianity edited by Helen Paynter and Maria Power. Foreword by David Gushee. The cover is purple with the text in white.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

How it started | How it’s going

Headline from 19 November 2025: Modella sets out plans to make TGJones ‘hub of the high street’.

The article says they announced to high street landlords they are planning on expanding to over 500 stores across the country.

Article from the Financial Times today (6 May 2026): Ex-WHSmith high street business to shut up to 150 stores.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

This book was given to me by a friend, who was passed it by a colleague. My friend felt it sit best with me, given my interest in studying the...less orthodox...forms of religion. He was right: I'm glad I read it, but oooh boy, that was a trip 😆 💙📚💡

The book "American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology" by D.W. Pasulka. The cover is illustrated by a photo of an American road in the twilight, with dark trees on the horizon and the inky blue sky filled with stars.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Went for a romantic foraging walk with @mrsemilia.bsky.social the other day and collected some dandelions. They've been steeping for a few days - I've now added the yeast! #homebrew

A bucket full of bright yellow dandelion flowers

A brewing bucket full or murky yellow liquid - this will become dandelion wine over the next few months!

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Gorgeous day today, so what better way to spend it than making lager? #homebrew

A view of the garden. The sun is shining, the grass is a luscious green, and in the middle of the lawn is a workmate with a brewing boiler sat on top, surrounded by several brewing buckets.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Rich people: Financial regulation is tyranny and against My Rights™️ Literal Adam Smith: We have laws to prevent fires spreading, and likewise we need to rein you muppets in before the rest of us get burnt

An extract from Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" in which he says that some people may argue that financial agreements between two consenting parties are their own business and the government shouldn't intervene. However, laws exist which force people to build in certain ways which also arguably infringe their liberty to do wtf they want - but they protect everyone from fire.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Just labelled and put away all the beers I bottled last night. Good to have a nicely restocked beer cupboard! #homebrew

The inside of a cupboard full of neatly lined up brown beer bottles. All of the labels are handwritten.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

I have just finished reading this. It's a quick and interesting read for anyone involved in #charity, and raises challenges towards many common assumptions within the social sector. 💙📚💡 ✝️

The book "Beyond Altruism: Building Social Impact in a Purpose-First Economy" by Rich Jones.

The cover is plain yellow with black text and a simple illustration of a graph in the middle.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Absolutely no punches pulled in this critique of philanthropy 🔥 💙📚💡

Photo of a page from a book entitled "Beyond Altruism: Building Social Impact in a Purpose-First Economy".

Over several paragraphs, the author argues that whilst philanthropy can enable incredible work, the money often comes from places which got rich creating the very social problems the donations are trying to solve.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

This is the first tasting of my #homebrew Pumpkin Winter Ale, and it's turned out fantastic. A 9% Belgian Dubbel made using pumpkins I grew last year, it's got a good fizz to it and a beautiful orangey-brown colour when the light hits it 😍

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Bank Holiday Monday done right - early afternoon pottering about in the garden, and now that Lent's over I can enjoy a beer in the sunshine!

A glass of dark beer on a garden table. Beside it is an empty bottle and an orange bottle cap.

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Just realised I never shared the results! Today's hot cross buns 😋

A baking tray full of golden hot cross buns. Some of the crosses are a bit wonky, but that's all part of the fun of home baking!

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James @derpjames.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Home from my local @ctbi.bsky.social #GoodFriday Walk of Witness, with just enough time to make some hot cross bun dough before the Liturgy of Good Friday at @whitkirkchurch.org.uk! ✝️