iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

My late-1970s school book covered in our favourite bands at the time. It was never about algebra, geometry or Latin (7% in one exam) - rather Fireball, Wuthering Heights and Stairway to Heaven.

An orange school book with multiple 70s bands scrawled on it - including Rush, Kate Bush and Pink Floyd

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

A simple dish found everywhere in Spain: Boquerones en vinagre – Anchovies in vinegar (and olive oil). Lovely with other small plates/tapas like jamón and almonds and enjoyed with a glass of manzanilla or fino. Taken at Bodega Guzmán in Córdoba.

A small white oval dish with a portion of boquerones in vinegar and oil accompanied by a small bread stick wrapped in paper.

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Andy Kelly @goonerak.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I've had this in my drafts for a long, long time.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Not a fan of the Spectator at all, but this article (free) is spot on. Don’t get me started on Italy snobs either … spectator.com/article/give...

spectator.com

Give me Spain over France any day

Why is Spain as a holiday destination for Brits seen as low rent compared to France? Popularity and accessibility breed contempt.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I bought this bottle of vinegar in Paris the day before Diana died. It was a weird time; taking a taxi to the Eiffel Tower through the tunnel where the crash had occurred just hours earlier - and seeing the marks on the pillar. The bottle has never been opened. Maybe next year.

A town clay urn of vinegar with a sealed wax top.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Before leaving London for Spain this was a regular place to enjoy a cider or rosé. The legendary French House in Soho, London. Regulars call it 'The French' and it's barely changed since this photo was taken in 1955 by Willy Ronis (back then it was called the York Minster).

A black and white photo of the inside of the French House in London. It shows a smokey scene with people enjoying a drink and a chat. A barmaid in a white top leans towards a customer, perhaps to take an order.

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ebisback.bsky.social @ebisback.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Love the Irish🇮🇪

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Using the magical Merlin app, just identified a Black-crowned Night Heron - somewhere in the starless and bible black sky.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Partner used to holiday in Menorca in the early 80s with her family. They returned this year to the house their grandparents built many years ago. A favourite spot was Binibeca. Here is the same beach bar now - and over 40 years ago. Some things are best left untouched.

The Binibeca bar in 2026 - it shows a white pip ted building with red doors and a covered area to the left where people are drinking.

The Binibeca bar c. 1984 - it shows a white pointed building with red doors and a covered area to the left where people are drinking.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Dental implant treatment over, this is how I now feel …

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Early morning bread … every day from 7am

Shelves full of different types
of bread

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

'From quiet homes and first beginning...' Before leaving London for Spain I had to paint over a wall in my study which had collected various drawings, poems and lyrics over the years. Left by friends and family, young and old - some of whom are no longer with us. But their words will always remain.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Years after inheriting a chest of drawers from a late aunt I discovered a ‘secret’ section. Inside was a newspaper from 1935. How the world would change a few years later.

A front page of the ‘News Chronicle’ newspaper dated 19 July 1935 with various stories including a village fire and a photo of Haile Selassie.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

‘All the lies and make believe, the very things that one day leave …’ youtu.be/EE70AgkeTZc?...

youtu.be

Paul Buchanan - Mid Air

YouTube video by OtherVoices

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Another article that gets rice wrong. Paella is not 'revered as a native dish of Catalonia'. While some places serve it - normally tourist places - the rice dishes from the area are soupy (cassola) or dry - and often black with the addition of squid or cuttlefish ink. www.bbc.com/travel/artic...

bbc.com

'Paella is just for lunch' and other unwritten rules for visiting Spain

Spain is famous for its laid-back lifestyle, but beneath the long lunches and late nights are social codes that shape everyday life. Our expert explains how to read them.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Lucky to have a ‘proper’ Indian supply shop not too far away here in Spain. Outside the major cities, it’s not easy to come across produce like this. Includes dried long pepper, deggi mirch, methi (fenugreek leaves) and black cardamom.

A colourful array of pulses and Indian spices in bags - including long pepper, deggi mirch and black cardamom - plus a large jar of lime pickle and poppodums.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

A very old (16th c?) hinge and square-headed nail found in our house in Spain.

A rusty three-pronged hinge plate and separate 8cm long nail with a square head

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Rod @rodzilla47.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

What were you doing when you were 14 or 16? www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmy7...

youtube.com

Spain (Live at Kyoto) - Ai Furusato and YOYOKA

YouTube video by YOYOKAよよか

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Halfway through my dental implant treatment - how I feel ...

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Spanish tile and a blood red, homegrown chilli.

A blood red chilli on a cream, yellow and blue tile

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

The rain came, the temperature has dropped - easing the weeks of furnace-like conditions. The farmers have fertilised the surrounding fields and the damp has released a pungent smell. A few remaining swifts dart around us. #Spain

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

There’s no letting up - even Eric Idle has a piece in The Times.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Limoncello made. 1 litre bottle of 95% alcohol (available in Spain but think not in the UK), two litres of sugar water. Cost around 20€ (£18.50) for three litres of the stuff.

Four corked bottles of limoncello lying flat in a fridge

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

‘All the lies and make believe, the very things that one day leave …’ youtu.be/EE70AgkeTZc?...

youtu.be

Paul Buchanan - Mid Air

YouTube video by OtherVoices

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

RIP William Orbit. Wonder how many people know he co-produced a Wishbone Ash album?! @singingconductor.bsky.social youtu.be/KHMPVqCRPRs?...

youtu.be

Wishbone Ash - Real Guitars Have Wings

YouTube video by WishboneAshAllSongs

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Cantabrian anchovies are regarded by many as the best in the world – their high price reflecting the limited catch season and hand-processing and aging process. But these, from L’Escala on the Costa Brava, are lovely. Great package design too.

A rectangular tin with colours yellow and red with the words Anxoves de L’Escala en oli d’oliva (olive oil), 30g

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

There will never be a 'The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever' in Spain because most people here grew up on crap, autotuned rubbish, Reggaeton etc ...

static.klipy.com

Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights (Official Video)

Alt: Kate Bush - Wuthering Heights (Official Video)

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

It’s been hard to grow anything meaningful in this relentless Spanish heat, but these sweet tomatoes - still warm from the vine and with olive oil and sea salt - were a dream.

Sliced red tomatoes drizzled in oil on a white oval plate with a fork to the side.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

We’ve been here a fair while. Not our blood but … 🇪🇸

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

All you need to know about how the Spanish 'speak' on a day-to-day basis with the shrieking announcement of the, ironically non-verbal, anthem in the stadium. #worldcup

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Historic Cricket Pictures @picturesporting.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

A sad day for cricket with the loss of a genuine great. Garry Sobers toasts the crowd after West Indies' crushing innings and 226 runs win at Lord's on August 27th 1973. Sobers signed off his last Test in England with 150* and six catches (Patrick Eagar)

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

We have our own lemons and tomorrow it’s off to get some 90% alcohol to make limoncello - yay!

A collection of around 15 lemons gathered in a person’s t-shirt.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Yay! - Ben Folds Five are reforming. They are the reason I bought a Big Muff bass pedal back in the day. Here's my ticket from 1999. 'Missing The War' from the actual gig ... youtu.be/U1FYd8rtF3k?...

A ticket dated 14 December 1999 for a concert by the Ben Folds Five at London's Royal Albert Hall. Price is £16

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

London Trident Studios' Bechstein grand piano initially didn't sell at auction in 2001, it was expected to fetch £350,000. It was used on The Beatles' 'Hey Jude', Elton John's 'Your Song', Bowie's 'Life on Mars?' and Genesis' 'The Musical Box'. After being damaged, it was eventually sold in 2011. 🎹

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

‪ Find it weird that this article doesn't once mention Granada where tapas are free (with a drink) - and, no, it's not a bowl of olives but the very tapas mentioned here: fried fish, prawns, rice. It's ALWAYS the same cities: Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastián... 🙄 💤 www.bbc.com/travel/artic...

bbc.com

Chef José Andrés teaches you how to enjoy tapas like a Spaniard

The Michelin-starred chef helped bring tapas culture to the US, but there's nothing like enjoying them in Spain. Here are his tips for enjoying the beloved shared plates.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The receipt from a self-service check out after purchasing three items …

A very long paper receipt spewing from a self-service check out.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Spain: 34°, parched fields, animals trying to keep cool outside - but it’s San Juan so let’s set off loads of fireworks into the night - yay!

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

The heat is aligning the paws …

Four white cat paws in a line on a cushion with pebbles on the ground

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

I once met Barry Harris post-gig at Pizza Express in Dean Street, London - he was lovely, gave advice and shone like a star. #PracticePracticePractice

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

I never tire of this knee-trembling walk along the old El Camino del Rey (‘The King’s Walk’) near Málaga, before the new - and safer - path was constructed a few years ago. youtu.be/ZmDhRvvs5Xw?...

youtu.be

El Camino del Rey [High Quality]

YouTube video by danielahnen

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100 years ago news @100yearsagonews.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

June 10, 1926: Antoni Gaudí, the dazzlingly imaginative Catalan architect who helped shaped the look of Barcelona with his organic, voluptuous and colorful buildings, dies at 73 of injuries from being struck by a streetcar. His masterpiece, the Sagrada Familia church, is unfinished on his death. 1/2

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

I found this witch's bottle in my house in Spain under an entrance step. It contains items of unknown origin matching a known pattern of apothecary/medicine-style glass that was intentionally filled, sealed and hidden (hair, nails, twigs, pins, urine?) They were used to ward off evil spirits.

A small glass bottle with its contents illuminated by a bright light - a person's hand is holding the bottle

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Nick Lloyd @spaincivilwartours.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Goats grazing in front of Gaudí's Sagrada Familia. 1910. Photo by Cèsar Comas Llaberia.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

This was part of my 1970s childhood - my parents treated us to the soundtrack LP. Still watch the film to this day (and James Bond films, of course).

A 1970s album (cover) of the the soundtrack to the film ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ showing the famous flying car with the family aboard soaring over countryside with birds flying.

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Fish Shambles @fishshambles.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

How many people know that THIS is the original version of 'Bette Davis Eyes' (co-written by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss) ? youtu.be/L3ig6yJZE_E?...

youtu.be

Bette Davis Eyes

YouTube video by Jackie DeShannon - Topic

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