iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

If anyone should know how to resolve this, it should be someone with your name 😏

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

, anything from sci-fi, to crime, 'chick-lit', or non-fiction neurodiversity books. Some of my recent ones -

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

I read the i newspaper and, although I'm not quite in the 'elderly' category yet (although my teenage son would disagree 🤣), the font seems perfectly readable to me. As for actual font size, does a picture help?

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

While we're at it, can I get an honourable mention for the very platform that we're using, @bsky.app ? I've had this message notification for a couple of months now, but I have NO UNREAD MESSAGES!!

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

I can't remember if I've mentioned this before, @ka83k.bsky.social , but I read a really interesting book recently about undiagnosed autism in women. It's written by a neuroscientist who admits their initial scepticism but actually does the research.

Book - The Lost Girls Of Autism, by Gina Rippon.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

I've just realised that we're seeing the back of those buildings. I thought they were rows of small townhouses, but this is what they look like from the front...

A building on The Bourne in Hastings, with multiple dormer windows.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

We were in Hastings last week & took a trip on the cliff railway, where there was a brilliant view over the town. It was really interesting (yes, I am ND 😏) to see the differences & similarities, & the patterns.

Views over the rooftops of Hastings, from the top of the cliff.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Then they'll be down half an hour later for dessert or a snack 😏 Our teen(19) flew to Slovenia yesterday for a 2wk holiday touring the Balkans with friends. He sent a photo at 5.30 yesterday morning of the traditional 'spoons breakfast 🤣

A typical airport breakfast of sausage sandwich & a pint of Stella.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

We've made it round the corner. We can actually see the Lego sign from here 😃

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

New Lego store opening in Oxford today. Kiddo asked if I wanted to go with him (mainly as extra load capacity 🤣). Me: They'll be a queue. We'll need to go early. Kiddo: No, it will be fine. We'll get there for when it opens. Readers, there is a queue 😱

The queue for the Lego store opening in Oxford is around 2 sides of the shopping centre.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

I'm currently reading a really interesting book - The Lost Girls Of Autism by @ginarippon.bsky.social I'm not quite halfway through & I have found a (very brief) mention of the issue of hyposensitivity to pain in autistic women. I'll let you know if there's any further mention.

A snippet from the book, which gives a nod to decreased reaction to pain.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Nope, but it's on my list now 👍 This is my current read. I'm not that far into it yet, and the first bit is mostly reviewing the history of Autism diagnosis but it looks promising.

Book - The Lost Girls Of Autism, The Untold Story of Women on the Spectrum, by Gina Rippon.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

And this isn't going to help matters, either 🙄

The prime minister has given the British Medical Association (BMA) 48 hours to call off the six-day doctor strike in England after Easter or face losing 1,000 extra training places.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

When you ask your teenager to dry up & put away and they think they're a bloody comedian 🙄

The pan drawer, which holds all of our pans very neatly when they're put away but a normal person.
This has seemingly suffered a minor earthquake 🙄

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

Tbh, I've started using their standard Pokal glasses for wine, because I'm so over stemmed glasses. If it's got wine in it, it's a wine glass, right? 😉

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Of course, if you want a real challenge, you need to try the Magic Roundabout in Swindon 😱

Swindon's 'Magic Roundabout'. Named after the 70s children's TV programme, which was known for its possibly-drug-induced stories, this iconic piece of road infrastructure could easily have been designed by someone under the influence of questionable substances.

It has a central roundabout, around which traffic flows anti-clockwise, surrounded by 5 mini-roundabouts which have the more usual clockwise flow.

What makes this roundabout more 'interesting' than other contraflow roundabouts is that the central roundabout is small & flat, so that a driver can see the whole of this wonder of road design ahead of them when approaching.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Here in the UK roundabouts are a lot more commonplace than in the US, but we still have drivers that don't seem to know the rules 🙄 I believe that these drivers should be made to spend a few hours driving around Milton Keynes as punishment/training.

Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, UK. Famous for it's concrete cows and (unusual in the UK) grid layout. Every single one of those main intersections is a roundabout, and most of the roads are 60mph.

Great practice for roundabout etiquette :-)

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Just finishing The Wonder by Emma Donoghue. It was a slow starter but the end has me gripped. I read Room a couple of weeks ago & I saw this one in a charity shop so had to get it.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

They'll need to clarify the difference between the day or delivery and the day the order is placed too. Here is my reply to their original refusal which sets out the key points (as well as showing my level of pettiness 😳).

Thank you for your reply. However, I feel that your interpretation of the Terms & Conditions is inaccurate.

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The above is taken directly from your website. What it states is:
ND delivery is available Monday to Friday. It says nothing about when the order is placed.
The cut-off time will be clearly communicated during checkout - indeed it was. When I placed the order around 2.45pm on Sunday 4th January, your website clearly communicated that ND delivery was available if I completed the order before 3pm.
The delivery option is not available for Saturday, Sunday, or public holidays deliveries - as above, this clearly states 'deliveries' not 'orders', and I was not requesting a delivery for any of these days.
I agree that your interpretation of the Ts & Cs is what they are supposed to say, but that is not what they actually say.

I would like to repeat my request for a refund of the £5.99 fee for ND delivery, please.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

Kintsugi is the ancient Japanese art of mending stuff but not 'hiding' the fix. I present to you Kint(rug)i - the not-very-ancient art of putting an old bit of carpet in the gap in a laminate floor caused by water damage 😁

A patch of old carpet inexpertly laid to hide a temporary gap in the laminate floor.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

So far away from my usual reading matter, but recommended by our brilliant school librarian. It's not a comfortable read, but it's excellent.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

Up until recently, my reading has been limited, in both time & variation, but our amazing librarian (who I now consider a friend) at our secondary school has been recommending books that I wouldn't usually choose myself. These are my 2 favourites from the year -

Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

So kiddo (19yo) 'decided' that we were having lamb this year, and that I had to make some red onion gravy to go with it. Oh, and he didn't want sprouts, but did want glazed roast veg. And can we have mash, because he doesn't like roast spuds 🙄 From the appreciative noises, I think I nailed it 😁

Our Christmas dinner, as reguested by kiddo, with roast lamb, red onion gravy, spuds (both roast & mashed), cauli & broccoli cheese, pigs in blankets, & stuffing 🤷

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

Kiddo came home from work yesterday with a present for himself. Apparently, all his mates are playing darts, but at home not in pubs 😳🤷

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 08/11/2025

Wife & I are out-out (in Brum) this weekend, and we've decided to brave The Alchemist 😬 IT'S A BIT BLOODY LOUD IN HERE!!

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

What am I doing? Oh, just programming 30 Microbits to play musical notes ready for our Computing lesson today, and our hopefully-tuneful* rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star 😁 *Tbh, I'll be happy/amazed if it's vaguely recognisable 🤣 @microbit.org

My rather cramped & messy computer area, currently strewn with BBC Microbits and various other random electronics.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

Once again my wife has baked some lovely Chocolate Brownies 😁 Once again, she's told me they're for kiddo, NOT for me 🙁 Once again, I'm ignoring her 😉

An already-depleted batch of homemade Chocolate Brownies 😊

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

The dog was not impressed that someone was drinking out of her water bowl 🤣

An adult hedgehog with their front paws on the edge of the bowl, having a drink.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

This is definitely reading the room, at least in this house 😊

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 29/09/2025

This morning on the Townsend household 😳🤧

3 packets of Cold & Flu capsules, one for each of us!

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 31/08/2025

Dear British weather, If you will insist on raining for half the day, could you please do so in the morning when I'm at work, so that I can have an afternoon to get this bloody porch finished? Thank you 🙄

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

Well, in the end I've been surprisingly productive 😊 Not only have I got the frame of the porch done, ready for tiles tomorrow, but I also: Got the washing in, folded, & put away, Made tea for wife & me (kiddo's out on a pub crawl 🙄), And remembered to pick wife up from work. Yay me!! 😁

A partially-completed porch, with all framing done, ready for tiles to go on tomorrow.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Well, the wound itself doesn't look too bad, but the bruises are coming up lovely 🤕😳

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

However, the porch had the last word, as a stubborn nail refused to be budge, resulting in the hammer hitting me in the head 🤕 There was blood. Tbh, I'm quite shocked that I didn't pass out, which is my usual reaction to the sight of my own blood 😬, and there's only the dogs here to go for help 🤣

A selfie of an idiot with a plaster over one eye, which he hopes will staunch the fliw of blood.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

After the application of a bit of brute force & ignorance (my approach to most things 😳), the ugly, rotting porch is now gone. I'm keeping the wooden bracket for the new one.

A front doorway now bereft of porch, apart from the main support, which I shall be reusing. The remains of the old porch lay in splinters on the ground.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Our porch needs replacing, and I've been putting it off for months, but today I decided that if I took the old one down, then I would *have* to build a new one.

A boring, felt-covered porch that is well past it's sell-by-date. It was put up when the house was built in 72.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

It is also the first time that I've had to use this screwdriver bit, so at least I know what that's for now 😏

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Wife was complaining that her hairdryer made a 'buzz' & turned off this morning, so I investigated. I'm pretty sure that live (brown) wire is supposed to be soldered a bit better than that 😱

The wiring inside a hairdryer. The brown live wire has a lot of bare wire showing, possibly causing a short on the neighbouring terminal.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

It sounds great, but I get this when I try to watch the video 🙁

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

Now you've posted that, I've realised it was the Raleigh Bomber I was thinking of, specifically in blue.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

This handy guide from today's i newspaper might help 😜

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Just saw this posted on the Dull Men's Club Fb page (yes, I know! 😳), and it made me think of your picture-hanging challenges 🤣

3 landscape pictures (not landscape format, just literally pictures of a landscape) that depict a hill scene. The pictures have been hung out of sequence!

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 20/07/2025

When putting up a picture wall in our living room, I made a conscious decision to *not* put them all at the same height. I knew I'd never be able to get them exact, and that any mistake would bug me every time I look at it 😬

A group of pictures on a wall, all purposely at different heights.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

Oh, look @badlyparkedox.bsky.social . It's those private vehicles parking in the loading bay opposite Tesco, Cowley Rd again 😡 I'm pretty sure the black BMW is there most days.

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Darren Townsend @forrishilier.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

... so I offered him the 3rd bedroom for his office/warehouse and I moved as much of my stuff as my wife could tolerate onto a Billy bookcase in our bedroom, with the remainder being relegated to the loft 😒 He's off to uni soon, so I might get at least 1 room back 😁

An IKEA Billy bookcase (in beech, because we're classy 😉), looking a bit fuller than it was half an hour ago, with various parts boxes, kits, books, and electronics. It could probably do with dusting 😳

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