iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Laura M

Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Going to be talking about the political divide on Monday at the Cockpit in London. Come along if you're free - always a thought provoking and hopefully entertaining evening with @bylinetimes.bsky.social www.thecockpit.org.uk/show/the_lur...

thecockpit.org.uk

THE LURE OF OPPOSITION

Produced and presented by Byline Times Crossing the Political Divide, with CLIVE LEWIS MP OTTO ENGLISH DJ SMUTTY An evening of insightful thought-provoking conversation with Byline Times, Clive Lewis

05217

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

Merry Christmas to all, and a photo from my family photo archive from the early 1950s. This was in the house in Rye, NY, where my mother spent several years of her childhood. The room is amazing but I think Angelo the cat has picked the only comfy spot. (See alt text for a more detailed description)

Where to start... A black and white photograph of a room furnished with Gothic and Renaissance furniture - there are several items of furniture in heavy, dark woods with a dining table and chairs on a rug in the centre of the room. There are two paintings on the wall, most likely painted by my grandfather. The scene looks like a room in a museum, heavy and formal. However there is a Christmas tree in the corner decorated with lights, baubles and lametta, and under the tree lies a contented-looking sleeping white cat.

070

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

I woke up during the night last night feeling annoyed because I couldn't remember what animal laid potatoes. My partner assures me that the animal that lays potatoes is the haggis, and whether a potato becomes a baby haggis or stays as a potato depends on whether it was fertilised or not.

030

Reposted by Laura M

🦇 Katra Scariello, Spooky Apple Audio 🦇🏳️‍⚧️ @katrafiy.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

One of my favorite things is getting to tell friends who are new to NYC that the subway "stand clear of the closing doors please" voice is a trans woman named Bernie Wagenblast and she's amazing.

6590202848

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

This well-camouflaged beauty appeared on my walk today. They sniffed my fingers, made a flehmen face and backed off a little (presumably detected my own cats). Obviously cautious so I will try again for pets if I see them again. @thecatreviewer.bsky.social

A stripy cat looking over the top of a stone wall, with the stone wall of an old house in the background. Due to the dimming winter light and the colours of the stone, cat and walls are similar colours of grey-brown.

1508

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

Another in an occasional series from my family photo archive. Initially I only saw one kitten, then realised there are two. My grandmother is on the left, but I don't know who the other people are. Date? 1920s I'd estimate.

A black and white photo showing three people standing up (two women and a man). My grandmother is on the left, wearing a spotted dress. The woman in the centre is wearing a dark coloured (black?) dress or coat and a brimmed hat. She is looking down and holding (or trying to control?) two kittens - one is possibly grey and white, the other black with a dot of white on its nose. The man on the right of the photo is wearing a suit, but he's clearly not important as only half of him is in the photo.

151

Reposted by Laura M

Dr Zoë Ayres @zjayres.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Given up on the concept of being "well-rounded". I'm more like a hexagon, and depending on what side I happen to accidently roll I get work, family, exercise, hobbies or a tidy house. None can co-exist.

912416

Reposted by Laura M

Victoria Duncan @victoriaduncan.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

He looks like he owns a railroad company 🧐🧐

0687

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 07/09/2025

A sight that pleased me greatly this weekend was a father (I assume) teaching his daughter (I assume), maybe around 8-10 years old and wearing a hat with a strawberry print, how to climb trees. Not something you see often in this safety-conscious era, especially not on a riverbank.

050

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

I think I might have peaked too early by posting one of the best cat photos in my collection on Saturday. More to come and this one is more typical. Meet Samson, photo taken in Rye, NY in 1953.

A black and white photo taken at an angle of Samson, a stripy cat with white nose, bib and paws sitting on a stone wall outside a light-coloured door.

040

Reposted by Laura M

Wil McMillen @wilmcmillen.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

Taking this sign personally.

Sign reading RIP To The Opportunities We Missed Because Of Shyness And Low Self Esteem

817945

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 19/07/2025

I'm a fan of @catsofyore.bsky.social and have family cat photos, so I might share a few. Many of them were taken by my grandmother, Elisabeth Phillips (nee Fritze) who was a professional photographer before she married in 1933. This is my mother, aged 12, in 1952 with Sylvester (taken in Rye, NY).

A black and white photo of a girl with bobbed, wavy hair (my mother) holding a black and white cat. The girl is wearing a plaid top or dress, and the cat looks displeased at being held and is trying to get away.

19108659

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

It's a Monday; whilst I came to terms with the fact I am completely useless on Mondays a long time ago, this is pretty much it every week.

040

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 22/06/2025

10pm the other night was when these two decided it was a good time to do the photoshoot for their new album.

Two white and black cats sitting on a wall in a garden, one in front of the other. The front cat is looking to the left, the back cat is looking at the camera. They are surrounded by green vegetation.

Two white and black cats sitting on a wall in a garden, one in front of the other. The front cat is looking to the left, the back cat is looking to the right. They are surrounded by green vegetation.

060

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Woken up in the night by Dru rolling on my head. My partner thought this was amusing. It was not. Oh, cats!

010

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 08/06/2025

Hello there fluffy pollinator! I just thought I'd let you know that you've got something on your face.

A creamy-white foxglove flower with a fluffy bumblebee (or possibly a bumblebee mimic) inside one of the flower tubes. The bee has pollen on its face.

060

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 01/06/2025

Every morning... These two, in my face, clambering all over me and providing a Crystal Maze level puzzle experience just getting out of bed. Get one leg out of bed, nope, there's now a cat sitting on the other leg, and on my chest. (Of course the photo is blurry with this level of intimacy).

A blurry, close-up photo of two white and black cats on a bed in a semi-darkened room, too close to the camera.

080

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

A short thread of highlights from today. I discovered a T-shirt in my camera bag. I sometimes carry an emergency T-shirt in case of sweatiness or sensory issue and figured this one must've been in there since last August (surprisingly unwrinkled due to being in the laptop pocket, also well-traveled)

110

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

I assume this scene in my local M&S is due to the aftermath of the cyber attack and not the locals getting absolutely hammered because the sun is out. This is worse than a couple of days ago when they'd spread a few bottles out to make those shelves look better stocked.

Almost completely empty wine shelves in a branch of Marks and Spencer.

020

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 17/05/2025

Last summer the weather was so awful I sat outside only once. It's good for my mental health so I am determined to make the most of the good weather. So, it seems, is Finn.

A white and black cat sitting on a wall under a grey sunshade mounted on a pole. There is vegetation in the background and the sky is mostly blue with a little cloud.

130

Reposted by Laura M

Kaylee 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 🔜 BLFC @littlemacha.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

Megathread of pro-trans petitions on Parliament’s petition website. If Labour suddenly gets hit with debates for a bunch of pro-trans petitions, maybe they’ll realise this issue isn’t going away and they’ve fucked up. I’ll add more as I find them. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...

5625412072

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Finn is confused about tariffs and the methodology used to calculate them.

A white and black cat sitting upright in a doorway on a blue stripy rug. The cat has an expression that could be interpreted as quizzical.

280

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 30/03/2025

A glorious spring day for a good walk. I was amused by this fence post's mossy hat and the clichéd cherry blossom pic had to be done.

A fence post wearing a fluffy "hat" of moss.

Branches of pink cherry blossom against a cloudless blue sky.

080

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Whaddya mean it's not a word?

Screenshot from the New York Times Letter Boxed game insisting that 'shite' is not a word.

110

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

I enjoyed doing my second-favourite local walk today, which I haven't done for a while. This is an old pic from the same walk - it was lovely today, but hazy, this obscuring the mountains in the distance.

A view looking west over grassy fields with trees beyond and mountains visible in the distance taken on a beautiful sunny day.

150

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Is there a national bean shortage, or is just my local branch of Tesco? No bananas either.

Mostly empty supermarket shelves in a branch of Tesco. The shelves usually have a selection of canned beans such as butter beans, kidney beans, haricot beans and cannellini beans.

020

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

It was my birthday a couple of days ago and I'm very happy with the gifts from my partner. The Squishmallows have a practical purpose - to stop me giving myself sore wrists from sleeping with t-rex arms - seems to be working so far.

Two Squishmallow soft toys (one blue and white, the other, smaller, one is brown) on a bed with three hardback books sitting spine-up in front of them. The books are 'Thank you for calling the lesbian line' by Elizabeth Lovatt, 'Your Life is Manufactured' by Tim Minshall and 'Listen In: How radio changed the home' by Beauty Rubens.

040

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

I never became a ham, but shortwave radio was a keen interest of mine when I was a teenager and I still have my second sw radio (Sony ICF-SW100), although it doesn't get used very often.

070

Reposted by Laura M

Gemma Clark 🧿🕯️ @gemmaclark.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

@markhamillofficial.bsky.social hi! Would you mind sharing my petition to decriminalise abortion so your U.K. followers see it? Trying to stop the MAGA poison from getting us too petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...

petition.parliament.uk

Petition: Decriminalise Abortion

I am calling on the UK government to remove abortion from criminal law so that no pregnant person can be criminalised for procuring their own abortion.

02218

Reposted by Laura M

Sophie Molly @sophiemolly.co.uk · 05/02/2025

This is huge. My petition got approved. It challenges the UK government to the lift the Puberty Blocker ban on the grounds that it contradicts article 8 of The United Nations Convention On The Rights Of The Child. Please sign and Repost ✊️🏳️‍⚧️ petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...

petition.parliament.uk

Petition: Lift restrictions on prescribing puberty blockers to trans children.

We want the Government to reverse the restrictions it has introduced relating to the prescription of puberty blockers to children. The Government introduced legislation banning them from being prescri...

5720061279

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Had my first public meltdown in over 12 years a couple of weeks ago, went home, lay in silence for 2 hours, felt awful for 2-3 days. I remove myself from the environment if I feel a meltdown coming on but here I tried to push through an appointment to get it over with. Now it'll need re-booked 😞.

042

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

My partner almost got me "Butter" for Christmas but he wasn't sure because it had mixed reviews. I'd also considered it buuuut mixed reviews. Then I decided no, then yes, but not at £14.99, I'd look out for a secondhand copy. 50p on our local Tesco's charity bookcase was a no-brainer.

A book, a copy of "Butter" by Asako Yuzuki lying on a yellow blanket.

020

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

A most satisfying delivery last week. Reaktionbooks.bsky.social had a big sale at Christmas. I've been building my collection of their Animal series of books for ~20 years and this took my collection to 64. Over 100 in the series, so lots more to get eventually (shame a lot are out of print).

Eight books from Reaction Books' Animal series sitting spine up on a yellow blanket. The books are Raccoon, Turtle, Camel, Lion, Wolf, Kingfisher, Squid and Zebra.

030

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

One of the farm cats I sometimes meet. Quite small (maybe still a kitten) and very forceful in demanding petting. Caution advised: may scratch when overexcited, and then begs for more petting. @thecatreviewer.bsky.social

A grey cat sitting upright on some leaves that have filled on a grass verge at the edge of a road.

2383

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

One of two similar looking cats that live near the railway station. Both are friendly but this is the shyer of the two. Its housemate is known for following the pet shop owner to his shop and also begging commuters for treats inside the railway station waiting room. @thecatreviewer.bsky.social

A longhaired ragdoll cat with pointed markings (mostly cream-coloured body with dark brown legs, face and ears) and blue eyes crouched down in long grass. The cat is looking to one side of the camera.

1414

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

A mild, dreich Sunday afternoon is perfect for working on this blanket I'm crocheting for a Christmas gift (I'm way behind), listening to carols on Radio 3 and drinking big mugs of tea. And being angered and disgusted by Gregg Wallace.

A close-up photo of a section of a crocheted blanket in shades of green, teal and purple, with a gold-coloured crochet hook lying across it.

041

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Thing I hadn't noticed had disappeared until I realised I hadn't seen one in a very long time: not white dog poo, but stripy 1980s workman tents. I saw a non-stripy one a few weeks ago and thought "ooh, haven't seen one of those for a while." No idea what I'm on about? This kind of thing:

menatwork.co.uk

Men At Work Roadworks / BT Tent

010

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

In the summer I found my German grandmother's recipe book among family papers. It's mostly in German with some recipes in English (and at least one switches between languages). I was tempted to try making the strawberry shortcake but the note at the end makes me think it wasn't entirely successful.

A handwritten recipe for strawberry shortcake, the recipe is in English but in old-fashioned German handwriting. At the bottom there is a note in a different colour of ink stating "12 slices, better strawberries and sugar, not butter" ("not butter" underlined for emphasis)

010

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 23/11/2024

Apparently Stirling has had heavy snow and has lying snow. Meanwhile, a few miles away we have disgusting slush with wind and sleet. It's definitely a day for staying in with big mugs of tea and a good book or two. The cats are also disgusted by the weather.

A road covered in wet slush, with car tyre marks in the slush.

010

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

Reflecting on my mother out-law's gift choices. She sometimes sends us things like chocolate, tea towels, dish sponges and periodically a homemade cake. It's my partner's birthday today so his mother has sent him two baklava (from a multipack) and two penguin biscuits (also from a multipack).

020

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

I enjoy properly cold, crisp, frosty November days, but I'm disappointed we've had no snow. I'm in that warning-free bit of Scotland and we rarely get snow. Not more than a couple of inches at a time the last couple of winters and the last proper snow was March 2018.

A map of the British Isles showing Met Office weather warnings for snow and ice. The warnings are largely round the coastline with a central area with no warnings.

010

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

We haven't had snow in central-ish Scotland yet but it's been chilly. I enjoyed the fluffed up birds at our feeder; coal and blue tits looking round and cute, starlings looking big and pigeons like little grey footballs. I have added pigeon-proof seed tray to my list for next time I buy bird food.

010

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Nothing is sacred. I finished crocheting this corner to corner blanket just in time for the cold weather. OF COURSE Dru has to try it first and demand attention whilst doing so.

A white and black cat sitting on a crocheted blanket that has multicoloured diagonal stripes. The cat has a curious or questioning expression (as in "why aren't you petting me, human?")

060

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

This sounds like things are worse than my experience 28 years ago. I was bullied in halls of residence, ignored and mocked by private school cliques. I left after three months, took time to work, volunteer and travel before restarting my degree at a different university.

bbc.co.uk

Edinburgh University warns students not to be 'snobs'

The institution admitted class-related prejudice was a problem on campus.

010

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

An old photo but representative of both feline and human moods today. Chilly out this morning (about time seeing as it's November).

Two black and white cats sleeping curled up together, facing each other, on a grey, fluffy cat bed.

020

Laura M @highlandlaura.bsky.social · 06/11/2024

It's definitely a hugging a cat kind of day. Unfortunately neither of the cats we have just now are the hugging kind. One vanished behind the sofa when he saw me coming and to be honest I feel like joining him.

090