iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I'm too diabetic for many desserts, but my partner still deserves crumbles. So I made lil individual ones to freeze and rewarm.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The new AJJ album is exactly what I need right now. Hungry House is an early favourite. And they're actually coming to Belfast next year! My ears haven't had a treat for a while.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Went on a tiny one night holiday to Manchester to see David Correos. 10/10, absolutely the right choice.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I send home made Christmas cards hella early cause I get free stamps and distribute them to people who actually send more than two Christmas cards. Made this one for my sister this afternoon, pretty pleased with it! (Her and my niece are well into birds.)

Card says 'Christmas Birds'. There's a Robin, a Goose (in a Santa hat), what's labeled as a Turkey (not a cat in a costume), but it's a cat in a turkey costume, and a partridge in a pear tree. All hand drawn, fairly messily and without nuance, in fineliner pen and sharpie.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I am home from the Edinburgh Fringe and have mixed feelings. The comfortable sofa and entire bottles of wine costing less than a small can are welcomed. The lack of exciting new comedy up in my face is sorely missed.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I am having a lovely Fringe time. I have finally managed to stop waking up at 5am by staying up til 4am and filling myself with whiskey. Alas, we go home tomorrow. Does this happen every year? Yes. Yes it does. I wake up at normal time for ages, despite late nights, then break it right before home.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

I have a free afternoon to laze in the sun and it keeps hiding. I'm trying to tan my shoulders which are never on show when I'm out and about but will be this weekend when I must be all feminine at a wedding.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Can't believe only one person got my age right.

Some birthday cards on a mantle, most say 40 today or similar, one says 'you're 7!'

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

It makes me simultaneously happy and sad that you can no longer buy thin unpadded leather collars for big dogs in pet shops/poundland. Great for the doggos who only have padded, thick, more comfortable collars. Terrible for when I'm trying to accessorise on a budget.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

I've started doing supermarket shops in person, but because supermarkets are overwhelming I find it waaay easier to go at like 7am when it's empty. Aside from the whole leaving the house in the dark and walking through a totally unlit park that's between me and the supermarket thing.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 03/01/2026

Got both my freezers cleaned and reorganised while it's literally freezing outside, cause you can just leave frozen food in a bag outside. The cheap one is no longer full of frost and the good one no longer has random peas/crumbs all over it. Yay!

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

I have known Chris for 3000 days! I made cupcakes, cause I make cakes on arbitrary dayaversarys, because annual celebrations are a bit artibrary anyway. I failed at stenciling, but they're very tasty.

Six cupcakes on a long tray, topped with cinnamon in no particular shape. There is a homemade stencil of a 3 and 0 doused in cinnamon to the left. There is no sign of a 3 or 0 on any cupcake.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Got a rush of endorphins as the charity shop actually had the specific thing I went looking for (a small tulip style whiskey glass), and it was a mere 80p. Tis a Christmas miracle.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

We have somehow got 12 comedy shows booked for next year already! Considering how few comedians come to Belfast, I'm pretty impressed. One per month is absolutely perfect for enough social stuff without burnout. Unfortunately there's 5 in March (currently), but I'll worry about that later.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Batch cooking tip - a stand mixer will shred cooked meats like poached chicken (or pulled pork butt) in seconds. And then your cat can help with the washing up.

A black cat with her head inside a silver stand mixer bowl.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Text from my GP asking me to book in for an annual review. I call them within 15 minutes of receiving said text. No appointments, try again in a week or two. It's ridiculous.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

I have made 30 portions of lentil and mushroom ragu, which is arguably too much.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

This year's glove repairs have begun, and will be yellow! Winter one was purple, winter two was green (and I met a very good pupper who wasn't trained not to chew gloves yet).

Fingerless black gloves on my hand, with bright, obvious, but haphazard repairs using thick thread.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

I am rewatching the menu. I used to be a line cook. Anyone who hasn't tried to kill an asshole customer (slowly) with butter and/or salt is lying. Even as a pizza chef. Enjoy your extra cheese and lifetime of statins. Cunt.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

This is my doodle fridge and I love my doodle fridge. It's largely symmetrical, doodles are small, and erasing is not an option. A collaborative work, with my partner, done while waiting for things to cook. What does it mean? It means art is important, even if it's shit and on a fridge.

Chalk doodles, on a side of a fridge. It's certainly scribbles.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

@joznorris.bsky.social Any idea if and when the recording of Blink will be released? The brief mention in the salad tapes made me remember how much I want to see that show again! (I will be telling my friends who live in sensible places to see your current. I do not live in a sensible place.)

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

The handle to my fridge broke a couple of days ago. I fixed it with superglue, but there's residue and it's bound to break again. A new one is £34.95 plus postage, with reviews like 'I've bought four in two years, they just keep breaking!'.

A broken fridge handle, not attached to a fridge, glued together.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

Tried to buy one of those supermarket basil plants today, which involved walking 7 miles and checking every supermarket. Failed.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Strawberry and basil is so good together, I'm annoyed no-one told me sooner.

Two bowls of strawberry filled pasta with lots of rocket and basil and some balsamic.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Got myself a grown up lego set yesterday and spent pretty much all day making it. He's called Fucker, after the Eels song of the same name which mentions a little black cat. I have saved Spunky for potential use on a future real cat.

A lego tuxedo cat with a real cat toy on his head.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Who can get both their cats to eat worming tablets first time with absolutely no fuss at all? This bitch! Bwahahaa! ... Seriously, if you knew the stress and cost of trying to get spot on stuff on them when they were first adopted, you'd understand.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

We've made it to the loitering at the airport stage of the holiday. I am sad to be going home, but utterly exhausted both physically and mentally. I desperately want to sit on a comfortable chair, touching absolutely no-one.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Well, last night I had my first show I didn't enjoy, which is a shame but this morning I've looked at a photo my cat sitter sent of Epi sitting with dreamies in front of her looking really pissed off. Cheered me right up. (She is fussy, she only eats certain brands of freeze dried chicken as treats)

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

I've done well in eating some vegetables every damn day. Just ate a family sized salad with some hummus and bread and feel all the better for it. My secret? POCKET SPORK!

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

If you want to know things like the shows I saw and what they're about, probably see what Chris is doing. He's actually documenting this properly. In limerick form, because.... Erm?!

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

I have survived? Enjoyed! six shows while being mildly drunk all day. Back 'home' for a nightcap, a second nightcap and a reminder to drink some bloody electrolytes in the morning. Hey future Katie? I love you, look after yourself. Xx

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 18/08/2025

Bringing the 'Monday at the Fringe' vibes by having a drink before we head out for a midday wip. Tomorrow is a rest-ish day when we're home til 4pm, so it just makes the most sense to be mildly drunk all day today.

Plastic cups containing ominous black liquid, on a bench.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

Out til 2am last night, still awake before 7am. I don't even need to be up before 8.30. And that wouldn't exactly be a lie in. Thank god for coffee.

A grey square plastic cup from an aeropress go, half full, on paving.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

Pre-holiday panic cleaning is almost complete. Tomorrow I must hang laundry, final hoover, and that's about it. Then away! I dunno why I bother, the cat sitter sees the usual state of the house when picking up the keys.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

It's Friday, I have pizza made, I have wine open! Only one more Friday til I head to Edinburgh and try to cram in 30 shows in 5 nights and not have a breakdown. The Fringe excitement all over my social media is palpable.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

I have spent 4 days redecorating the bedroom. I no longer have four layers of wallpaper (with a creepy Disney mural behind it) on my wardrobe wall, I have a black wall, as one would want. Consequently, full of wine. I deserve it.

Mickey mouse, pluto and popeye painted on a bright yellow wall. They're painted well, but aged. The surrounding walls are dark purple.

A very black room with black curtains with a big metal pole across one wall containing clothes, mostly black.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

Hey, do you know about my Instagram 'art project' I've been running for almost 10 years where I exclusively post money I've spotted on the floor? If not. www.instagram.com/mandolele314 If you like pennies, and the very occasional note, it's the Instagram feed for you.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

Wow, the edfringe site which only exists to sell tickets is really struggling to sell tickets this evening.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Well, Belfast Airport doesn't have a smoking area airside anymore, the flight was delayed, then the train was delayed. I have necked a bottle of wine and sent Chris to fetch me vegan sushi, for I must attend two (2) comedy shows and have no spoons left.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

I am going away for two nights this weekend. I have a packing list and my bag started already. I am travelling to areas of England I'm very familiar with that definitely have shops to purchase anything I forget. I don't know how or why I became like this.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Happy birthday to Greg Davies, Joz Norris, David Byrne, and little old me. (I am quite old now.)

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

I have been trying to renew my disabled smartpass (NI railcard/bus pass thing that gives a tiny discount) since February, but they've struggled to get a form to my address. One has finally arrived. The only details it wants I had to say to them via email/phone multiple times to get this form.

A pink form, asking if I've changed my address (which would be weird, as you cannot get this form unless it's sent to you), my national insurance number, date of birth and signature. My old pass has my signature. This form cannot be completed online, or printed and sent off, or picked up at a station, it must be sent to your home where you fill it in with a pen and post it, which is obviously the best option for all disabilities according to translink.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

Even though I have made bread pretty much every week for at least four years (and frequently before that, including a year as a pizza chef in a place that made it's own dough daily) I am still pleasantly surprised that it actually rises every time. It's a magic happy thing that makes me smile.

Some swollen risen bread in a stand mixer bowl, on a worktop with a floured silicone mat next to it.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

I had a tiny tiny twitter following and I think none of them have joined me here? So I'm pretty much shouting into a void, and I honestly don't mind it. I don't have much to say. Just occasional pictures of cats.

Tuxedo cat basking outdoors, not quite in the sun but he doesn't seem to mind. Proper neck back leaning while laying down basking, I'm not calling a normal sitting position basking.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

I should not have put the camera so close to the bed. This fucker keeps messing up my preset camera positions, by tapping the bloody camera.

A tuxedo cat sitting in a window bed, washing.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

I made Chris a big tray of meat in a spicy beer and tomato sauce, as I express love through cooking things I won't eat.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

I read the cats the rime of the ancient mariner when they yell for no reason (usually because they think it's dinnertime and it's not, to be fair). It's weird how well it works. I think they like the bit with the albatross.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

Playing a game with Chris where we name songs called... I said things on the high street. He went with 'if you tolerate this, then your children will be Next'. And that's why I love him.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Old bed dismantled, area under the bed hoovered and carpet shampoo'd and hoovered again, dehumidifier ran for an hour to make sure the carpet is super dry, and I am ready for new bed delivery between 11-1 then an afternoon of flat pack.

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Katie @mandolele.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

I'm having the same issue over and over again with Sainsbury's. I'm collating data, because 21 contacts to customer service about the same issue means I now know, statistically, only 66% of them understand the issue and refund me without problems.

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