iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 6h

It seems a small group of blokes who may or may not have been trying to steal fuel/burgle/commit terrorism have driven the US bombers away from RAF Fairford, something I feel thousands of protesters would have failed to achieve Any chance they could pop by the other RAF bases where US bombers are?

1114

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

If you see this post a vampire that is not Dracula

041

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Waiting to go in to see Mock the Week recorded. An hour before they let us in and the drizzle is starting?

000

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I've had a day of it Idiot Sunday drivers with no clue on the size of their car/speed limits, cretins in shops blocking isles, weather presenters who don't look out the bloody window! Utter fecking MORONS. Everyone, EVERYONE is a Oh. Maybe it's me It's me If *everyone* is wrong, it's actually me.

220

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I can't but help wondering if this is some sort of secret revenge by Liz Truss.

050

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

We are up in London to see Taskmaster being recorded. We’ve just been pulled out the queue and asked if we will sit on the front row, as we are small! At last, our stature has an advantage!

390

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

This one was 5 this week! We’ve had Rosalind since birth, as you can see she’s not a friendly cat…

230

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

And so it begins. No longer happy with simply slagging off news media Trump objects to (the ones who highlight his lies and failings), he is now shutting them out. Isn't this what dictators do? The USA has a choice. Refuse to accept this, or accept your overlord. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Donald Trump says he is banning CNN, Politico and MS NOW from White House

The US president has had a tense and fiery relationship with the US media since returning to office.

140

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Judging by my social media feeds, this is the most popular news item across the world at the moment! I, of course, was also fascinated to know about this new species of small cat. I wonder if it will be friends? The below links to the BBC but it's on ?all? news sites www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Spotted wildcat from Bolivian forest revealed as new species

A spotted wildcat long mistaken for relatives has been identified as a new species in Bolivia.

020

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Tonight’s entertainment -Rhys James!(UK comedian, does a lot of satirical panel shows on tv. Looks like the ghost of a Victorian child)

010

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

This made me both laugh and feel sad. As, sadly, it is already happening, both in France and here. Our Caring industries totally rely on people who are not white, often not born in the UK.

130

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

She’s not done this in a while - classic cat in a basket! #caturday #cats

Spotted tabby cat with a white bib settled in a washing basket with some washing I. It

0120

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

So much for me reading my New Scientist with a cup of tea in the garden. Someone wants a cuddle

240

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

More & more I wish televised sport had an option to turn off the commentators and keep the event sound. I’m sick to death of the mostly pointless and often banal, repetitive drivel the commentators give. I don’t need to know the age of everyone, I have no interest who their coach is. Just Shut UP!

120

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I’ll never be on ‘The great British sewing bee’ but I can take up a pair of trousers just fine. Both legs are the same length AND the right length! I’ve never worked out the iron though 😁

My legs in a pair of light blue jeans, the legs touching the top of my trainers, as they should. The jeans have clearly not been ironed though.

090

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

When you've seen how some people want to design computer systems, this is actually pretty reasonable...

120

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Well, I was out by 48 hours but here we go again. The USA is bombing Iran, Trump is making his usual threats of "total distruction" (Again? How often can Iran be totally detroyed? How often has Trump "won" now?) He's seriously working through the depleted reserves of missiles the US has though.

Screen image of a BBC news article about America bombing Iran again (1/Sep/26), showing several small container or bulk-carrier boats in the strait of Hormuz.

220

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I was going to say there is a whole generation now who probably don't get this. But it's probably closer to 2 generations 😆

010

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

About 5 years ago. Hera looked at me as if to say "Are you going to help?" And we did. We fed Hera in mad panicks leaving the clan in the first days, fussed her when she took the odd hour off in the following weeks, and we entertained the kits as they went wild. And we adopted one kit and mum.

black and white cat, striking nasal and lip patterns, resting on her back as four kittens, all under 2 days old, a mixture of tabby & (B&W) kits with pink paws feed, Mother cat looks calmly into the cameral, she knows the human willl help in the task to come

140

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

It's been over a week since Trump did one of his moronic bombing attacks in Iran, or claimed "I won!". His threat of fiscal "D-day" was slapped down by China and had no effect. He must be getting itchy. He must be about ready to throw another tantrum. I give it 50:50 he'll do dumb this weekend.

230

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Things you learn at school and forget. When I did metalwork at school we used a micrometer, a vernier micrometer. You took the main reading (5.5mm) on the lower, horizontal scale on the tool, the next on the wheel (0.28mm so now 5.78mm) and then where the lines meet, so 5.783mm. Such precision!

110

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I have to confess, a new one to me - and top Larson.

110

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Let's make it one word "Gold!" OK, two, as most of you probably went "Gold! (gold)"

031

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

It’s raining! Tomorrow morning this will all be greeeeen! It won’t, the rain is so light it’s evaporating off the patio as fast as it falls. But it IS rain.

140

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Hera taking advantage of the path I’ve cleared along the dried out stream to the much-reduced pond, where she likes to hunt #caturday #cats #catsofbluesky

1101

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

The grass is baked brown and covered in brown leaves shed by the silver birch in a bid to conserve water, but the natural wildflowers (“weeds”!) and Marigolds (which I admit I water) add some really quite striking colour.

A sun-parched lawn covered in brown leaves, under several silver birch trunks and a lamppost. A table and two chairs behind the lamppost sit in the mid ground of the shot. Around the base of the lamppost are orange- flowered marigolds and the lawn has hundreds of yellow dandelion-like, small flowers on 20cm stems

010

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Here we go again, only 9:30 and it is already high twenties. I know other countries get a lot hotter but us Brits tend to wilt above 30C. Maybe 36 today Even sitting in the shade is not so effective - as half the leaves have fallen off the trees to reduce water loss!

230

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

The dappled light from our trees acted like dozens of pinhole cameras - as the partial eclipse progresses, the arcs moved.

120

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

I don't know why, it just felt time to share this again...

140

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Given where I live in the SE of England, and all the cooler, wetter weather is failing to get over to here - this hits harder than normal! When we DO get some rain showers, they go either side of us. I just want some wet, cold, miserable weather 😂

130

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I've just come across this picture of my first car! A mark 1 VW Golf GLS. I bought it in July 1990, for the huge price of £1,250. It already had something like 85K miles on the clock. That car enabled me to do off-site work for the NHS, the expenses/overtime I got repaid it within 12 months!

A boxy, light green Mark 1 Golf,, the picture is taken from straight in front of the cat. There is an oblong, black grill across the whole width of the front, with the VW badge in the centre, round headlights at each end. The car is parked on a road that bends to the right behind the car, with a row of condrete posts on the wide path to the right and an old-style bench. To the left and across the backgrouns is open grassland, which is Clifton Downs in Bristol

130

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

I had this in real life, even tho' it's now an urban myth. I was working on a hospital system, the staff in Geriatrics (yes, really) kept saying the I.T. system died every afternoon. Yes, the cleaning team arrived, unpluged this little box so they could power the vacuum. It was the wifi router.

250

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

To give credit to the artist (for those who don't know, I think in BlueSky likes don't count, re-post do)

010

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I love this! I especially like it as the original "... is so bracing" was for Skegness, where I was born.

250

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

No sh*t, Sherlock! There are cracks in my lawn I can almost crawl down and even native plants have curled up and died. But Climate Change is a myth....

220

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

“I spy with my little eye (*) something begging with rusting and ending with Squeak!” (* actually two piercing eyes). #caturday #cat

Black and white cat sat on a railway sleeper across a ditch, starring intently into deep undergrowth

190

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Due to the zoology background I know the answers to Calvin's questions 😂. He's right on the drumsticks (chickens & humans are both pretty much bipedal so good eating there). We'd eat the bum, thighs and calfs of other humans. Not so much sirloin on a human! Or Chuck & Shank.

130

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Blood O2 solidly at 92 at utter rest. It might well be the heat (pulse rate is ok) but I have to say, when daytime is 36c and the house is slow to cool, I don’t like it! But I’m about to move to the air con bedroom ( 22C), so I’ll be ok.

100

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

It’s endless, isn’t it? My EE contract is up for renewal soon and as well as the above-inflation price increases they build into the contract, they hike up the prices to “renew”, and you have to call them, say sod off, and suddenly there are better options. I hates them, I does.

100

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I'm not so sure on divisive policy 16, but the rest I can get behind!

010

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

Me, many times as I grew up. My parents never explained WHY I could not watch films with sex or violence. However, they never checked what books I took out the library. Three TinTin books and Starship Troopers then!

120

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

@dwpete.bsky.social @franglaise.bsky.social @rolypeck.bsky.social Are you all safe from the wildfires? It looks a bit crazy over there (our will try to catch up over the next 5 days)

220

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

It feels like thunderstorms should be kicking off but weather radar shows there is absolutely zero rain within a hundred miles of us! (H/T to Netweather.tv)

A map of southern England and Wales as shown by a rain radar service. No rain anywhere.

030

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Hera, checking out the dead tree she just cut down for me. Clever cat. #caturday (though a day late)

120

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

After a hard, hot day clearing a neglected area of the garden full of rocks, ivy, concrete, and levelling it, I settle down in the shade with a beer, magazine, & music. But Some Damn Cat thinks it’s for her!

270

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Today I’m clearing up this part of the ditch/stream as it is dry. It’s not quite so warm and I’m in the shade, so it’s not so bad. The cats refuse to help and have slunk inside for a kip

Image of a dry ditch, bucket in the bottom, secateurs visible on the side. The vegetation on the side is clearly half cleared, a mixture of brambles, saplings, and ivy. The sun is shining, blue sky, but the ditch is in shade

180

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

It’s cooled down a little, but I still need to be in the shade as I’ve got my chainsaw gear on. Time to section up some of these branches, after all it’s looking like being below 30 for a while. We might need to fire up the log burner…

Large pile of tree branches, about 1.8 meters tall on a parched lawn, with a hedge and trees behind. In the foreground on the left is a chainsaw and branch holder, just in the shade

120

Martin Widlake @martinwidlake.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Hera has gone into the garden to play with her toys. #caturday #diggers

140