iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 23h

First real frost today. Bright and cold is my favourite running weather.

A frosty field beyond which is a ruined castle and a farm.

A wide angle shot of a castle ruin on a green mound, the sky is bright blue.

Hadrian's Wall stretching over hills and scrubby grass.

In the foreground is part of Hadrian's Wall, beyond are fields and hills, and a clear blue sky.

1320 32

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 07/10/2026

Better weather than expected today, have to make the most of it this time of year. Had lunch at Twice Brewed then walked along the lower path to Sycamore Gap and back. A lot of walkers out.

Part of Hadrian's Wall. A very old, ruined stone wall climbing away from the photographer. Grasses and moss grow in cracks.

Two walkers up ahead on a grassy path through rolling open countryside. The sky is blue with clouds. The ground either side of the grass path is scrubby, ideal for grazing sheep.

170 7

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 05/10/2026

Using up some vacation days this week. I have lots of DIY and other jobs to do, but I found my pumpkin lights so started with the very important task of seasonal office decorations.

A box of pumpkin and leaf light strings, a black cat plushie sat on top of the lights.

An open grid shelving unit with the pumpkin and leaf lights hung up.

Small Firefox and Mozilla plush toys, A Book Apart books, and the Halloween lights.

070 7

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 03/10/2026

Lovely autumn morning with a bit of a chill in the air at Talkin Tarn Parkrun.

Photo taken into a low sun over a lake. Ducks are silhouetted in the foreground on water with gentle waves.

The parkrun sign on the shore of a lake. The sky is clear and blue.

0170 17

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 27/09/2026

Got out on my run in time to catch an epic sky this morning.

A blood red sky over the lights of a closed petrol station. The red of the numbers indicating fuel prices mirror the colour of the sky.

A medieval stone church with a small bell tower with a pink and purple sky behind. In the foreground are a few old gravestones in the grass.

1640 64

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 11/09/2026

The sunrise under the clouds this morning was pretty. I've had to get my running torch and hi-vis out of the winter box though.

Taken from a bridge looking down onto a small branch line rail station. A two carriage train is at the platform. The tracks run towards a bright orange sunrise below dark clouds, and the light reflects off the train roof which is otherwise in darkness. It's the sort of morning light that makes you expect rain.

1251 25

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 02/09/2026

Here's a slightly wobbly video of the hummingbird moth.

050 5

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 02/09/2026

Finally managed to get a photo of the Hummingbird Hawk Moth that's been coming to my garden.

A moth getting nectar from a red flower. It has a chunky body and is hovering like a hummingbird, the wings are a blur as they are beating so fast.

2261 26

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 31/08/2026

It feels Autumnal here today. I'm making soup out of random fridge items and wondering if it's time to start a jigsaw. I may have encouraged this feeling by making a Christmas tree.

A fabric Christmas tree made out of Christmas fabric. Each side of the tree is a different fabric. To give it a 3D effect, it's made from three fabric tree shapes sewn together down the middle then each of the six pieces is stuffed.

150 5

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 22/08/2026

I live in an amazing place. It's worth the run up a giant hill and a wade through sharp reeds for this view.

The view from the top of a hill. The track I've run up stretches away down the hill which is covered in scrubby grass and heather. In the distance are far off hills, you can see very little in the way of building or other objects. The sky is blue with dappled white clouds.

The elevation graph for my run, showing elevation gain of 551ft over just under 5 miles.

2150 15

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 21/08/2026

My garden this morning, Testing out the camera on the Pixel 11 Pro. 📍 Haltwhistle, England, GB #GrainSocial grain.social/profile/did:plc:xi53lk…

Bright pink snapdragons nestled in a crowded flower bed.

A bright green fuchsia plant with red stalks and red veins in the leaves.

A pink cosmos with a yellow center, there are drops of water on the petals

1131 13

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 09/08/2026

Heading home from a fun day in London with my daughter. We did parkrun together, ate lovely food, and saw Jesus Christ Superstar (which is epic, Sam Ryder is amazing). This morning, a run in Regents Park before the fast train to Newcastle.

The set before the start of Jesus Christ Superstar at The Palladium. The back of the stage is all scaffolding and on stage is a large cross laying flat.

My daughter and I with silly grins in our theatre seats. We are both white women, I have cropped hair and glasses, she has a blonde bob.

Early morning view of a river with canal boats. Scattered clouds reflect in the water.

0150 15

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 07/08/2026

Lovely tour of London from the air this morning, landing at LCY. We did a 180 right over The Shard.

A view of London from a plane, the Thames curving past the tower blocks of Canary Wharf.

The dome of the O2 arena from a plane window looking straight down.

1190 19

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 02/08/2026

Went to a country fair today, there was judging of all kinds of animals, vintage cars, and baked goods.

A lineup of sheep for judging. Each sheep has a sheep handler who is trying to keep the sheep in the line.

A calf with amazing long eyelashes nuzzles into its mother.

A sheep with long cream coloured wool but a black and white face looks at me from the middle of a whole bunch of similar sheep.

170 7

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 01/08/2026

Had to reroute our run today due to cows all over the path. I'm not a fan of cows when they have calves with them.

A low stream, with stepping stones in the foreground. The sky is bright blue with white clouds.

View looking along a country road to hills beyond. There are fields on either side. In the far distance Hadrian's Wall snakes over a steep hillside.

180 8

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 25/07/2026

For some reason cosmos never grew in my Bristol garden, I'd just get one rubbish stalk. Here they are popping out flowers all over the place.

A flowerbed with a stepping stone path, on the left are pink cosmos and to the right of the path spikes of red and yellow snapdragons.

Lots of pink cosmos which are the sort of flower you get if you ask a five year old to draw a flower.

1120 12

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 15/07/2026

Just as Pixel started feeling better, Em had to have a tooth removed. She's not pleased about it, and nobody is happy that other cats smell of the vet. I have a very hissy house right now.

A close up of a calico cat with her tongue stuck out.

0220 22

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 15/07/2026

I love the activity feed on Sifa. I've written things to pull together bits of my online life numerous times over the years, but by way of all these things being atproto apps it's all just there in my PDS. sifa.id/p/rachelandr...

An activity feed showing colored squares for days that I posted to one or more atproto apps. My latest posts to Bluesky and photos on Grain are also listed.

3595 59

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 09/07/2026

I moved here exactly a year ago and the garden was scrubby lawn and filthy gravel embedded in clay, no planting at all. Today I've hauled in the last huge bags of gravel and bark, it's getting there.

A garden with stepping stones through the lawn to a wooden building, and also with a path through a deep flowerbed. The planting is all quite low, as it's a new garden., but it's very colourful.

10740 74

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 07/07/2026

I'm not sure anything is going to boost sales of PHP Web Development with Macromedia Dreamweaver MX at this point. I think if I were growth marketing this site, I'd filter out 22 year old tech books.

An email which says.

Good news!

Your book, PHP Web Development with Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, is now listed on BookBub.com. Every week, millions of readers use BookBub to find their next read and thousands of authors and publishers use our tools to reach those readers and boost book sales.

6854 85

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 29/06/2026

He's a bit out of it from the sedation, but he's home. Hopefully the stuff they gave him will encourage his appetite.

A grey and white cat lying on his back legs akimbo, he looks a bit stoned.

0100 10

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 29/06/2026

Pixel is in the vet hospital as he's been refusing food all weekend, which is very unlike him. Send good cat thoughts in his direction.

Pixel (a grey and white tuxedo cat) staring at the camera.

6640 64

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 25/06/2026

Too hot to really run so had a tourist jog round the museum island. Berlin has the best sightlines.

Modern architecture reflected in water. The Berlin TV tower far on the horizon.

Modern buildings around a river, reflected in the still water

The Reichstag Building from along the river path, the dome reflects in the water. The light is golden early morning light.

4770 77

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 24/06/2026

Good morning Berlin! Here for I/O Connect.

The Deutscher Dom cathedral with a domed tower in early morning sunshine.

The Brandenburg Gate in early morning sun with noone about.

1260 26

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 21/06/2026

Solstice sunrise run. Such a beautiful day.

Sun rising in a clear sky over a river with tree lined banks.

A church in silhouette at the top of a hill.

2501 50

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 20/06/2026

The last commercial salt-glazed pottery is down the road from me. And I'm getting quite a collection of their pots. They also have this quite terrifying exit from their car park up the hill, through all the pots.

A view over my car dashboard down a hill. The sides of the drive are lined with pots. There's a tall chimney and a kiln on the left and the sky is blue with white clouds.

140 4

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 13/06/2026

Spending the afternoon sorting out my blog template with a sleepy Max next to me. Every so often he realises I stopped stroking his head, and pulls my hand away from the keyboard. #caturday

A large and fluffy orange cat asleep on a blanket.

2222 22

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 10/06/2026

Lovely morning for a run in Amsterdam. An improvement on yesterday when I got so wet I looked like I'd been in a canal.

Sun just rising with a tall ship silhouetted.

A windmill against a clear early morning sky.

A windmill from a distance with a canal in the foreground.

A harbour at sunrise with a mixture of old buildings and modern architecture. A tall ship is moored.

2241 24

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 07/06/2026

After flying over France and Belgium during the night they landed near Bastendorf in Luxembourg! Amazing.

A map showing a route from the East Coast of the USA to Luxembourg in Europe.

1110 11

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 05/06/2026

I have another day off work to move rocks about. Today, laying stepping stones through the lawn.

A lighter patch of grass where a stepping stone was laid on top to create a cutting template. I'm pleased I thought to do that!

A stepping stone sized hole in the turf.

A stepping stone in the hole. The stones are light grey with irregular edges, and are set below the lawn so I can easily mow over.

2140 14

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 30/05/2026

The weather is on the turn, but it was beautiful for my run this morning. Getting some planting done now before the rain comes.

A view across scrubby moorland to a valley and hills. The sky is blue and streaked with white clouds.

A wooden sigh pointing to Thirlwall Castle, a field and hill behind it.

1100 10

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 25/05/2026

After four days of dragging rocks and mud around I'm pretty pleased with this. Lots more to do, you can see the old path that needs taking out, but this is a start.

A garden building surrounded by freshly laid gravel. There's a scrubby path leading up to the neat area and an untidy flowerbed.

190 9

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 23/05/2026

I think that's enough rock hauling for one day. The cats are pleased their bench has returned to the right place. There are still many rocks to move but I did see the bottom of bag one.

Gravel halfway across a weed membrane with a large orange cat on a bench.

280 8

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 23/05/2026

Old gravel is gone from the bottom of the garden! Weed membrane down. My reward is to haul more rocks. At least these are nice clean rocks.

190 9

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 22/05/2026

New gravel came! I'm still digging out old gravel. It's all welded into clay soil so taking some breaking up.

130 3

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 22/05/2026

I took today off work so I have a four day weekend. I'm using it to dig up this layer of nasty gravel, weeds, and clay, and replace it with new weed membrane and nicer gravel.

The end of my garden which is full of manky stones and mud. A spade and a shovel are against the fence.

2240 24

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 11/05/2026

Max made a beeline for the chair next to the radiator in my office.

A big orange long haired cat curled up asleep in a chair next to a radiator.

120 2

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 10/05/2026

The weekend is short and the list of house and garden jobs is long. Did however find time to go see an epic bluebell wood.

A forest with a stream running through is, everything is lush and green with a haze of blue from the bluebells on the bank of the stream.

A few bluebells nestled in ferns and grasses, a stream runs behind the foliage.

An old bridge with a sign in the foreground that says 'Lanercost Bridge. Prohibited all vehicles except hand carts, perambulators, invalid carriages, pedal cycles pushed by hand'.

A wood, the ground is covered by greenery and bluebells, a path runs through the wood on the left side of the frame.

1110 11

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 06/05/2026

I try and get out for a lunchtime walk round town, and often return with something interesting from one of the independent shops. Today, the perfect feature plant for a bowl I'm planting.

0170 17

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 25/04/2026

Trail run at RAF Spadeadam today. I'm kind of broken so was a bit of a run/hike but that gave me chance to take photos of interesting stuff.

A medal, snood, and badges for the Spadeadam Blue Streak Trail Run.

Military hardware, a rocket launcher in a forest.

The sun high in a bright blue sky over a barren terrain. There are hills in the distance

080 8

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 23/04/2026

I've done something to myself and have to take a few days off running. The upside of hiking instead is I can take a proper camera with me.

The ruins of Thirlwell castle against a blue sky.

A section of Hadrian's wall in the foreground. The wall runs off into the distance.

A bare tree against a blue sky on a hillside covered in short rough grass.

A shallow river sparkling in the sunshine

1140 14

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 03/04/2026

This screen is promising a lot. Though it probably can't be less productive than what it's replacing, which had a habit of randomly turning off.

A large box for a computer monitor, declaring "ultimate coding productivity"

160 6

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 29/03/2026

And pretty much done. There's some panels I need to decide where to place. I did not expect this to take all weekend, my hands are shredded.

A black and oak shelving unit used as a room divider. It has four cupboards at the bottom and various cubbies and shelves.

3200 20

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 28/03/2026

The frame is up! All the stuff on the floor is the shelves and cupboards. A job for tomorrow.

A metal frame for a bookcase in a room empty other than piles of wood behind the frame.

5250 25

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 28/03/2026

This afternoon is me versus a very complicated shelf. This is just the frame, I've got 25 individual boxes and an instruction book that's like a computer manual.

An exploded diagram of a shelf system, showing the individual components.

4330 33

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 28/03/2026

A blustery but beautiful run this morning. Rain held off until I was driving home.

A view across fields, a stone wall across the foreground, hills in the distance. The sky is full of the sort of clouds you see on changeable weather days.

0140 14

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 15/03/2026

I have paid the YouTube subscription so Max doesn't get annoyed by ads.

A very fluffy orange cat sits right in front of a wall mounted TV showing footage of birds. His long fluffy tail hangs down from where he's sat on the TV unit.

0401 40

Rachel Andrew @rachelandrew.co.uk · 14/03/2026

Happy to be back up North, where the sun is shining.

A view from the top of a rocky hill, you can see hills in the distance and a bright blue sky with a few light clouds.

0220 22