iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Rosie Niven

Dan Thomas @itsdanthomas.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

The most disappointing video you’ll see today.

Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

🍸Planning an evening out tonight? Just be thankful you don't have to navigate a freezing, wobbly metal gangway suspended over a river to get to the bar. 🚢 Over on Substack, the history of Tyneside's second most famous floating party palace. Ahem, excuse the photo of the Tees Transporter Bridge...

open.substack.com

Before the neon: the former life of Tyneside’s second most famous party boat

A Lebanese rescue, an unusual detour up the River Ribble and settling the great revolving dancefloor debate once and for all.

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Reposted by Rosie Niven

Dreadnought Holiday @dreadships.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

A more professional account might have timed this thread for a day later and tied it into Julie Andrews' birthday, but this is not that account...

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Reposted by Rosie Niven

Scott Dougal @scottdougal.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Working ‘in town’ so walked to Kings Cross. Route took me past the British Museum, through Russell Square Gardens, past the Brunswick, past the British Library. Do that on the right sort of evening/morning and you’d be forgiven for thinking there wasn’t much wrong with London/Britain/the world.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

When did the Tuxedo Royale actually move to Middlesbrough? This confusion perfectly illustrates one of the difficulties encountered when researching local legends. A BBC story on the Princess says one thing, @jonronson.bsky.social says another when writing about the Royale. I think Ronson is right.

open.substack.com

Before the neon: the former life of Tyneside’s second most famous party boat

A Lebanese rescue, an unusual detour up the River Ribble and settling the great revolving dancefloor debate once and for all.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Say “the boat” on Tyneside and people think of the Tuxedo Princess. But what about the other floating nightclub? Today's Substack looks at the Tuxedo Royale to settle the great revolving dancefloor debate, plus a look into her past as a ferry including unusual detours to Beirut and the River Ribble

open.substack.com

Before the neon: the former life of Tyneside’s second most famous party boat

A Lebanese rescue, an unusual detour up the River Ribble and settling the great revolving dancefloor debate once and for all.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Whoever organised this fringe had a sense of humour!

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Spotted in an Essex bakery. Fancy Hawaiian Wensleydale?

Three cheeses in a fridge including a Hawaiian cheese... WENSLEYDALE WITH PINEAPPLE!

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

How do you join a brand-new county together? In Part 2 of A Tale of Two Bridges, guest writer Paul Sullivan explores how an ambitious engineering project ended an era of aging steamers to connect communities on either side of a river. Read the full piece here 👇 open.substack.com/pub/rosieniv...

The PS Lincoln Castle depicted on a postcard in 1975

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I didn't expect a summer holiday museum visit to turn into a Substack post. But learning how the Pont de l’île de Ré replaced a historic ferry route and the debate it generated amongst islanders, was too good a story not to share. This is part 1 of A Tale of Two Bridges. Part 2 drops on Tuesday.

open.substack.com

A Tale of Two Bridges: how tourism killed a ferry route

One long bridge, one long debate: when convenience collided with heritage in France

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Reposted by Rosie Niven

Rae Radford @raeradford.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I think I'm in love with Kevin 😻 #Caturday

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

In a cafe writing while 9-year-old doing ballet. As well as ballet parents here its also parents from football schools. A compitative dad is bellowing at a child younger than mine about what he is doing wrong during his football sessions. It's very offputting for me, but must be worse for the kid. 😔

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

I had the opposite of my usual anxiety dream last night. I arrived at the airport 7 gooyd too early and somehow managed to check in and my husband said "what are we doing to do for the next few hours. Will they let us go home?" Then normal service resumed and I remembered I had left my wash bag.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Kind of fitting that Newsnight is no longer on Friday now we no longer have Bonnie Greer.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

At the cinema to see What do you do for an Encore which captured a Pulp concert I was at last year (plus a Q&A). Turns out I am sitting next to the designated seats for snogging couples.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

To be fair, I'd watch this hee-hee!

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

This week on Lost Crossings: part one of a new two-part series. A Tale of Two Bridges explores a positive reason a ferry route gets axed - the creation of a permanent alternative. But infrastructure of this scale is rarely without controversy, and this crossing to a French island is no exception.

rosieniven.com

A Tale of Two Bridges: how tourism killed a ferry route

One long bridge, one long debate: when convenience collided with heritage in France

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Bit of a rubbish day. Leak in our kitchen over from the hot water supply to the kitchen sink. Has caused at least £500 damage, maybe more. Scared to turn the dishwasher on. Oh, and #nufc are losing 4-0.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Looking for some light weekend reading? Catch up on the Unlikely Ports series, exploring long-forgotten ferry ports across the Irish Sea. 🌊🚢 Down the line, I'd love to do similar series for the Channel and North Sea. Where should I cover when the time comes? Drop your ideas below! 👇

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Reposted by Rosie Niven

Dr Florence H R Scott @florencehrscott.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Bayeux Tapestry good but massively upstaged by seeing a cat in a ruff right before

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Reposted by Rosie Niven

Marc Owen Jones @marcowenjones.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

This whole #RNLI targeting is absolutely reprehensible. For my part they are absolute heroes. A friend and I actually wrote and recorded a song based on the RNLI when we were doing our PhDs. For fans of British Sea Power (the band obv), Idlewild, and the RNLI M<3 - have a listen #RNLISavesLives

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Over the past few months, I've been working on a project to retrace lost ferry routes. My latest post on the accompanying Substack rounds up a mini-series profiling four surprising ferry ports of the past, places which perhaps should never have been ports at all. Catch up here 👇

substack.com

Against the tide: Four unlikely ports

Catch up on the mini-series, and see what's next for Lost Crossings.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I love finding ghost signs and some of my favourites are at Richmond Station in south west London. This one from the 1980s is for British Rail’s “Rail Sail” tickets boasting the ease of reaching the Channel Islands through integrated tickets booked at a local rail station.

Poster showing a boat on the sea with a palm tree and flowers in the foreground.

Full text:

JERSEY & GUERNSEY

AS CLOSE AS YOUR LOCAL STATION

Ask about Bargain Rail Seafares at Principal British Rail stations and Travel Centes or Appointed Tavel Agents

We're getting there

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Oh yes, school assembly bangers Get out the Come and Praise!

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Reposted by Rosie Niven

Dreadnought Holiday @dreadships.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

During the capture of Lampedusa in 1943 the first POWs were taken by an RAF pilot who had got lost, ran out of fuel, made a forced landing and instead of ending up in captivity himself found the airfield's garrison surrendering to him.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Just discovered that two guys I went to school with are on Gogglebox.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Seriously, Reform's underperformance in multiple byelection kind of reminds me a bit when ahead of the Olympics, iirc Johnson lost a couple of races, good team panicked and reportedly resumed the 'roids which is how he eventually got caught out.

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Reposted by Rosie Niven

Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Good to see recognition of the need for better nurdle/plastic pellet regulation from Port of Tyne, but disappointing that there doesn’t seem to be any real acknowledgment of the way community volunteers picked up the pieces.

bbc.co.uk

Nurdle pollution Port of Tyne boss calls for regulations

One billion plastic pellets have polluted the north-east England coastline, estimates suggest.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I was doing a freelance shift at Channel 4 News the day this story broke. Always wondered about it afterwards and was puzzled about why so many unanswered questions. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...

theguardian.com

Gun found in French lake is analysed by 2012 Alps killings investigators

British tourists reportedly discovered Luger pistol that is latest in long line of potential leads in mystery of al-Hilli deaths

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Here I am last week, enjoying being on one of the greenest ferries on the Channel sailing past the Isle of Wight towards Portsmouth. Find out all about my journey on the world's biggest hybrid ferry in my latest post for Substack. www.rosieniven.com/p/how-green-...

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Reposted by Rosie Niven

Steve Jackson @stja.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

The fact that this has been posted on September 2nd at 8.50am is a demonstration of how the sheer stupidity of football clickbait media has dragged down the entire profession. #NUFC

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Last week I travelled on the world's largest hybrid ferry. A tell-tale sign that we were on a hybrid was the fact that there was a total shutdown of most of the external decks for a couple of hours before departure. Only the dog-walking deck was open. Find out why in my latest post.

open.substack.com

How green is your ferry?

The maritime industry is spending big money to ditch diesel. Here is what it is actually like to travel on the new wave of huge hybrid ferries crossing the Channel.

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Reposted by Rosie Niven

Chris @kicka11.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Congratulations to big Nick for getting Tonali's dream move, of the two I prefer Nick to get that chance. #nufc

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Voted. Tough call between South Shields' parks and Herne Bay's Pier.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Hey Self Esteem. Please play Big Man!

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Has Brooklyn Beckham changed his name, or is this a completely different guy?

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Not quite as stunning tonight sadly. Too cloudy.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

This has to be one of the best sunsets I've seen in a while, and possibly the best sunset over the sea I've ever seen.

Sunset over the sea in the background of a street scene

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I'd choose one too, to be fair. If you've already got the bible, and the Works of Shakespeare, why not try and remember familiar places and learn about new places. I can look at maps for hours.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Just discovered that there are some newish series of Mysterious Cities of Gold. Just watched a version set in China with all the original characters.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

At kids Karaoke. Just discovered that the lyrics of How Far I'll Go from Moana has a totally different meaning in French.

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Ahoy! Latest ferry trip commencing, although this one is a holiday, not project-related. Overnight ferry crossing to Saint Malo, but still docked in Portsmouth. This is the view from our cabin with the Spinnaker in the background. My first time on this route.

View from ferry cabin of Portsmouth Harbour with cranes and sheds on the background

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Why is high jump more entertaining than Pole Vault?

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Just turned on the athletics to see that the 400m hurdles have just finished and they have already presented the medals! What? When?

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Harvey Nicks to get the Mike Ashley treatment. Wonder if he'll bring out some massive Harvey Nicks mugs? Seriously though, Much as I dislike MA those mugs are great marketing. We've still got one in the kitchen at work. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

theguardian.com

Sports Direct owner buys Harvey Nichols department store chain

Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group acquires majority of upmarket retailer’s sites from the administrators

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Rosie Niven @rosieniven.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Meh, it was better in 1999…!

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