iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by SBlandfo

The Daily Britain @thedailybritain.bsky.social · 8h

New research published this week makes Britain look even more unusual: 35 of 37 European countries studied had no recent examples of serving politicians presenting news or current affairs programmes.

10323125 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 11h

Thread. A Day In The Life Of Our Massive Orange Cat, Jim.

130234 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Gurdeep Pandher of the Yukon @gurdeep.ca · 15/10/2026

October is a beautiful time of year in Canada. filmed this video during my 2022 visit to Stratford, Ontario, in October. With dance and music set against Stratford’s vibrant autumn colours, I’m excited to share Canada’s autumn beauty with the world.

361526229 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Rich Welsh @rdwglass.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

In Manchester this week a church was demolished by the council. So were the windows. It is very easy to remove stained glass windows. Costs - a cherry picker and two/three people a day or two. Would they demolish a museum with artefacts in place, a gallery with paintings on the wall? #stainedglass

Church and stained glass being demolished

139928 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Stop Funding Hate @stopfundinghate.bsky.social · 19h

New research reveals that Ofcom has made Britain an extreme outlier by enabling politicians to present TV current affairs shows. Out of 37 other European countries, only Malta - where corruption is notoriously rampant - and Iceland, had similar practices /1 www.theguardian.com/media/2026/o...

theguardian.com

UK ‘an outlier in Europe’ for letting Farage and other politicians present TV shows

Analysis of countries’ broadcasting rules confirms Ofcom code is highly unusual, amid concerns about impartiality

49449 0

SBlandfo @sblandfo.bsky.social · 18h

As so often on old gravestones, there is a story of personal heartbreak behind the formal words - despite their wealth and status, by the time Henry Hoare died at only 48, he and his “most faithful and affectionate” wife Jane (née Benson) had already lost 6 of their 11 children.

040 0

SBlandfo @sblandfo.bsky.social · 18h

#31DaysOfGraves Day16: Faith This very long memorial inscription in St Peter’s Church #Stourhead to Henry Hoare who died in 1724 includes the rather daunting statement that “He had a well-grounded, and therefore an inflexible, Zeal For the Faith, Discipline, and Worship of the Church of England”.

In its entirety, this very elegant memorial with finely-carved black lettering on white marble, topped by a bust of the deceased, reads as follows:

To the Pious Memory of Henry Hoare Esquire, Son of Sir Richard Hoare sometime Lord Mayor, Prefident of Christ’s Hospital, and Member of Parliament for the City of London.

His Character is too Great to be described, and yet too Good to be concealed. His Love of God and Mankind were so ardent, that He sought all Opportunities of Honouring the One, and Doing Good to the Other.

He was strictly Pious Himself, without being censorious of Others; truly Humble without Affectation; Grave without Moroseness: Cheerful without Levity;
Just beyond Exception; and Merciful without Reserve. God blessed him with a good Understanding, which he improvd by Conversing with the best Books and wisest Men, and by a conftant course of serious Meditation.

He lived under a settled Habit of Private Charities; and bore a Noble Share
In all those Publick acts of Piety and Mercy, which have continued the Blessings, and averted the Judgments of God. Hence He was honourd with the Esteem of all good Men; and with the Friendship of many the most Distinguished by their High rank or Great merit.

He had a well-grounded, and therefore an inflexible, Zeal For the Faith, Discipline, and Worship of the Church of England. He gave by his last Will £2000 For Erecting and Encouraging Charity Schools and Workhouses: The profits and produce of £2000 more, to be applied yearly for ever in purchasing and giving to the Poor the Holy Bible, the Common Prayer, and the Whole Duty of Man: and left £1300 to other Charitable uses.

His Soul went to God March the 12th 1724 in the 48th year of his Age
He married Jane Daughter of Sir William Benson Knight by whom he had 11 Children; of which 2 Sons and 3 Daughters now Survive.
This Monument was erected at Her expense Being now his Mournful Widow, as She was His most faithful and affectionate Wife.

2191 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Mark Thompson @markreckons.bsky.social · 19h

First single you bought with your own money. No lying! Mine: "Red Box - Lean on Me (Ah-Li-Ayo)", 1985. Still know every word.

38511412 0

SBlandfo @sblandfo.bsky.social · 18h

George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” in 1971

020 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Marburymoths @marburybirds.bsky.social · 19h

It’s my favourite when the Ravens are waiting in their tree for me. Yesterday I thought they weren’t going to come they were so late. I wonder what makes them choose. I never know when on my walk they will come & visit, it is completely their choice. Glad they do choose to though!

41219 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Association for Scottish Literature @asls.org.uk · 15/10/2026

𝘔𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦. My father rubbed his hands together, stared as though their whorls held codes of thirty years obstetric surgery – 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵; 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯… —Andrew Greig, “The Eye in the Hand: At the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh” #poem

The Eye in the Hand
by Andrew Greig

At the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh

My only talent lay in these.
My father rubbed his hands together,
stared as though their whorls held codes
of thirty years obstetric surgery –
It’s a manual craft; the rest’s just memory
and application. The hard art
lay in knowing when to stop.
He curled his fingers like a safe-cracker
recalling a demanding lock;
I glimpse a thousand silent break-ins:
the scalpel’s shining jemmy pops
a window in the body, then – quick! –
working in the dark remove or
re-arrange, clean up, quit,
seal the way in. Oh strange burglar
who leaves things better than he found them!
On good days it seemed my fingertips
could see through skin, and once inside
had little lamps attached, that lit
exactly how and where to go.
He felt kin to painters, plumbers, joiners,
men whose hands were eloquent.
I wander through the college, stare
at portraits of those names he’d list,
Simpson, Lister, Wade and Bell,
the legends of his craft, recalled
as though he’d known them personally.
Impossible, of course. Fingers don’t see.
Yet it gave me confidence, so I could proceed.
I stare at the College coat of arms,
that eye wide-open in the palm,
hear his long-dead voice, and see
those skilful hands that now are ash;
working these words I feel him by me,
lighting up the branching pathways.
Impossible, of course, and yet it gives
me confidence. Surely we need
to believe we are not working blind;
with his eye open in my mind
I open the notebook and proceed.

172 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Brexit Bin 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 @brexitbin.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

How much did Single Market membership alone boost the UK's GDP? #EUBasics 🇪🇺

15637 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Westminster Abbey @westminsterabbey.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Our dramatic memorial to Lt General William Hargrave shows him rising from his coffin as a figure of Time breaks the dart of Death who loses his crown and falls downwards. Sculptor Louis Francois Roubiliac achieved the illusion of depth and perspective by painting the stone #31DaysOfGraves #Brick

An ornate, three-dimensional stone funerary monument set against a stone wall.

At the center, a muscular, semi-draped man rises dramatically from a stone tomb, looking upward while throwing off his shroud, which billows above him. Above him, a brick pyramid appears to shatter and crumble, with a small angel blowing a trumpet in the upper left.

To the right of the rising figure, a winged, bearded figure of Time holding a broken scythe leans forward, looking down at a skeleton representation of Death tangled in drapery at his feet.

An inscribed plaque on the tomb’s side dedicates the memorial to Lieutenant General William Hargrave. Below, a round stone wreath frames another inscription dedicated to two friends lost at sea. The base is decorated with two crests.

A detailed stone sculpture depicts a muscular man rising from a tomb, looking upward with wide eyes and an open mouth. He holds a large, draped shroud above his head, creating a dramatic canopy. To the upper left, a small cherub with wings rests on a cloud, blowing a long horn. Behind them, a wall of stone blocks appears to crumble and separate, adding to the dynamic sense of resurrection or awakening.

A close-up shot of a white marble sculpture depicting a muscular, bearded man with a wide, intense gaze and a tuft of hair on his head. He has a large, feathered wing extending from his right shoulder. The figure is set against a background of textured, angular stone blocks and a brick archway.

0154 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Justin Ng @justin-ng.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Apologies forgot to post this yday. Larry might look a lil worse for wear but he's still napping, stretching and patrolling. he has been having treatment for his cysts for some time. so none of this is new. but he is ok and doing his usual. all is well folks

44135177 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Butterfly Conservation @savebutterflies.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Ever wondered where all the pollinators hang out? 🦋🐝 An eight-year study has revealed that Common Ivy is the most popular flower among pollinating insects 👉 butterfly-conservation.org/news-and-blo... @pomscheme.bsky.social @ukceh.bsky.social @jncc.bsky.social

413544 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Debbie Cameron @debsadelight.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

#31daysofgraves Day 14 brick A headstone I found on "brick beach" at Hightown where rubble from the Liverpool blitz was dumped in 1942. I found a gravestone in the bricks! I discovered the family’s history from one small chunk of headstone. historicalclues.blogspot.com/2025/02/

63814 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Brexit Bin 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 @brexitbin.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

How big is the British market compared to the EU's Single Market #EUBasics 🇪🇺

29847 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Centre for the History of People, Place & Community @chppc.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Be part of history! What does the #BayeuxTapestry mean to you? We're creating a new online archive of our stories around the Bayeux Tapestry and European Year of the Normans 2027. You can leave your story via the link, or share on here (including images), using #UoLTapestry. tinyurl.com/UoLTapestry

Drawing of the Bayeux Tapestry from a 19th-century edition in Senate House Library

12814 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Marburymoths @marburybirds.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Yes sometimes especially with raptors

011 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Marburymoths @marburybirds.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

The Ravens flew in and got straight down to canoodling this morning before they had any breakfast! I was thinking, as I was sat with them, that if someone offered me a million pounds to not have the Ravens any more I wouldn’t take it. They are priceless to me 🥰

2251156 0

SBlandfo @sblandfo.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

The #ravens seem to pause for a moment when they hear calls by other birds? Do they ever fly off to investigate?

110 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

The Victorian Society @thevicsoc.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

All Souls is lost forever, but its destruction must prompt a serious examination of how this happened, and what needs to change to prevent other historic buildings suffering the same fate.

131 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

The Victorian Society @thevicsoc.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

The loss is difficult to comprehend given the transformation of Ancoats over the past 20 years. Investment has brought new life to this part of Manchester, including the restoration and reuse of numerous historic buildings. Yet All Souls continued to deteriorate. Why was a future never secured?

131 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

The Victorian Society @thevicsoc.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

The church had been closed for some forty years, and its national architectural and historic importance recognised through listing for almost as long. Yet it had been allowed to deteriorate until demolition was deemed necessary on public safety grounds.

111 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

The Victorian Society @thevicsoc.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

The Society is appalled by the destruction of the former All Souls Church on Every St, Manchester, demolished after standing for 180+ years. For generations, it had been a place of worship and centre of community life, witnessing some of the most significant moments in the lives of local people. 🧵

3186 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Kirsty Hartsiotis @stroudstory.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Day 14, brick. Compton cemetery, #Surrey, the cloister a brick loggia sheltering mourners through sun and rain, and sheltering the memorial to G F Watts, the husband of the designer of all this, Mary Seton Watts. Their grave is outside experiencing the elements #31DaysOfGraves

2339 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Marc Morris @marcmorris.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Today's the 960th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, so obviously I'm reposting my scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry in Playmobil.

311318287 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Malcolm Stoneman @malcolmstoneman.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

👀 Stowford church, Devon Encaustic tiles probably from the 1874 restoration of the church by George Gilbert Scott. #TilesOnTuesday

Green floral like tiles, that make up border & horizontal & vertical divisions. At the intersections are smaller light brown flower tiles.

Within large squares thus created are four tiles that make up a variety of kaleidoscopic designs.
These have dark brown background and gold highlighting.

012318 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Dinah Rose KC @dinahrose.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Remembering Gwyneth Bebb today. She passed Oxford law finals with first class marks in 1913, but was refused a degree. The CA rejected her claim to become a solicitor, saying only men were "persons" within the legislation. In 1920 she finally became a Bar student. But died in childbirth in 1921.

Screenshot of a Facebook post recording the fact that on this day in 1920, women were awarded Oxford degrees for the first time. Image of graduating women.

18848276 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

North Ages @northages.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

William, duke of Normandy, defeated Harold II, king of the English, at the Battle of Hastings #OTD in 1066. Harold’s pregnant second wife Ealdgyth then withdrew to Chester while, in London, Ealdred, archbishop of York, rallied support for the boy Edgar Ætheling.

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry showing one warrior with an arrow in his eye while another is cut down by a horseman beneath the words HIC HAROLD REX INTERFECTUS EST, ‘Here King Harold has been slain’.

35817 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Jay Rayner @jayrayner1.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

A mid week piece from me, on the FT newspages. In an act of extraordinary generosity the owner of the building which houses Rules, London’s oldest restaurant, has donated it to the @nationaltrust.org.uk www.ft.com/content/1386...

ft.com

Home of London’s oldest restaurant, Rules, given to National Trust

Building in Covent Garden bequeathed to heritage charity to ensure 228-year institution remains ‘part of the city’s cultural life’

1634667 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Esther @elhopkins.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

infection, doesn’t mean you won’t get long Covid. In fact most people who have long covid only had a mild infection. Therefore, the thinking on this is clearly broken. The messaging should be prevent, do not catch!

1102 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Esther @elhopkins.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

There are imo several things wrong with the Covid messaging : 1. Getting repeatedly sick is not making you healthier- Covid damages the immune system and is also vascular. 2. It’s airborne and they are still not telling the Public how to prevent airborne infections. 3. A seemingly ‘mild’ acute 🧵

13612 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

“So it was, on that misty morning, that Brenda set off for the capital. She knew not what she would find there, only that the time had come to move on - away from small-minded rural attitudes and people who called her ‘Oreo’ and ‘the wide panda’ - to seek a more fulfilling life.”

A belted galloway cow walking into the mist, on a Dorset lane, towards a bold, unpredictable future. You can see half of my car in the background. It looks remarkably clean, by normal standards. When one of my wife's work colleagues asked her "What car does your husband drive?" she answered "I can't remember what make it is but it's the really dirty one that sometimes turns up in the car park here" and her colleague immediately said "Oh yes, I know the one."

25613106 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Petra Boynton @petraboynton.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

"No deed is greater than saving a life". This is an absolutely lovely story (and a good reminder that my local coastline is both stunning and often dangerous). Thank goodness Zeyang was able to think clearly in a crisis and the RNLI were there to save him and his friend. rnli.org/news-and-med...

rnli.org

Rescued student returns with unique thank you gift for Newhaven RNLI | RNLI

111040 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Matthew Stewart @roguestrands.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

What do I enjoy as a reader and editor? And aim for as a poet? - a sense of line and its inherent tensions. - a concise, precise and fresh use of language. - a naturally heightened cadence. - a delving into the universal via the specific. - an emotional awareness of the reader’s role. Not much! 🤪

2479 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

THREAD. A story, in 20 photos and captions, about a uniquely wonderful cat, who has improved my life considerably over the last few years...

1758144 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Bat Conservation Trust @batconservation.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

🦇 Would your place of worship benefit from a small grant to help manage bat roost-related issues? Living Alongside Bats in Churches Grant applications are open and will close at 10am, 26 October. More information: www.bats.org.uk/our-work/bui...

05633 0

SBlandfo @sblandfo.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

#31DaysOfGraves Day13: Unusual In the churchyard of St Mary’s Church Lond Ditton #Surrey lies the unusual grave of Edward John Power (1858-1916). The stone rim is set into the grassy surface and encloses a ring of simple cast-metal flower heads. In May it enclosed a sunken sward of #wildflowers.

Longitudinal view of the grave, roughly the size and shape of a bath tub filled with short but lush grass starred with tiny blue wildflowers. His name and birth and death date are lightly carved into the rim

1366 0

SBlandfo @sblandfo.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

I am grateful to John of South-East History Boards on sussexhistoryforum.co.uk for this information on Dennis Wager who died in #WW2 at only 18 but had already shown so much promise…

Text reproduced from the “Surrey Advertiser” newspaper dated 26th June 1943 reads as follows:

ASHTEAD CADET'S DEATH.

KILLED BY ENEMY ACTION.

Described by his commander as a "born leader of men," Denis Wager, the 18-years-old son of Mr, and Mrs. Howard Wager, of Little Mead, Ottways Lane, Ashtead, who joined the Royal Navy last Easter as a warrant cadet, has been killed by enemy action.

Educated at the City of London Freeman's School, Dennis had obtained the school certificate. He was a prefect, vice-captain of the Rugby team and an expert swimmer. Before he joined the Navy he was a flight-sergeant in the Leatherhead Squadron of the A.T.C.

The funeral at Ashtead Parish Church on Wednesday was attended by all the scholars and staff of the City of London Freeman's School. The service was conducted by the Rector (the Rev. W. H. A. Cooper) and the lessons were read by the headmaster, Mr. W. W. Parkinson. Mr. A. G. Harvey was at the organ. The family mourners were Mr. and Mrs. Howard Wager (parents), Mr. and Mrs. Travis (uncle and aunt), Mrs. Bonehill (grandmother), Miss R. Bonehill (aunt), Mr. H. Bonehill (uncle), Mrs. Galtskell, Mrs. B. C. Drimmie, Major A Melanson, R.A M.C. Flying Officer N. Birks represented the Leatherhead Squadron A.T.C.

030 0

SBlandfo @sblandfo.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Beware - as someone has now bought this beautiful print, the Etsy link took me not to Anne’s own lovely shop but to “similar items” from other sellers! Make sure you are at SourisdesMoissons not somewhere else

010 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Esther @elhopkins.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Map of covid Orphanhood from 2022, there are still ongoing deaths and hospitalisations from COVID. The UK attendance policies have failed to reflect on the risk of transmission to children & adults with health conditions or the over 120k children and 3.2k adults, who are now suffering long covid.

21710 0

SBlandfo @sblandfo.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

#31DaysOfGraves Day12: Ordinary The #CWGC gravestone of Dennis Sandford Wager of the Royal Navy, Ordinary Seaman on HMS “Collingwood”, who died on the 18th June 1943 aged only 18. Commemorated in the churchyard of St Giles’s Church in Ashstead, #Surrey.

On the pale stone headstone traditional to CWGC memorials the inscription to the young sailor is topped by the anchor symbol denoting the Royal Navy and below it is a simple Christian cross. In the background is a grassy churchyard and trees in the sunshine.

0191 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

Esther @elhopkins.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

@shaunlintern.bsky.social We know it’s airborne fact. Surgical masks with gaps & handwashing only advice is completely inadequate for an airborne virus.

2155 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

~daniel_barker~ @daniel-barker.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

You're never too old to appreciate a hedgehog.

David Attenborough at 90, looking at a hedgehog.

511718 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

~daniel_barker~ @daniel-barker.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Sure it's strange to seek inspiration from a fiver but there's something even more bizarre about viewing the natural world as being primarily for very young children.

1521436 0

Reposted by SBlandfo

SBlandfo @sblandfo.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Given that the King himself chose images of British wildlife for his new coinage, I’m not sure that Badenoch’s “Conservatives” stand for anything recognisably Conservative pre-2015, just for constant culture warfare?

041 0