iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 29/08/2026

Did a secondhand book buying spree ready for the coming autumn evenings. Because my already teetering pile of unread books might somehow not be enough...

Four books : The Given World by Melissa Harrison, Parable of the Shower by Octavia Butler, The Ghost Who Bled and The Devil's Highway by Gregory Norminton.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 19/08/2026

Apparently this is a solvable sudoku. If you don't hear from me for the next three months you know why.

An apparently solvable sudoku puzzle with only two numbers in the grid: a "1" in the bottom left, and a "2" in the third column of the bottom row.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 17/08/2026

Only one? She needs to up her game if she goes down to the Barbican.

A man with two live snakes hanging round his neck.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 06/08/2026

Some neighbours are having a party and the singing is just beautiful

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 05/08/2026

I'm loving all these hashtags of the everyday and the mundane on here. Thanks to @tamarphotography.bsky.social for bringing #wheelieBinWednesday to my attention. -- #photography

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 26/07/2026

New coffee day here - had amazing barraquitos made with this at a festival recently and curious to see if it tastes as good at home ☕😊

A packet of Colombian coffee next to a moka pot.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 25/07/2026

Not many activities are as deeply satisfying as shelling broad beans freshly picked from the allotment

A pile of freshly shelled broad beans on a wooden table, with the pile of shells on the left.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 07/07/2026

Standing with the stones at the entrance to West Kennet long barrow near Avebury on a beautiful June evening just before sunset. -- #tombTuesday

A black and white photograph taken at West Kennet neolithic long barrow at sunset in summertime. The sun is behind me and the standing stones and me cast long shadows across the grass. Arable farmland is in the distance and the sky is clear.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 03/07/2026

I took my little wooden 35mm pinhole camera along to an analogue photowalk in Exeter last weekend. I'm not used to shooting with it in such bright sun so I about half my shots are over-exposed. I do like this one, even though I have absolutely no idea why it came out pink and orange! -- #pinhole 📷

A photograph made with a pinhole camera of a young man sitting on a BMX bike. The camera has a very wide angle of view, so the front wheel of the bike appears huge and the man quite small. The entire photo is tinted with shades of orange and deep pink.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 29/06/2026

I'm sure that Tidal is nowhere near ethically perfect, but it's at least an improvement on Spotify and I have no regrets about switching last year. Their new policy on AI generated music and royalties seems pretty good.

A screenshot of Tidal's policy on AI generated music, theft and royalties.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 05/06/2026

I have come to realise that it is impossible for me to drive along this stretch of the B3212 over Dartmoor and not stop to photograph it. -- #Dartmoor #photography

A black and white photograph looking west along the B3212 road on Dartmoor. The photograph is taken standing in the middle of the road. It is long and straight, then bends off to the left as it reaches the hills on the horizon. Low, grey clouds obscure the tops of three tors.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 27/05/2026

And Mr Pheasant is back, although he seems to have lost his wife and kids this evening

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 27/05/2026

A lovely evening pottering on the allotment then a very leisurely bike ride to Devil's Point for the sunset.

Sunset over the Tamar estuary in Plymouth, UK

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 16/05/2026

Five motorway services in one day is not good for the soul.

Bins and a tree at a motorway service station

Picnic tables at a motorway service station

Three crows, one of them with bread in its beak on a picnic table

Plastic bags and other rubbish in a hedge

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 04/05/2026

A misty morning at the allotments earlier this year. Tried to take some more photographs up there this weekend but it was just too sunny. Seems I really struggle to take photos in good weather these days! -- 📷 #blackandwhitephotography

A moody black and white photograph of an allotment in Plymouth on a very misty day. A shed, a greenhouse and various bits and pieces, including a rusty metal arch and a sack of compost. In the distance, some houses and two tall buildings loom up into the mist.

A moody black and white photograph of an overgrown allotment in Plymouth on a very misty day, with a homemade polytunnel and bare bushes and trees.

A moody black and white photograph of allotments in Plymouth on a very misty day. Various sheds, and a path leading in the direction of some houses and two tall buildings looming up into the mist.

A black and white photograph of a homemade shed on an allotment in Plymouth. The shed has the number 38 on it, a trellis and a water barrel.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 18/04/2026

Finally starting to fall in love with my Bombtrack after putting some chunky gravel tyres on it. Amazing what a difference it makes, feels like a completely different bike. Did a lovely ride in the sunshine along Drake's Trail for an obligatory sausage sarnie and cake at The Larder in Yelverton.

A blue bicycle leaning against a fern-covered bank next to a disused railway line that has been converted into a cycling and walking route. The entrance to a tunnel is about 50 metres away. The landscape around is forested with deciduous trees covered in ivy.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 01/04/2026

I do like a Shag on the rocks on a Wednesday lunchtime. 📷

A shag (type of bird) sitting on rocks at Plymouth seafront. The bird is about 40cm tall, black with a splash of very bright yellow around its beak, and a little tuft of hair sticking up on top of its head.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 12/03/2026

Very disappointing given that up until then he had a flawless record of never making any dubious decisions whatsoever.

A headline from The Guardian reading "Mandelson documents raise questions about Starmer's decision-making"

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 28/02/2026

Today 25 of us went trespassing along the River Dart near Buckfast. In just 5km we walked through woodlands and along riverbanks owned by 4 different landowners who don't want the public on their land (including the monks at Buckfast Abbey). It's time for a right to roam! @righttoroam.bsky.social

A selection of 'Private property - keep out' signs seen on a 5km walk along the River Dart near Buckfast, Dartmoor.

A selection of 'Private', 'No entry' and 'No trespassing' signs seen on a 5km walk along the River Dart near Buckfast, Dartmoor.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 16/02/2026

I do like the mixture of melancholy and resilience of a lone, wind-battered tree on top of Dartmoor on a foggy winter's day. -- #Dartmoor 📷

A lone, spindly, Hawthorn tree stands in a very damp bog on Dartmoor on a foggy January day.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 11/02/2026

Have just discovered that peanut butter and kimchi is a killer combo. I suspect this will now be my default lunch for the next few weeks.

Three oatcakes with peanut butter and kimchi on a white plate with a pattern of dark blue birds and stars.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 04/02/2026

Went for a long walk up on Dartmoor to get out into nature. Took photographs of concrete.

An old triangulation point on Dartmoor. It is made from concrete, about 1.2m tall, various lichens are growing on it, and it sits in a very large puddle. The sky is moody, with rain clouds blowing across from the hills on the horizon.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 01/02/2026

Next up. Spur of the moment purchase, never heard of it or the author before, but it looks interesting and feels apt for the time of year.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 01/02/2026

Unputdownable is an overused word, but this genuinely is. I've had to take a few days off before starting another book to give it the time it deserves to fully sink in. Astonishingly good. #bookSky

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 17/01/2026

If you're a Mark Fisher fan this will be a film not to miss. If you've never heard of Mark Fisher but you're even remotely curious about why the world is in the state it's in and what to do about it, this will be a film not to miss. www.eventbrite.com/e/we-are-mak... (tickets are free)

A poster for the film "We Are Making a Film About Mark Fisher", showing at the Jill Craigie Cinema, Plymouth, 5pm on February 24th 2026.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 11/01/2026

Trowlesworthy stone circle on Dartmoor. This is how I like my stone circles: no visitor centre, no signs, no manicured paths, no fences. Just the stones, the landscape, the weather. -- #standingStoneSunday

Trowlesworthy stone circle on a March day on Dartmoor. The stones are silhouetted on a the side of a slope, shrouded in thick, grey, fog. The moorgrass is brown and clumpy. Nothing else at all is visible. You can feel the deep silence.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 06/01/2026

Winter evenings sorted for the next few weeks

Six books by Joe Tucker, Paul Lynch, Laszlo Krasznahorkai, Elif Shafak, Denis Johnson and Barbara Kingsolver.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 05/01/2026

I somewhat optimistically bought this card a few days ago

A hand-drawn card saying "May we live in less interesting times" in capital letters, with circles containing stars surrounding the writing.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 04/01/2026

The Long Stone on Dartmoor with Kestor in the background. It was used as a parish boundary marker and has "GP" and "DC" carved into it (Gidleigh Parish and Duchy of Cornwall). An amazing part of the moor with stone rows, standing stones, hut circles and field systems all around. #standingStoneSunday

A black and white photograph of the 'long stone' standing stone on Dartmoor. The stone is covered in lichen, has a pointed top, and the letters "GP" (Gidleigh Parish) are carved into it about halfway up. Kestor Rock is in the background on the left, and Thornworthy Tor just visible on the right.

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simon blackbourn @simonblackbourn.net · 30/11/2025

Avebury, undoubtedly one of the most remarkable places in England. It's been a couple of years since I last visited, time for another visit soon. -- #standingStoneSunday