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Susan E Barsby

@susanebarsby.bsky.social
772 followers 830 following 863 posts

Writer, reader, runner, mum, knitter. I like coffee, cake and conkers. I miss the sea.

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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
This afternoon's film and some of my thoughts, borrowed from Meg Walters.
A still from 1995 Prise and Prejudice, with Caroline Bingley saying "Her HAIR, Louisa!"
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Odd This Day @oddthisday.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I don’t think I’m the only person who will appreciate this
Triangular diagram labelled The Introvert
Hierarchy of Needs. 

Top: Self-actualisation - A completely empty house. An arrow pointing to the house says “Nobody needs anything. Nobody is coming home for hours. Phone on silent.” 

The next level is Esteem - Plans getting cancelled. An arrow here says “‘Sorry, we're going to have to rearrange.’ Oh no. That's terrible. I'm devastated.” 

Next level: Belonging - One person you actually like. No group chat. No networking. No "let's go round and introduce ourselves." Just one person you can talk absolute shit with. 

Fourth level: Safety - An escape route. Own car. End seat. Knowing exactly when the event finishes. A believable reason to leave early.

Bottom of pyramid: Physiological needs - Being left the fuck alone for a bit. Food. Water. Sleep. 45 minutes where nobody speaks to you.

Created by Lee Harding, @theintrovertedrecruiter
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Oooooh, I did miss this? Exciting!
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Amazing book.
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Not In Our Name (NION) Women @nionwomen.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Feminism doesn't require women to see trans+ people as the enemy. For many of us, feminism has always meant challenging inequality, standing alongside people whose rights are under threat, and refusing to accept that one group's equality must come at another's expense. That's our feminism too.
Woman walking down a street outside, wearing a scarf and shoulder bag. The quote from one of the women who signed our letter reads

“I have grown incredibly exasperated at the portrayal of ‘gender critical’ perspectives as representing all women when my feminism has ALWAYS been inclusive and intersectional.”
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Dear god, they have put the Christmas decorations up in Waterstones.
static.klipy.com
Stevie Budd Says 'I'd Rather Not'
Alt: Stevie Budd from Shitt's Creek, shakes her head and says 'I'd rather not'
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Quite.
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Rachel Savage @rachelmsavage.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is a really beautifully done interview by Jason Okundaye with Michael Kiwanuka, the first after he had a devastating stroke in July last year. Kiwanuka is still in a rehabilitation centre and, but the piece, while sad, also manages to convey the hope and healing power of music
theguardian.com
‘Everyone can relate to pain and struggle. So I’m sharing mine’: Michael Kiwanuka on life after his devastating stroke
The Mercury prize winner hasn’t been able to go home since falling ill last summer. In his only interview, he opens up about the ‘poignancy’ of finally releasing the new album his stroke shelved
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Brian Jay Jones @brianjayjones.com · 24/09/2026
So today, honor the memory of the guy who wanted to “make the world a little bit better for my having been here.” Go do something worthwhile today. Create something. Collaborate with others. Read something. Or go be silly simply because you can. Jim Henson would want you to.
Jim Henson with Kermit the Frog.
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Duncan Jones @manmademoon.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Thread du jour-
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Sam Jordison @samjordison.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
A few quick thoughts on why Meta is afraid of Virginia Woolf: samj.substack.com/p/no-room-fo...
samj.substack.com
No Room For Virginia Woolf
Meta has forbidden reference to A Room Of One’s Own. It almost makes you think that techno-fascism might not be good for the world.
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
A knitted tapestry? I am begging journos to allow someone who knows about yarn craft to write one of these stories.
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This reminds me of a team building exercise (in a previous job) where we had to pick a list of limited items to use in an emergency. My suggestion of a radio was laughed out of the room so hard by people who decided to take a pack of 6 mince pies instead.
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Nothing like a dead rat outside the office to greet you in the morning... #LivingTheDream
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
If you’d like to find out more about RNLI volunteers, I recommend Dominic Gregory’s book. It’s an honest account of what they do, including the challenges. I’d never thought properly about it so the chapters detailing a stormy rescue bring home the appalling conditions they face, and their bravery.
A book cover reading Dominic Gregory Lifeboat at the End of the World. The linocut style picture of an orange boat on the seas against a beach and lighthouse.
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Dr Jo Kershaw @mthrjo.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The RNLI have some of the best people in Britain volunteering for them. They put their lives on the line when they are called on and they will rescue anyone who needs them. Because every life matters, and offering help is the right thing to do. You can donate here: rnli.org
rnli.org
RNLI - Royal National Lifeboat Institution - Saving Lives at Sea
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. We do this through lifeboat search and rescue, lifeguards, water safety education and international interventions.
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Rhodri Marsden @rhodri.biz · 08/09/2026
It won’t stop these reprehensible, cowardly pieces of shit attacking the RNLI, but here is a handy link to donate rnli.org/support-us/g...
rnli.org
Donate to the RNLI and help save lives at sea
Your donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here.
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Carole King @carolekingofficial.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
As we elders, our daughters, and our granddaughters continue the fight for power, equality, and respect, we hold you in our hearts with love and gratitude. Rest in peace and power, Gloria Steinem. 🤍
nytimes.com
Gloria Steinem, Personification of the Women’s Movement, Dies at 92 (Gift Article)
She challenged sexist assumptions, helping women develop a sense of self-worth and gain a measure of equality at work, at home and in society at large.
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Ros Taylor @rostaylor.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
'Men would brag about how long and how much.' RIP Gloria Steinem www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
If Men Could Menstruate
In this satirical essay published in an early issue of Ms. magazine (October 1978), feminist activist and journalist Gloria Steinem “flipped the script” to show how a natural reproductive process, ...
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Another good one gone. Thank you Gloria, one of my heroes and guiding star. Rest in power. www.theguardian.com/books/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Gloria Steinem, groundbreaking feminist campaigner, dies aged 92
Famous for the 1963 exposé in which she worked as a Playboy Bunny, her books and journalism took on many varieties of discrimination
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Matt Owen @mjowen174.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
This. And if that isn’t enough the same people park their vehicles on the pavement because they can’t be arsed.
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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
"Something happened on the day he died..." All our heroes and legendes are passinge. Thei have done so much. Thei have given us so much. Thei have showne us the waye. It ys tyme for us to be our owne heroes and legendes. Ich knowe, Ich am not at all readye eyther! But heere we go. Hande yn hande.
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Chaucer Doth Tweet @levostregc.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Do not dreame it Be it
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Toss @stevenspoints.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I really cannot think of a greater honor than to have the Muppets say this about you upon your passing
Instagram post from the official Muppets account: Few humans have earned the title of honorary Muppet more than the legendary Tim Curry. As a performer he was unparalleled - witty, charming, unnerving, and deeply funny. We will always consider it one of our greatest treasures to have been part of Long John Silver’s crew. Thank you for everything, Tim.
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I have spent 3 hours this evening in a phone repair shop getting data transferred from my wreck of a phone and emerge to Tim Curry news. A day after Dolly, why does the universe do this to us?
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Amadi Lovelace @amaditalks.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Remember that if you got the Moderna Covid vaccine, you have Dolly Parton to thank, she gave the largest individual contribution toward their research to make it possible.
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Bradford Pearson @bradfordpearson.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Whenever I’m down I watch this video of Dolly Parton joining Kenny Rogers during their joint 1985 tour. The crowd pop when she comes onstage mid-song is unlike anything I’ve ever heard.
m.youtube.com
We Got Tonight - Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers live 1985
YouTube video by dollyabba
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Time for this. What a woman. Thanks Dolly. youtu.be/x87Zx3XAIsI?...
youtu.be
Dolly Parton - Here You Come Again (Official Video)
YouTube video by DollyPartonVEVO
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Iceland Cricket @icelandcricket.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
We need more talented cricketers in Iceland. If you can play a bit and have an Icelandic grandparent or fifth cousin, get in touch. If you have even watched some films by Baltasar Kormákur, we will think about it.
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Alright, I've tried to do the 100 favourite films thing and I've managed 20. I have a separate list of 'things I'll watch and enjoy if they're on but wouldn't class as favourites' which is longer.
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Travelling from Nottingham to Kent today. I've seen people on Race Across The World traverse Uzbekistan with more ease than we've experienced so far. 🙄
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Feeling like a 1950s movie...
Three people stand in the sun wearing eclipse glasses and feeling faintly ridiculous.
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Badgers badgers badgers!!!
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 12/08/2026
‘I turned down Gandhi because I’m terrified of snakes’: the amazing movie memories of Bruce Dern
theguardian.com
‘I turned down Gandhi because I’m terrified of snakes’: the amazing movie memories of Bruce Dern
Famed for playing loners, cranks and wayward angels, the Hollywood star is now a wolfish 90 – but he still jogs daily. As he takes his latest film to Edinburgh, we meet the man Hitchcock called ‘the golden calf’
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noam @noamchompers.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
i've been chewing on why i think this is so great, and i think at bottom it's that it's such *ordinary* speech. clearly she's thought about this, clearly she has values she's comfortable expressing, but she's not speaking as though she's Making A Political Statement. just plain, earnest language
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Nettlecake @nettlecake.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Brilliant letter from Stuart Thompson to Jeremy Clarkson about his comments that benefit claimants should write weekly thank you letters to tax payers detailing how they spend their benefits each week.
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
My great grandparents 100 years ago - working as a variety artist and I have no idea. 75 years my grandparents were an insurance salesman and amateur musical actor, or working for the fire brigade.
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Jason "we're gonna win" Delaney @jasonjdelaney.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
This, the Odyssey discourse, so much angry nerd shit online: it's weird how insistent some people are that things they like must be praised by everyone else, universally acclaimed as Good Like what you fucken like. Let people dislike what they will. For chrissakes, it's so tedious
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Tbh, I subscribed for the summer holidays and they'd survive better if most of their content wasn't terrible. E wants to watch Heartstopper but there's v little else that interests us.
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
E has returned from her Dof E expedition. It was warm enough to melt her Tangfastics. She has also sacrificed (lost) a hoodie and a hat to the Derbyshire countryside so if you find them, make good use of them.
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Sean Marshall @seanyyz.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Why I’m a fan of the Oxford comma.
TORONTO STAR
BOOK REVIEW
Sylvia Plath, a New York vigilante and Shah of Iran featured in latest historical fiction
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Peter Walker @peterwalker99.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
There are many cinematic ways to pay tribute to the genius of Sam Neill, but can I suggest Hunt for the Wilderpeople? Not one of his box office mega-smashes, but utterly wonderful and Neill is, of course, brilliant and very moving.
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Gnome Scarf @gnomescarf.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
RIP Sam Neill
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Guided By Gumbo @guidedbygumbo.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
The movie holds up. As does this great anecdote courtesy of Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum.
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Right, I've managed the first half which is good going for me but it's too boring to stay for the rest. Wake me if there's penalties.
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Trying to decide my holiday reading. Last year I got through 7 books while also sightseeing a lot. Any recommendations from this list?
A pile of books: On the Calculation of Volume 4, Keep the Aspidisyra Flying, a Kestrel for a Knave, These Days, My Sister and Other Lovers, The Benefactors, Dr Syn, The City and the House, True Grit, There are Rivers In the Sky, Slow Trains around Britain, Bel Canto and Agent Zigzag.
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Susan E Barsby @susanebarsby.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
As an MP Ann Widdecombe came into my school once to be grilled by my A level sociology class. She did not charm.
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Shaun 🍂🎑🍁🍎🎶 @shauninmpls.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
I really need people to understand that being shitty to women is not separate from a person's politics. Contempt for those seen as weaker, resentment towards people who get something you think you're entitled to, using power to dominate or intimidate—these are the foundations of someone's"politics."
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AdequateEmily @adequateemily.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Losing my mind at this Murder, She Wrote promo
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