iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 18/10/2026

We didn’t win or anything, but please admire my extraction at yesterday’s Autumn Head of the Trent. #rowing

A picture of a racing quad taken at the Autumn Head of the Trent on Saturday. It’s an official picture taken a few hundred meters from the finish (just where a crosswind made conditions a bit tricky). It’s got watermarks on it as I haven’t bought the picture. It shows me, sat in the three seat and wearing my club all-in-one, a cap and beanie and white sunglasses. I’m at the end of the stroke and you can see a clear tap down and my blades are coming out square. We’ve been working on this and it’s hard to see yourself when you’re rowing, nevermind racing, so I’m delighted to have photographic evidence. (Nick’s hands behind me look a bit high though!)

swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 04/10/2026

I’m about 16 or 17 or so here. That cat was called Crumble and was a rabbit killing machine, but me and her had an arrangement. She knew I’d leave the bedroom door open for her whenever I was home and she could sleep on the bed when she wasn’t really allowed. My now […] [Original post on mas.to]

Me aged 16 or so. I’ve got hair (!), biggish glasses and I’m wearing a Thunder t-shirt. In my arms is a white a grey herringbone tabby called Crumble. Crumb looks like she’d rather be out murdering rabbits. Or maybe she’s glaring at my girlfriend.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 04/10/2026

Carl Weathers’ leisure wear in Rocky 3 is quite the vibe.

Carl Weathers as Apollo Creed in Rocky 3. He’s standing on a beach wearing a blue crop top, tiny shorts and white socks pulled up. Well, he beat Rocky in the beach race too, so we must be due another montage.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 01/10/2026

9 years since I had the pleasure of ushering at my oldest friend’s wedding. I wore a hat for the day, and the bride’s father (from Northern China), I’m told, was very impressed at the cool, distinguished English gentleman in the hat.

A black and white picture framed through a window of a man in a suit, Raybans and hat. It’s a sunny day and, yes, he does look very distinguished! (It’s me)

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 26/09/2026

This bullshit is predictable, but infuriating as they know full well that this is true and we didn’t have a small boat problem before leaving Europe and the Dublin Convention. Not to mention that illegal migration has halved under this government. Fuck these people […] [Original post on mas.to]

The cover of today’s Daily Express with the headline, “Now PM blames Brexit for the channel boats crisis”

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 24/09/2026

Well, I for one feel all the safer for the gangs of white men in masks with domestic violence convictions patrolling the streets. Don’t you?

A picture of the brown shirts in Germany in the 1930s. An armed militia who beat the shit out of anyone they didn’t like the look of. Here, they’re marching in file next to a tram on a cobbled street. Say what you like about the actual Nazis, but I seriously doubt “Danny Tommo”’s mob are this disciplined and smartly presented, even if they do like beating people up every bit as much.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 23/09/2026

Just bought a Christmas t-shirt and I’m not even sorry. I have many already. My most recent was Trading Places’ suicidal Santa, but this year I’ve gone for Marley & Marley.

A picture of Statler and Waldorf as Marley and Marley in muppets Christmas carol. They’re in blue and wrapped up in chains and heavy boxes. Wooooooooo!

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 18/09/2026

Bon. C’est complet. 🇫🇷 🇪🇺

A French passport. Burgundy with a coat of arms embossed in gold. It says “Union européenne. République Française”. There’s an ID card coming out the top with my face on it. I’ve been French for a couple of months, but this makes it feel real.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 18/09/2026

Pretty much. Cartoon by Becky Barnicoat in the New Statesman this week. #AI

A cartoon in this week’s New Statesman. Outside the box by Becky Barnicoat.
A Sam Altman style guy is standing next to a box with a single big red button. He says/
Outside the box By Becky Barnicoat

HEY! I BUILT THIS THING
IT WILL KILL YOU. IT WILL KILL US ALL
JUST PRESS THIS BUTTON

BUT FIRST IT WILL SHOW YOU WHAT YOU'D LOOK LIKE IF YOU LIVED IN THE '8OS

JUST PRESS THIS BUTTON”

Another finger reaches in to press the button.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 14/09/2026

It’s wild that the Bayeux Tapestry was damaged by hot cigar ash when the Nazis went to go and look at it. They stood over it, putting their hands all over it and smoking over it. Even wilder that they looked at this 11th century work of art and decided it was Aryan […] [Original post on mas.to]

A black and white picture of a bunch of Nazis in their uniforms standing around and leaning over the Bayeux Tapestry. The photo is captioned “The Nazis admire the Tapestry, Bayeux, 22 June 1941.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 08/09/2026

As ever, inspired by the best t-shirt I saw at the EOTR festival this weekend, I’ve been shopping. (As ever, my most commented on t-shirt was my Sonic Youth Goo / Taylor Swift mashup, although my I ❤️ Fuckoffee did get quite a lot of reaction too. Love a good t-shirt […] [Original post on mas.to]

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 08/09/2026

This badge delights me. I’m 52 years old.

A badge. It’s a sign saying “CHICKEN GAME. DON’T LOOK AT THE CHICKEN”. Hanging on a chain is a chicken, it has “Game Over” on its chest.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 07/09/2026

Love the End of the Road festival so much. See you next year. The accessible campsite here is a wonderful haven and makes life so much easier for me. #FuckMS

My arm. It’s got a rainbow sweatband and bands from the festival: my Frank Water refill band in red, the weekend festival band in blue, an orange pass to the accessible campsite (game changer) and a gold pass to the viewing platforms (I don’t use the platform, but access to the toilets at the stage is priceless for me).

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 07/09/2026

I’ve discovered that a little Angine de Poutrine goes a long way. #music

A picture of one of the big screens on the main stage at the End of Road festival. On it are Angine de Poutrine, a quebequois duo. They dress in polka dots and wear papier maché masks with huge noses. One is playing the drums, the other is playing a double-headed, multi-tonal guitar / bass. He plays with lots of loops and it’s quite a thing. Look them up on YouTube.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 07/09/2026

Greetings from a very sunny End of the Road festival. The cider is good, Pulp were magnificent and Angine de Poutrine were…. Well, Angine de Poutrine (which, French language fans, means “chest infection”, specifically an infection that drops to your chest from your […] [Original post on mas.to]

Two people wearing sunglasses at a festival with a helterskelter behind them. I’m on the left wearing a “I heart Fuckoffee” t-shirt. Dr Caitlin is wearing a blue French working jacket.

An explosion of orange in a cloud over the big top stage at the festival just before Pulp came on last night. Absolutely glorious.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 01/09/2026

We’re off to the End of the Road festival this week. I find myself looking at the forecast, even though I’m a veteran of 15 or so Glastonburys, numerous other festivals and a few 24 hour running events. I know the weather will be what the weather will be and will have […] [Original post on mas.to]

Me, in front of the other stage at Glastonbury in 2014. The ground is muddy and I’m wearing a Metallica T-shirt (they were playing that night. People kept stopping me to ask if they were any good and if they should watch them. fml), a beige raincoat, a bright pink tutu and a zebra head knitted hat. Yeah. I also have a tiger tail that I usually take to festivals, but I’m not wearing it here).

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 31/08/2026

Went out for a gusty row on the Trent this evening. We did lots of feet out stuff to try and work on our connection with the footplate. A friend saw us and filmed us. We look okay, I think. We’re not trying to row fast, we’re trying to be controlled in our movements. #rowing

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 26/08/2026

The things you end up doing on a random Tuesday night in August. Happy to keep my Sheffield Wednesday friend company on the rare occasion our teams meet. 0-2, if you’re interested. A splendid catchup, much more importantly.

A picture of the side of Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield. It’s basically a huge blue barn with the words “Sheffield Wednesday - Hillsborough” on the side. The occasion was the r2 Carabao Cup match between L1 Wednesday and Championship side Wolves. Wolves won without ever getting out of second gear, but really, can you put a price on quality time with an old friend?

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 25/08/2026

6 weeks or so since the installation of the #solar panels and we’ve crossed the threshold of 0.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions reduced. We only have a modest array that mostly clears our daily usage (in summer, in a heatwave). That feels like quite a difference to me. We […] [Original post on mas.to]

A screenshot from my solar app. It shows the environmental impact of our installation. Currently, 0.08 tonnes of standard coal, 0.52 tonnes CO2 emissions and the equivalent of 28 trees planted. Amazing.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 22/08/2026

A good day racing in the 8 at Oxford today. We didn’t win, but I think that’s the fastest we’ve been. 3:06 over 950m or so. We drew the same team in the 350m dash too, and they beat us again…. But hey ho. I went to bed last night dreaming of catching a crab, so was […] [Original post on mas.to]

An 8 man rowing boat (plus cox) rowing on a calm looking Isis through Oxford on a sunny day with trees lining the banks.

The crew of the 8, which is now on trestles and has been de-rigged. We look tired but happy, I think.

Me, wearing my racing gear and a pair of baggy shorts. I’m leaning on the boat in trestles and looking pleased with myself with my rigger-jigger around my neck. I was anxious heading into today as we’ve not spent much time rowing together. We got up to rate 40 today and rowed pretty cleanly. We were just beaten by the better crew. Bags of potential, I think.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 21/08/2026

The transformation is nearly complete. I think I’ll pick up the passport and ID card next week maybe. 🇫🇷

A selfie of my torso. I’m wearing a sky blue long-sleeve rugby shirt. It’s the special edition French shirt to celebrate 120 years of “le crunch” against England. It has the adidas trefoils on the sleeve in the tricolore red, white and blue. I should probably channel my inner Frenchman and have the collar up, eh?

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 15/08/2026

The wife was racing at Stourport in an 8 today, so I took advantage of her absence to earn my Lake Legend badge: cycle, run, swim, sauna. Cycle over the new bridge over the Trent and straight into the park, parkrun, swim, sauna. Lovely. The running is the hard bit […] [Original post on mas.to]

A woven badge with a tattoo style heart with an arrow through it and the word WHOLEHEALTH (the place I swim) running through it. Around the edge at the top are the words BIKE - RUN - SWIM - SAUNA and around the bottom, LEGEND. It’s pretty nice.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 13/08/2026

Well, who doesn’t Run Direct at #parkrun in a Ho Chi Minh t-shirt?

A lanky man wearing brown trousers, a t-shirt, cap and mirrored sunglasses. He’s got a megaphone in front of him and is holding a clipboard. He’s surrounded by straw-like dried grass and there’s a mostly blue sky behind him. The whole scene is bathed in sunshine. He’s me and I’m about to deliver the run brief at last Saturday’s parking.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 13/08/2026

Mildly interesting, but here’s how my solar panels saw the eclipse yesterday.

A graph showing the energy use of a solar array over the course of yesterday.
The yellow line is the solar output
The purple line is battery charge
The orange line is usage (the spikes are the kettle)
The blue line is what we’re contributing to the grid.

There’s a zoomed view of the time period in question next picture.

A zoomed in view of the solar output around the eclipse. Bear in mind that the light is fading at this point anyway.

The yellow line is the solar output
The purple line is battery charge
The orange line is usage
The blue line is what we’re contributing to the grid.

There’s a steady decline in solar output as the sun dips, but a distinct loop where it drops down and then picks back up when the eclipse is over. Not spectacular, but mildly interesting, I’d say.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 08/08/2026

This guy. What a show. But this guy’s journey really hit me in the feels.

Richie from The Bear. Ebon Moss-Bachrach. He’s wearing a black shirt and tie and looking moody. Man. I can’t remember the last time I jumped up and punched the air watching a tv show, but Spoons did it for me. YES, RICHIE!

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 05/08/2026

After my trustee meeting, we popped across the road to the indoor bowls club for a drink. The clientele was, as you would expect, mainly pensioners enjoying a game of bowls with their mates. But look what I noticed: See, it’s not so hard a concept to get your head […] [Original post on mas.to]

A sign on a door. It has the universal toilet symbols for man and woman, and next to them, a hybrid of the two with the words “gender neutral toilet”. Underneath is a plaque that also has the wheelchair symbol and the word “toilets”
Underneath that is a printed sign saying “baby changing facility”

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 05/08/2026

And here’s some pictures of my now concluded running career. #MS #MultipleSclerosis #FuckMS #runner #running

A tall man wearing a blue running vest, a headband and shorts running a cross country. You can actually see the weakness on my left side here in the way I’m carrying that leg.

Mile 20-ish at the 2018 Liverpool Marathon in Sefton Park. Two runners, a man and a woman, wearing MS trust vests in sky blue running with their arms stretched out wide. It’s a broad, tree-lined path and we both look deliriously happy.

The 2018 London marathon was the hottest on record. Here’s me with about 400m to go, wearing a blue MS Trust vest and a blue tutu looking surprisingly happy and wearing mirrored sunglasses. People around me look to be suffering.

A tall, bald man in a blue club running vest driving up the final hill in a cross country race. I look fairly focused here, tbf. The course was waterlogged and my trail shoes actually taped onto my feet!

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 27/07/2026

This team from Only Connect tonight look like what might have been if the 2004-era Kings of Leon were nerds.

Three very fussily dressed men with long hair, rococo radical hair and outré spectacles on Only Connect.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 27/07/2026

This just popped up as a memory. I’m 23 in that first picture, for goodness sake (about 1997). The second photo is 2016. Ageing doesn’t hold all that many fears for me. #old

Two photos side by side of the same person.

On the left, a 23 year old in a suit and tie looks fat and bored.

On the right, the same guy is about 40kg lighter and is folding up the finisher’s medal for the 2016 London Marathon. He’s grown a beard and looks a bit surprised by what he’s just achieved (he has MS and has been raising £10,000 for the MS trust for the marathon)

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 27/07/2026

The most worrying thing about this photo (from Glasgow, when I was there for the last Commonwealth Games in 2014) is that implies the existence of non-quality bagpipes. Or maybe just inferior quality shops and the bagpipes are the same quality everywhere?

A photo of a shop in Glasgow. The sign reads:

JAMES C. BEGG. THE QUALITY BAGPIPE SHOP.

insert your own joke.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 24/07/2026

Popped into a new restaurant today to see if we could get in for an early dinner tomorrow. No, they’re full, which is great. Whilst there, one of the waiters stopped and rolled the sleeve up of my t-shirt to check out my tattoo. “Lovely tattoo. Where did you get it […] [Original post on mas.to]

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 23/07/2026

C’est ça. Maintenant je suis français.

A very tall man in a linen jacket next to a smaller man in a bow tie. It’s me and the French consul in London, and he’s handing me my citizenship. A lovely man and a charming ceremony.

A tall man with a grey beard in a linen shirt and jacket standing with a coupe of good champagne (Mumm) and my citizenship paperwork in front of the flags of Europe and France and a picture of Emmanuel Macron. I’m look up to the left and pulling a catalogue model face.

Me and dr Caitlin standing on a balcony at the French consulate, looking out onto the natural history museum, with the flags of France and the European Union behind us. I’m back in the EU, baby!

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 23/07/2026

Spotted by the French embassy and opposite the Natural History Museum.

A poster on a red pillar box. It’s in the style of an engraving on a stamp, but celebrates David Attenborough’s 100th birthday with a portrait of the great man.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 20/07/2026

I’m delighted to discover that Emily Wilson, the celebrated translator of the Iliad and the Odyssey, has the most amazing tattoos. (Fun fact, I used to sit next to her sister in my a-level English literature classes).

A photo of classicist Emily Wilson, a lady with long brown hair and glasses, sitting at a table with one arm resting against her cheek. She is wearing a sleeveless top and showing she has extensive tattoos, including an octopus on her right forearm. They look fantastic and really suit her, perhaps belying what you might expect of such an eminent scholar.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 17/07/2026

New passport photo just dropped (for my French passport)

A passport photo of a man with a grey beard and shaven head. You’re supposed to be expressionless in these things, but he’s doing his damndest to convey something through eyes and eyebrows, although I’m not sure quite what.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 16/07/2026

The purplest of prose from Nick Ames in the Guardian. I mean, he’s used the word correctly, but I was somewhat surprised to see it in the football pages.

A snippet from an article in the Guardian about Mbappé:

"I would change Argentina 2022," he has said when asked, if permitted, how he would rewrite the past.
"That final comes to mind more than the one we won."
The hat-trick in Lusail and subsequent defeat on penalties are a sore that refuses to heal. Facing Messi and Argentina one last time in New Jersey could have been the palimpsest for a fresh version of the story and a coronation as the world's undisputed best.
Instead, a less glittering volume must begin. "We have to move on to the next chapter," Mbappé said. "Because football waits for no one. We have to start over, put this failure behind us, and learn from it."

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 13/07/2026

@keefeglise I have a very good friend called Keith. We sent him a postcard from the South Australian town, Keith. It’s famous for having a land rover on a pole in the town centre, so we sent him that on a post card. He’s the nicest, kindest man I know. Keiths are alright by me.

An old style land rover on a big pole in the South Australian town, Keith. It’s a pioneer town, and they used vehicles like this with flails on the front to clear the bush for settlement. Nice town. They seemed a bit bemused that we’d stopped to have a look around, tbh.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 12/07/2026

The perfect Bastille Day party with my brother-in-law, family and friends: fizz, music (French classics and a few live acoustic numbers), a lusty singing of the Marseillaise and then two hours of knockout world cup football. In fairness, even the most french person […] [Original post on mas.to]

The view across the rooftops towards the city of London with its skyscrapers. Not quite manhattan, but not too shabby with the low robes of houses and some lush green foliage along the way. It’s a sunny, blue sky kind of a day.

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 09/07/2026

A member of my old team just found this in his desk drawer. It’s from about 2002, so I’m still in my 20s. Him: “Who is this handsome, young go-getter?” Me: “Well, as the name has worn off, perhaps we’ll never know” As it was before 8am, I see the long hours culture […] [Original post on mas.to]

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swisslet @swisslet.mas.to.ap.brid.gy · 08/07/2026

Well, the solar panels are now commissioned and this sunshine is officially being put to good use. #Solar #AlternativeEnergy

A screenshot from the app that controls the solar panels and battery and things. It’s got various things on it, with a picture of a house with a solar panel and battery and car and things. The long and the short is that it shows my panels are currently generating twice the electricity we’re using and it’s charging the battery. When we get the relevant paperwork, we’ll be able to export surplus to the grid and get some £££ back in. Payback has already begun!

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