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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 22m

Slightly ominous shop signs, no. 241

Salon sign saying "Endless Hair & Beauty"

Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

And for Mr and Mrs swan back in Hornsey, the quiet life resumes. After two years without cygnets, I'm so glad they had some this year. They're both well into their 20s now, so it's really impressive that they can still be successful parents! #NewRiverBirds

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

One drive later, and the cygnets were released onto Eagle Pond in Snaresbrook, where they've quickly started making friends among the young flock there. Here they'll be able to build their strength and confidence at their own pace, and maybe even eventually hook up with partners... #NewRiverBirds

The two cygnets on a big pond (I'd call it a lake, really, but whatever).

The two cygnets mixed in with about a dozen other young swans, some with their adult colours, others still adolescent.

The flock enjoying feeding time on the pond, along with some Canada geese and coots.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Step 3: bag them up and take them to the swan ambulance. Fair to say the cygnets did not entirely enjoy this, but it was all very professionally and safely done. #NewRiverBirds

Two cygnets on the river bank being expertly wrangled into special jackets that stop them thrashing their wings around.

A Swan Sanctuary volunteer carrying two cygnets to a swan ambulance in big Ikea bags.

The cygnets sitting inside a big transport cage/box thing in the back of the swan ambulance.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Step 1 was to lure them over. (Another neighbour helpfully distracted the parents with food downriver.) Step 2, which thank god I didn't have to do, the local Swan Sanctuary volunteers grabbed them and pulled them onto the bank. That happened too quickly to film! #NewRiverBirds

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

In the week since their three siblings flew off, these two lost their momentum, not doing any flying practice. Worse, the parents had started bullying them a bit to try to get them to go. Before that escalated to more serious hostility, we figured it would be best to relocate them. #NewRiverBirds

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

The last two cygnets have left - but they needed some help 🧵 #NewRiverBirds

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Man who works for company says 'please keep giving money to the company that gives me money'

Headline: "Palantir’s Tom Watson says ‘mob rule’ must not dictate awarding of government contracts"

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Swans really do not like cormorants. That whole "underwater swimming" business is inherently suspicious. What are they trying to hide?? #NewRiverBirds

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Cormorant catches a big fish and discombobulates the swans #NewRiverBirds

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

The problem here is that in appearing to assert one distinction he blurs another: between criticising *actions* of the Israeli government and criticising the *existence* of Israel. The motion highlights plenty of evil acts by Netanyahu's racist govt, then declares the answer is to abolish Israel.

Statement from Zack Polanski, beginning: "Antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli state are, and must always be, completely distinct – blurring the line between the two is not only wrong but antisemitic".

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Finally finished writing my new dating profile

On the ground at tgdxsidd of sn alleyway is a bit of card with "NO FLAWS - FREE" written on it.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

tbh I think the supporting explanatory document is worse than the motion itself. Basically "words mean what I choose them to mean, and any attempt to suggest we're being antisemitic is typical Jewish deviousness"

Heading: "Responses to concerns raised regarding the Zionism is Racism motion"
Subheading: "Zionism can mean many different things."
Response begins: "Even if this were true, the opening paragraph of the motion (a) explicitly defines Zionism"

"Whether some Zionists might believe their ideology does not call for the ‘ongoing dehumanisation, displacement, dispossession, disenfranchisement and destruction of Palestinians’ is irrelevant: that is what Zionism in Palestine has produced, and continues to produce before our very own eyes.
In effect, those pushing for their own evidence-free definition of Zionism want to deny the Palestinians the right to define their own oppression and erasure – in terms consistent with both the historical record and their lived reality – because it would offend Jews who believe that a different Zionist Project in Palestine is somehow possible."

"Indeed, some have claimed that ‘for many Jewish people Zionism is less a well-defined ideology, and more of a sense that Jews should have a place that they call home, where they are no longer a persecuted minority, as they have been for millennia.’ In turn, they suggest that ‘regardless of how Zionism has played out in the real world … an unbridled attack on Zionism would … come across as an attack at that very basic right of aspiring to lead a safe and secure life.’
It is hard to know whether the sleight of hand here is deliberate or unintentional but it deftly illustrates the problem of (liberal) Zionism."

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I never knew it was possible to cringe so hard it gives you whiplash

Headline: "Badenoch spells out her six Tory principles: ‘I call it Kemistry’"

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The cygnets are properly flying now, and they've discovered the reservoir, which hugely expands their playground. In fact, two more of them have flown off in the last couple of days. Two left! #NewRiverBirds

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

This may seem brutal, but it's the only way to warn them off

The side of a boating lake. Two giant unicorn heads, for attaching to the front of paddle boats, stand on poles.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The gods would surely punish Odysseus for this act of desecration

A paddle boat with a big swan head at the front, on top of which sits a gull. The head is caked with bird poo.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Here's the whole family the last day they were all together, having a chat about important swan stuff #NewRiverBirds

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The cygnets are now realising their true strength, and are flying much more. One of them was injured, hitting a cable over the railway a quarter-mile away. Railway workers called the Swan Sanctuary and after a few stitches it's going to be ok. #NewRiverBirds

A post-op cygnet in a barn with some other injured swans.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Interesting that the poll question makes the same misunderstanding of the new policy that I made when I heard Burnham announce it: not getting the third element, as stated by Alex here. Think this one's going to be quite hard to communicate.

Post from @alexclegg.bsky.social today: "Basically, the State Pension will rise by the highest of 2.5%, inflation, or what it needs to to maintain its proportion of average earnings from the start date."

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

One of the cygnets got properly up in the air #NewRiverBirds (Sorry for lack of sound, there was someone standing next to me talking quite loudly and inanely)

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Sky over Cambridge was doing sterling work yesterday

Skyline over a building site with a couple of cranes. Lots of small fluffy clouds fill the sky, and in the distance is a bigger solid mass of cloud through which the deep yellow of a sunset shines. When I saw this my reaction was "It's the foundry where they make the clouds!"

Sunset over buildings and a park with a big old Victorian lamp-post. The sun is mostly obscured by a load of dappled cloud but the orange colour shines through, with striations of light where it's coming through breaks in the clouds.

Full moon behind thin scattered cloud, next to a big tree with mostly green leaves and a few orange.

A smiley face drawn in the clear blue sky by a skywriter. It's a couple of minutes old, and the gentle wind has slightly distorted it.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

6am: "Hello, we're just checking that you're fully aware we're due to be fed in about two hours"

From the POV of me in bed, the outline of my legs under the duvet in the middle of the bed, hemmed in by ny parents' two delightful black cats standing on each side of me.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Apparently it's on everyone's lips

Headline: "Why the Dutch have a new word for labia"

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

When another boy has a triumphal arch

Trump, Xi and two other guys walking outside. Trump is pointing intently at something and Xi is minimally pretending to be interested. One of the other guys is clearly the interpreter and the other other guy is carrying a bag and just wishing this would be over.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Just rereading Braverman's article on Englishness from last year, presumably because I hate myself and I want to suffer. WTF is this gibberish? English culture absorbed and adapted to the arrival of... the Romans???

"Englishness has never been static or simple. From the arrival of the Romans to the waves of Saxons, Vikings, and Normans, English culture has always absorbed and adapted."

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I mean, any time now would be good. If it's not too much trouble

Headline: "‘Outright racist’ Daniel Thomas will face full force of law over any crimes, says home secretary"

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

THANK GOD he's remembered about the sniper ammunition storage. You see, a lot of Military Complex/Triumphal Arches these days, they have the snipers on the roof and plaza areas, sure, but there's no ammo store. So when the terrorists attack, they've got nothing to shoot them with! Total failure!

Trump's latest brainfart: "At the strong request of the United States Military, and for National Security purposes, I have agreed to convert the magnificent Triumphal Arch, planned since the Civil War Era many years ago, at the Receptive Circle adjoining the Arlington Memorial Bridge, into a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch, to house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage. There will be no facility like this anywhere in the World. Out of the 59 top cities and Capitals, Washington, D.C., IS THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORLD THAT DOES NOT HAVE A TRIUMPHAL ARCH, but it will now and, by far, the greatest of them all! Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP"

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

One for sorrow, Two for joy, Three for a girl, Four for a boy, Five for silver, Six for gold, Seven for a secret never to be told. Um, eight for... spiders? Maybe? Nine for - oh, I know this one - nine for mortal men doomed to die

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

One of the cygnets made it airborne! Only for about 2 seconds, but it's undeniably progress! #NewRiverBirds

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Hmm, do I want to buy this from a neighbour for a tenner? I have no musical skill and no inclination to try to properly learn, but I suppose I could haphazardly plinkety-plonk a bit and see what happens, might be a giggle

An electronic keyboard (as in piano, not as in computer)

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

"You are privy to a great becoming. Before me, you rightly tremble. But fear is not what you owe me. You owe me awe."

Headline: "OpenAI boss says world 'right to be afraid' but should trust AI firms"

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

And mum more than makes up for his inactivity, here majestically demonstrating the wonders of flight to the cygnets, who respond with classic teenage indifference #NewRiverBirds

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Daddy swan gets quite vocal at snacktime. He's an old man, and arthritis stops him from joining in flying lessons, but he still gives powerful "contented yet menacing" vibes #NewRiverBirds

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Name a non-LOTR character who could resist the One Ring

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Apart from the sheer nastiness of this policy, and the harm it would do to public services and the economy, how can anyone imagine that we'll reduce support for the far right by saying "These people can stay here, but we must hold them at arm's length and treat them with suspicion for many years"?

As well as criticising the backward-looking changes, Nowak also condemned the idea of applying a 10- or 15-year wait to many new arrivals, as the Home Office has proposed.

“Both my granddads came to this country after the second world war – one came from Hong Kong, one came from Poland. Both raised their families here. The idea that you could be here for the next 10, 15 years and you’d still have no legal right to remain in the country … how the hell do you plan? Can you buy a house? What does that mean for your employment? Do you have kids? Do you send them to school? I mean, it cuts across any effort to integrate at all.”

Labour politicians supportive of the changes see them partly as a way of assuaging public concerns about migration, and neutralising the appeal of populist parties, including Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I think the names "knowledge-rich" or "knowledge-based" curriculum (as opposed to "skills-based") are an atrocious branding blunder, suggesting a mindless, Gradgrindian chanting of facts. As @stephenkb.bsky.social says, manipulating knowledge helps you develop broadly applicable skills.

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https://www.ft.com/content/d7418474-5d7d-4b4f-a496-72fa5ee20046?accessToken=zwAAAaCFikCykdPXQYR0XX1LT9OklnL6XuIARg.MEUCIHUuvDgm2y6U0zEP4jUstG2p7uOWFzqEcVaNzxpya9K0AiEA0unfGZjAMf0iZslHYpcw0L8yQunmpaWjrS8-4tU7l-w&sharetype=gift&token=b526df3b-9658-4675-b1be-b316feb011d7&syn-25a6b1a6=1

What do we mean by “knowledge-rich” curriculums? Well, in the subject of English, for example, the aim isn’t that students leave knowing some disconnected facts, like who Elizabeth Bennet ends up with or who kills Macbeth, but that they are able to: write for a range of purposes; speak clearly; understand and participate in spoken debates and generally have all of the abilities necessary to flourish in life. The best way to instil those skills is to teach knowledge, as both research and outcomes across the developed world show.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

On the travails of filming the cygnets as they inch closer to figuring out how to fly #NewRiverBirds

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