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@calumsmac.bsky.social · last wk.

I borrowed this book from the library. This morning a thought has crossed my mind. I have not noticed any references to Pat Barker’s trilogy during the recent responses to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. That seems like an omission of an important, contemporary take on these stories.

A colour photo of the cover of The Voyage Home by Pat Barker. It is a Penguin paperback edition. The cover artwork, by Sarah Young, shows two female figures in the foreground. They are Cassandra “war-wife of Agamemnon” and “her watchful maid” Rita’s. Ahead of them is what looks like the shadow of Medusa with her hair rising in all directions. The two women are on a ship, bringing Agamemnon back from Troy to Greece, named Medusa with that figurehead. The ship looks forward through a sea channel edged by hills, columns of rain, great beacons aflame, glowering purple clouds - classical Greek architecture of the city at the head of the view, their destination. This is the third book in the trilogy. I read the first, The Silence of the Girls, earlier this summer. Unfortunately, book two (The Women of Troy) in the library’s collection remains stuck on a beach, or somewhere, like Odysseus’s ships. Anyway, read these books, and go see the film.
History and Heritage Yorkshire@handhyorkshire.bsky.social · last mo.

🧵Next Sunday is Pontefract Liquorice Festival. But where did the town's connection to liquorice begin? The surprising story of Pontefract’s sugary fame begins some time around 1300. Some say it was brought back from the Crusades by the de Lacys, others credit Dominican monks from the nearby

These are traditional Pontefract cakes, a type of small, circular liquorice sweet. The cakes are roughly 2 cm in diameter and feature a stamped design of a castle and an owl. They were originally manufactured in Pontefract and are currently produced by brands such as Haribo. Image Dave Spellman CC BY 2.0
Joel Morris@gralefrit.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Don’t ban kids using YouTube. Make YouTube behave like a broadcaster. Pay creators. Reinvest in the creative industries. Pay fair tax back into creators’ economies. Follow guidelines on fair usage and copyright. Play fair. It’s bigger than TV now. Make it behave like TV.

@calumsmac.bsky.social · 2mo ago

#SundayPixSport This 16 seconds video of a rather mucky looking polar bear (having just emerged from a pool) walking with a large, red ball in its mouth might be either one thing, or another. On the one hand, it may be sport - bear balling. On the other hand, it may be engineering - ball bearing.

@calumsmac.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I bought this recently, on spec, because it is / was published by Faber & Faber (& therefore likely to be quality). I am five (of eight) stories in. And I ruddy love it. I reckon Claire Keegan’s short story writing is up there alongside Elizabeth Taylor’s - fabulous! #books #booksky

A colour photograph of a nearly, wholly black and white book cover. The book is a collection of short stories, Walk the Blue Fields, written by Claire Keegan. The cover design is plain white background overlayed with a skeletal looking tree, whose curlicues give the appearance of branches, twigs and leaves. Dotted around the tree are red spots, suggesting blossoms or fruit. The curlicues suggest there may be hidden lettering. However, I can’t make out a message, if there is one. Above the tree there is a quote ‘Perfect short stories’ by Anne Enright, Guardian. Below the tree there is the title, then the author’s name. Below that another quote, ‘She’s a rarity - someone I’ll always want to read’ by Richard Ford, Guardian Books of the Year. The book was first published in 2007, this paperback edition the following year.