Catherine Hill
@ctjhill.bsky.social
A geeky individual, passionate about books, TV and the fantastical. Has an active imagination and a liking for history (especially in podcasts). Does environmental campaigning sometimes. One half of @dtdiscworld.bsky.social podcast. Probably tired. She/Her
'You'll choke too' - an aerial embroidery landscape inspired by all the wildfires happening right now... I'm upset every time I smell smoke outside and somehow we have people starting them maliciously too! But we all breathe the same air so they'll choke too (1/2 - see thread for close-ups)
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.
I compost basically all of my food waste, have done for years, and my black bin bags are much lighter and less smelly. Can understand people might be concerned about less service (esp as we're 1.5 years w/o recycling) but weekly food waste collection will be good.
Birmingham Friends of the Earth@birminghamfoe.bsky.social · 3d agoWant to know more about how the new Birmingham City council is dealing with recycling? Head to our website to read the full blog♻️🌱 birminghamfoe.org.uk/recycling-re...
Crops grown underneath solar panels produce more, require less water and are more resistant to extreme weather, even during a hot, dry summer. We need agrivoltaics to be rolled out asap, for both the electricity and the better growing conditions. microgridmedia.com/solar-panels...
Solar Panels Are Helping Crops Grow Better, Global Studies Show - Microgrid Media
For farmers worried about losing land to solar energy, new research brings surprising news: many crops actually produce more food when grown beneath solar
microgridmedia.com
I agree strongly with this -- in that difficult moment, the possibility of collective effort was conceivable. Not everybody felt it, but many did. I think the political class did not like this one bit.
Dave Andress@davidandress.bsky.social · 4d agoCovid lockdowns demonstrated, in a deeply imperfect way, the possibility of large-scale social solidarity for a higher cause. That is a prime reason why so many powerful people want us to run screaming away from them into the comforting arms of selfish individualist competition.
For decades, Jodrell Bank has helped us understand the universe, but now it's facing pointless funding cuts. Withdrawing funds won't save much money, but it will seriously hurt UK science. I’ve added my name to help stop this—please join me and sign the petition: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...
Save Jodrell Bank
For decades, Jodrell Bank has helped us understand the universe, but now its funding is being threatened. Add your name to help stop these short-sighted cuts and protect UK science:
you.38degrees.org.uk
Cast of Wonders 692: Laser Eyes Ain't Everything by @effies.bsky.social narrated by Jairus Durnett produced by Andrew Jack CW: ableism www.castofwonders.org/2026/07/cast...
You thought gardening was about growing plants, but it's really about growing soil.
THE RESIDENCE was easily the best, most intricate murder mystery and Christie homage I've ever seen on screen. And thinking on it, I realised why. Because it's 8 eps it has time to pursue all of the strange convoluted red herrings that 90-120 min Christie adaptations have to trim for time. (1/5)
The way we stop upland fires is dramatic rewetting and rewilding of our hills and reducing emissions like it's a life or death situation... Using every lever available to the state domestically and internationally to immediately cut emissions everywhere. It's literally the only way we can stop them
"My name is John Crichton, an astronaut. A radiation wave hit & I got shot through a wormhole. Now Im lost in some distant part of the universe on a ship, a LIVING ship, full of strange alien life forms... Is there anybody out there who can hear me? I'm just looking for a way home." [same plot btw!]
Don Moynihan@donmoyn.bsky.social · 6d agoIf not Matt Damon, who is you alternative Odysseus?
Conclusions and recommendations about public libraries:
Shell & companies like them have known they're causing huge harm for longer than I've been alive. They've spent billions to ensure they can do increasing harm and they are rewarded with further billions. Then millions of people trying to stop them are having to do this vital work in our spare time.
Best for Britain@bestforbritain.org · 6d agoWildfires in Europe. Floods in Asia. Drought in England. "These aren't anomalies, they're the defining story of the fossil fuel age. Shell takes the profits, and the rest of us pick up the catastrophic bill." https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jul/30/shell-profits-double-jump-oil-gas-prices
++BREAKING++ The UK and Spanish governments have issued a joint statement overnight: "[We] agreed that this summer’s wildfires demonstrated that climate change was now a national security emergency facing Europe and threatening our way of life." www.gov.uk/government/n...
"Starting July 19, 2026, the European Union officially banned large fashion companies from destroying unsold clothes, shoes, and accessories. Instead of sending perfectly good products to landfills or burning them, companies must now donate, recycle, or repurpose them." via No one Cares
We're making ourselves visible both on the street and popping up in the news in a few places! Great writeup by Murthaza Ali-Hassan www.birmingham-now.co.uk/news/2640525...
‘It feels like they didn’t know we existed’ - Fears over Birmingham hub's future
Organisations in the Warehouse on Allison Street in Digbeth speak out about the Midland Rail Hub plans for the Bordesley Viaduct.
birmingham-now.co.uk
PLEASE SHARE THIS To the young person (longish dark hair, patterned waistcoat, chinos & DM boots) who left this scroll of papers on the Piccadilly Line train at South Kensington station at about 4.25pm today, I’ve handed it to the station staff at Hammersmith.
Plug-in solar panels are coming to the UK from August 27th! It's been in the pipeline for a while & it's already common in Germany. But it's BRILLIANT because it opens up these technologies to renters & ppl w/o their own roof. Plugs into a normal socket & supplies ~ 10-20% of household needs. ☀️🎉
UK households free to install plug-in balcony solar panels from end of August
Law change means renters and flat owners may be able to cut bills as energy costs soar amid Iran war
theguardian.com
PIN Number ATM Machine UPC Code LCD Display We regret to inform you that this phenomenon has a name: RAS Syndrome. Redundant Acronym Syndrome…Syndrome.
Due to issues installing a ceiling fan our bedroom light can now only be operated by remote control. We're currently switching batteries between that remote and the TV one, but I'm getting more AAAs tomorrow.
Mutable Joe@mutablejoe.bsky.social · last wk.there is a clear hierarchy of objects we will take batteries out of to put in other objects and I suspect objects know their place in it
Just came back from Legoland in Denmark. Kid's first flight, which he handled well. Better than me, I still don't like flying much. In fact remembering turbulence made me more tense than I expected on a fairly simple ride. First time staying in a theme hotel & there were kids & Lego everywhere.
Very glad we left Gatwick early yesterday, and in all honesty were hardly there for long. The water situation here is clearly ridiculous and needs a big change, cos sadly it's only getting warmer.
Watching Spider-Man No Way Home, and as a HE admin I agree it really is better to email or call the admissions team before resorting to a wizard.
I'm not posting Odyssey memes because one must be wary of GIFs bearing Greeks.