And lo, God did send a single cloud to punish the followers of the sun, but spared the good people of Bearwood at the last minute by shifting it a bit to the right.

Has everyone got their cave ready to go and shelter in with all the other creatures in the valley? The world will probably still be here in the morning #CometInMoominland

Early omens of the eclipse, courtesy of the squirrels. Anyway, never look directly at the tomatoes.

It's windy this evening, so they must have already started to blow the new Moon in front of the sun. No idea where we'll put the old one, my shed's completely full.

The big spider from yesterday has been busy overnight building a web the size of my head, at face height, and now I have to abandon this room of my house forever.

Busy morning planning what I'm booking for Birmingham Heritage Week in September and filtering out anything with Peaky Blinders or Ozzy Osbourne in the title. Also, any Bournville events now sponsored by Mondelez International until they give us back proper Cadbury's Dairy Milk.

Hazy morning sun in my seedy wildflowers.

I'd run a much more efficient Counter Reformation than the people at Moseley Old Hall. For a start, I'd have much stricter guidelines for Protestants than this.

Perplexed by the sinister nature of my sunflowers, which did not look like this on the seed packet. Not so much grown as summoned.

My package has been delivered to my 'safe place'. If you're thinking, that doesn't look *very* safe, you're wrong because it's stuck in the letterbox, which prevents me from sliding the porch open, so I am stuck in the house. Going to have a sit down and a think, maybe a biscuit.

Happy stuff crashing into The Moon day. If we do cause a new crater, I hope there’s soup.

Meet Princess Louise Hollandine of the Palatinate, portraitist, abbess, granddaughter of James I and owner of a splendid hat. She's related to almost everyone in Europe. I'll just mention Ulrich III of Mecklenburg-Güstrow and Juliana, Countess of Stolberg-Wernigerode, and you'll get the gist.🧵

I have been made to look at standing stones and traction engines. The perpetrator of this outrage is currently buying me gin.

Dammit, I've just remembered it's Lughnasa and I'm meant to be sacrificing a bull to ensure a good harvest. Typically, I have come away without packing either my bull or my barley. Might have to just eat a pub beefburger for lunch and hope that appeases the ancient gods.

Hinksey Lake in Oxford, where you probably shouldn't swim, especially when there's a lido next to it. Always strikes me as a place they'd do an impromptu autopsy in an early Inspector Morse.

Wrightwick Manor, making me very glad I don't do its dusting. Always annoyed that chairs are roped off. I know they're old but so am I, and it would be nice to sit in spaces like this for a while and think about them.

It's escalating. Two days ago it was courgettes, yesterday it was plums. Psyched to see what my neighbours are giving away today and hoping it's iced buns.

Knitted Clanger@knittedclanger.bsky.social · 2w ago

(2) We've reached that stage of summer when people are giving away courgettes. Everyone still thinks this is charming but give it a couple of days and we'll be leaving them on each others' doorsteps at the dead of night and running away, like every other year.

IT'S BLITFEST Well, not until October and only I call it BLITFEST but I'm excited that the programme is announced and booking is open. I'm looking forward to books about actors in bags, feminist walking, the African diaspora, depraved art and the history of female pleasure.

Good morning and welcome to day one of there being a tiny spider in my keyboard. Please ignore any Go Fund Me appeals for flies. 🕷️

Today's obsession: what if the beavers taking the children to meet Aslan is like Winston going to see O'Brien? Imagine a big cat pawing at a human face...forever.

Because I've been stuck at home waiting for my delivery, I've ventured gingerly onto Facebook to see what I've missed today. (1) A runaway budgie has turned up at the Post Office, but NO, HOW DO WE KNOW IT'S THE SAME BUDGIE THEY'RE CUNNING.

Knitted Clanger@knittedclanger.bsky.social · 3w ago

My delivery driver is Karanpreet, who will be arriving at some point between the War of the Spanish Succession and the heat death of the universe. He can deliver to my safe place (Belgium) as long as I am in Belgium to sign for it.

I don’t know, I think these schisms in the Catholic Church are starting to get out of hand…

My delivery driver is Karanpreet, who will be arriving at some point between the War of the Spanish Succession and the heat death of the universe. He can deliver to my safe place (Belgium) as long as I am in Belgium to sign for it.

I’ve been out in the garden in the rain! In my nightie! I am ungovernable! 🌧️🌻

It’s raining! Drought’s off, lads.

We now return you to your schism in the Catholic Church, already in progress, where there's been a kidnapping, a suspicious drowning and it's all about to kick off in the Orkneys. Based on an idea by Dan Brown.

Claire Willett@clairewillett.bsky.social · 3w ago

exCUSE me??????????? I take a week off and there’s a KIDNAPPING?!!?!????????

Exciting times, my first ripe tomato. 🍅

My bird visitors no longer come and sing to me. I fear they may not have survived the heatwave. Or they took my hint and ran away together to Mykonos or Tangier.

Knitted Clanger@knittedclanger.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A robin and a blackbird visit my garden at this time every evening. They both appear to be single and spend around an hour singing for a mate. Going to suggest something to them.

Very lovely late night #Proms of Dowland and Purcell on Baroque instruments, though I do take issue with the lutenist's suggestion that Dowland was like John Lennon. Mate, one of his pieces you're playing is called The Frog Galliard, I think you mean a different Beatle.

‘Healey appointed Chancellor’ just made me click a link. #NineteenSeventyFour