bestoftimes.bsky.social
@bestoftimes.bsky.social
Born when there was there was only 319ppm of CO₂ in the atmosphere. I get excited by books, music, photography, walks and beaches, fountain pens and inks, malt whisky. And learning new things.
He/Him.
He/Him.
I made the mistake of trying to make vegetable risotto using brown rice straight out the packet.
One hour in, and there was no starch being released, the vegetables had lost all colour and their atomic structure was breaking down. And the rice was ‘nutty’.
In my defence, I didn’t buy the rice!
One hour in, and there was no starch being released, the vegetables had lost all colour and their atomic structure was breaking down. And the rice was ‘nutty’.
In my defence, I didn’t buy the rice!
January 8, 2026 at 9:09 AM
I made the mistake of trying to make vegetable risotto using brown rice straight out the packet.
One hour in, and there was no starch being released, the vegetables had lost all colour and their atomic structure was breaking down. And the rice was ‘nutty’.
In my defence, I didn’t buy the rice!
One hour in, and there was no starch being released, the vegetables had lost all colour and their atomic structure was breaking down. And the rice was ‘nutty’.
In my defence, I didn’t buy the rice!
I was thinking today that it’s quite nice drinking water from a glass at my work desk rather than chugging from a bottle.
January 7, 2026 at 4:32 PM
I was thinking today that it’s quite nice drinking water from a glass at my work desk rather than chugging from a bottle.
I’m really enjoying the Radiooooo app to discover new music. The interface is a bit funky and unintuitive but I’ve settled on music from every country; fast, slow and weird styles; plus every decade except the 80s and 90s.
January 6, 2026 at 7:48 PM
I’m really enjoying the Radiooooo app to discover new music. The interface is a bit funky and unintuitive but I’ve settled on music from every country; fast, slow and weird styles; plus every decade except the 80s and 90s.
Portrait Gallery today.
January 2, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Portrait Gallery today.
I was looking at life and death masks in the Portrait Gallery today. I did not expect Voltaire to look so cheerful. Maybe it was all that coffee!
January 2, 2026 at 10:29 PM
I was looking at life and death masks in the Portrait Gallery today. I did not expect Voltaire to look so cheerful. Maybe it was all that coffee!
Whenever I go to the Scottish National Portrait gallery I have to go and look at the powerful painting of the three oncologists retrieving people from the darkness of cancer.
January 2, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Whenever I go to the Scottish National Portrait gallery I have to go and look at the powerful painting of the three oncologists retrieving people from the darkness of cancer.
Starting the second set of brown butter cakes for the good lady psychotherapist her indoors’ birthday. I managed to curdle the batter first time round but feeling more confident this time.
Smoke me a kipper…
Smoke me a kipper…
January 2, 2026 at 12:26 PM
Starting the second set of brown butter cakes for the good lady psychotherapist her indoors’ birthday. I managed to curdle the batter first time round but feeling more confident this time.
Smoke me a kipper…
Smoke me a kipper…
Today’s Daily Art is Our First Tiff by Scottish painter John Walker Macbeth. When I first looked at it, my immediate thought was they could have got away with a jpeg!
January 2, 2026 at 9:20 AM
Today’s Daily Art is Our First Tiff by Scottish painter John Walker Macbeth. When I first looked at it, my immediate thought was they could have got away with a jpeg!
Huge mistake! I bought a wall calendar for the kitchen that has weeks starting on Sunday.
I don’t care what the rest of the world thinks. This is just wrong on so many levels.
I don’t care what the rest of the world thinks. This is just wrong on so many levels.
December 31, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Huge mistake! I bought a wall calendar for the kitchen that has weeks starting on Sunday.
I don’t care what the rest of the world thinks. This is just wrong on so many levels.
I don’t care what the rest of the world thinks. This is just wrong on so many levels.
Over on the big blog, a year-end reflection about Maggie’s question about the best and worst of times in the year.
December 31, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Over on the big blog, a year-end reflection about Maggie’s question about the best and worst of times in the year.
I don’t like giving-up on books but I’m not making any headway with Lucy Wooding’s mammoth history of Tudor England.
Maybe I read too much about Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I this year. Or maybe if you’re tired of Tudor England you’re tired of life.
Maybe I read too much about Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I this year. Or maybe if you’re tired of Tudor England you’re tired of life.
December 30, 2025 at 3:01 PM
I don’t like giving-up on books but I’m not making any headway with Lucy Wooding’s mammoth history of Tudor England.
Maybe I read too much about Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I this year. Or maybe if you’re tired of Tudor England you’re tired of life.
Maybe I read too much about Mary Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I this year. Or maybe if you’re tired of Tudor England you’re tired of life.
I watched The Life of Chuck, adapted from a Stephen King short story tonight. It was wonderful and ★★★★★
December 28, 2025 at 10:12 PM
I watched The Life of Chuck, adapted from a Stephen King short story tonight. It was wonderful and ★★★★★
My favourite Christmas present of 2025 may just be these ‘loyalty cards’ from daughter no. 2.
December 27, 2025 at 9:57 PM
My favourite Christmas present of 2025 may just be these ‘loyalty cards’ from daughter no. 2.
Well, I think yesterdays’s Christmas lunch dealt with the “I don’t see the point of stuffing” bombshell¹ from the day before!
After all those years together she still surprises me. 😂
After all those years together she still surprises me. 😂
December 26, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Well, I think yesterdays’s Christmas lunch dealt with the “I don’t see the point of stuffing” bombshell¹ from the day before!
After all those years together she still surprises me. 😂
After all those years together she still surprises me. 😂
I thought it was sad to see news.individual.net displaying a large drawings saying “The era of Usenet is over”.
It’s almost certainly true though.
It’s almost certainly true though.
December 23, 2025 at 11:36 AM
I thought it was sad to see news.individual.net displaying a large drawings saying “The era of Usenet is over”.
It’s almost certainly true though.
It’s almost certainly true though.
A calm day at low tide on the River Forth on the winter solstice.
December 22, 2025 at 4:43 PM
A calm day at low tide on the River Forth on the winter solstice.
Last night we were talking about Analog Tools and end-of-year traditions. One of the things I do around this time each year is publish the list of 52 things I learned (and verified) this year.
Here is 2025’s list.
Here is 2025’s list.
December 21, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Last night we were talking about Analog Tools and end-of-year traditions. One of the things I do around this time each year is publish the list of 52 things I learned (and verified) this year.
Here is 2025’s list.
Here is 2025’s list.
I was reading a guide to making a Manhattan cocktail and I really liked the little side-note “stir until a melancholy thought occurs to you.
December 6, 2025 at 2:38 PM
I was reading a guide to making a Manhattan cocktail and I really liked the little side-note “stir until a melancholy thought occurs to you.
Attempted murder at the farmers’ market today. 😂
December 6, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Attempted murder at the farmers’ market today. 😂
Here in Edinburgh last weekend
December 5, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Here in Edinburgh last weekend
I’m currently refreshing the website for my wife’s bookgroup while keeping to my self-imposed rule that it’s a very basic HTML file.
Hopefully moving from this very basic table into something a bit more fun.
Hopefully moving from this very basic table into something a bit more fun.
November 27, 2025 at 9:37 PM
I’m currently refreshing the website for my wife’s bookgroup while keeping to my self-imposed rule that it’s a very basic HTML file.
Hopefully moving from this very basic table into something a bit more fun.
Hopefully moving from this very basic table into something a bit more fun.
One for the Analogue Tools community. Over on the big blog I’ve written about my new change of notebook/journal.
November 26, 2025 at 1:09 PM
One for the Analogue Tools community. Over on the big blog I’ve written about my new change of notebook/journal.
As today was a day off from work, I thought I should set aside some of the fun time for book group homework. 🍺📖
November 21, 2025 at 4:27 PM
As today was a day off from work, I thought I should set aside some of the fun time for book group homework. 🍺📖