@contrarybass.bsky.social
Housing, France, bicycles, food, inept sewing, sport, and anything else that piques my curiosity. Hythe (Kent). My Like might be just a bookmark. #NotAllPPEists
Reposted
NIGEL FARAGE STOLE MY SATSUMAS
2. New customs rules due to the UK now being outside of the EU single market.
The extra time, effort, paperwork, and risk of importing such perishable low value fruit means that almost all satsumas get sent to the easily accessible markets inside the EU.
The extra time, effort, paperwork, and risk of importing such perishable low value fruit means that almost all satsumas get sent to the easily accessible markets inside the EU.
December 22, 2025 at 9:42 AM
NIGEL FARAGE STOLE MY SATSUMAS
Just eaten a “Seedless Easy Peeler” and had to sit out nineteen pips. Nineteen.
Even allowing for the analogy with “stainless” steel (which still stains - but less) I feel nineteen seeds is surely taking the pith.
Even allowing for the analogy with “stainless” steel (which still stains - but less) I feel nineteen seeds is surely taking the pith.
December 22, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Just eaten a “Seedless Easy Peeler” and had to sit out nineteen pips. Nineteen.
Even allowing for the analogy with “stainless” steel (which still stains - but less) I feel nineteen seeds is surely taking the pith.
Even allowing for the analogy with “stainless” steel (which still stains - but less) I feel nineteen seeds is surely taking the pith.
Reposted
Of all the sins of AI, this is an unexpected and deeply annoying one
Funny animal videos no longer being trustworthy just fucking sucks all around. I love the wonder of animal behavior and what it says about the experience of being alive. It's because it happened in reality that it's so fun. It's not fun if it was just made up. There's no wonder there.
December 19, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Of all the sins of AI, this is an unexpected and deeply annoying one
Slow handclap to the postal system for today’s misdelivery - the house number and town are correct, but the road name and *county* are wrong.
It came via the sorting office in the right county, too, which is the most mind-boggling part. There was no postcode so surely they’d have had to check!
It came via the sorting office in the right county, too, which is the most mind-boggling part. There was no postcode so surely they’d have had to check!
December 16, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Slow handclap to the postal system for today’s misdelivery - the house number and town are correct, but the road name and *county* are wrong.
It came via the sorting office in the right county, too, which is the most mind-boggling part. There was no postcode so surely they’d have had to check!
It came via the sorting office in the right county, too, which is the most mind-boggling part. There was no postcode so surely they’d have had to check!
Reposted
Grand Designs home of the year - that Suffolk house over four separate buildings - why didn’t anyone ask about how they manage when it’s raining? Or when they’ve got flu? Some attractive bits but overall seems hugely impractical to live in. #silly
December 10, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Grand Designs home of the year - that Suffolk house over four separate buildings - why didn’t anyone ask about how they manage when it’s raining? Or when they’ve got flu? Some attractive bits but overall seems hugely impractical to live in. #silly
Local High Street full of independent shops - tonight is the annual late night opening, Xmas lights, Santa, children’s choir, buskers, wind band, mince pie stalls, hamper raffles, many people, much jollity …. And a Reform UK stand giving away pens and mugs. Urgh.
December 5, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Local High Street full of independent shops - tonight is the annual late night opening, Xmas lights, Santa, children’s choir, buskers, wind band, mince pie stalls, hamper raffles, many people, much jollity …. And a Reform UK stand giving away pens and mugs. Urgh.
Went swimming & asked why it was more expensive this time. Was it (at 8:58 am) peak rate, and should I wait till 9?
“I’ve charged the off-peak”
“But last time I only paid £3.60”
“They must have charged you the senior citizen rate.”
OUCH
(I’m barely 50 and have hardly a grey hair on my head!)
“I’ve charged the off-peak”
“But last time I only paid £3.60”
“They must have charged you the senior citizen rate.”
OUCH
(I’m barely 50 and have hardly a grey hair on my head!)
December 1, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Went swimming & asked why it was more expensive this time. Was it (at 8:58 am) peak rate, and should I wait till 9?
“I’ve charged the off-peak”
“But last time I only paid £3.60”
“They must have charged you the senior citizen rate.”
OUCH
(I’m barely 50 and have hardly a grey hair on my head!)
“I’ve charged the off-peak”
“But last time I only paid £3.60”
“They must have charged you the senior citizen rate.”
OUCH
(I’m barely 50 and have hardly a grey hair on my head!)
Not a lawyer, but I confess I quite enjoy dipping into the judgments in VAT cases like this.
Fans of VAT food and drink cases will enjoy this decision, where the Tax Tribunal was entertained with two days of argument on whether Ferrero Nutella chocolate biscuits (pictured) are “covered in chocolate”. caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukftt/tc/202....
October 28, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Not a lawyer, but I confess I quite enjoy dipping into the judgments in VAT cases like this.
Sharing in case I know anyone who cycles and can afford an Economist subscription.
October 11, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Sharing in case I know anyone who cycles and can afford an Economist subscription.
In 2019-21, my timelines full of Hard Brexit, someone said “it won’t be a disaster, it’ll just be years of things becoming gradually shittier, and us noticing on European holidays that they are wealthier than us”. I’ve just come back from hols and want to shake their hand: it felt exactly like that.
September 29, 2025 at 10:44 AM
In 2019-21, my timelines full of Hard Brexit, someone said “it won’t be a disaster, it’ll just be years of things becoming gradually shittier, and us noticing on European holidays that they are wealthier than us”. I’ve just come back from hols and want to shake their hand: it felt exactly like that.
Had a punnet of strawberries in France last week and every single one was so sweet, so flavourful that now I realise that “strawberry flavouring” isn’t an unnaturally sweet chemical concoction, it’s what strawbs taste like! Just not UK strawbs (yes, even most home grown ones).
September 29, 2025 at 7:05 AM
Had a punnet of strawberries in France last week and every single one was so sweet, so flavourful that now I realise that “strawberry flavouring” isn’t an unnaturally sweet chemical concoction, it’s what strawbs taste like! Just not UK strawbs (yes, even most home grown ones).
Mind completely blown. I always assumed synaesthesia was a unique personal response to sensory input. The idea that this response could be replicated in others (in some way) is …wow. Going to have to re-listen to it!
on.ft.com/3UV2EsR Why Beethoven is good for your brain - free shared article.
on.ft.com/3UV2EsR Why Beethoven is good for your brain - free shared article.
August 30, 2025 at 10:19 AM
Mind completely blown. I always assumed synaesthesia was a unique personal response to sensory input. The idea that this response could be replicated in others (in some way) is …wow. Going to have to re-listen to it!
on.ft.com/3UV2EsR Why Beethoven is good for your brain - free shared article.
on.ft.com/3UV2EsR Why Beethoven is good for your brain - free shared article.
How the other half live, FT newsletter edition.
July 31, 2025 at 10:05 AM
How the other half live, FT newsletter edition.
Any recommendations for best beaches in the Morbihan for swimming in September? (Not just for kids paddling). i.e. calm waters, safe (no strong currents, etc) and not too cold?
July 28, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Any recommendations for best beaches in the Morbihan for swimming in September? (Not just for kids paddling). i.e. calm waters, safe (no strong currents, etc) and not too cold?
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I’m so going to miss #ITV4 coverage of #TdF. Insightful commentary from Gary Imlach, Ned Boulting, David Millar etc has opened up the sport to so many armchair cyclists. Losing rights to TNT is a minor tragedy. www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jun/27/cycling-tour-de-france-gary-imlach-channel-4-itv
‘A three-week drama in daily episodes’: curtain to fall on free-to-air Tour de France coverage
Gary Imlach prepares for one final race as La Grande Boucle moves behind a paywall after 40 years on ITV and Channel 4
www.theguardian.com
July 27, 2025 at 3:30 PM
I’m so going to miss #ITV4 coverage of #TdF. Insightful commentary from Gary Imlach, Ned Boulting, David Millar etc has opened up the sport to so many armchair cyclists. Losing rights to TNT is a minor tragedy. www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jun/27/cycling-tour-de-france-gary-imlach-channel-4-itv
@bekahryder.bsky.social Thought you might be interested in this, if you’ve not seen it already.
A fascinating, and accurate, piece of research which gives the lie to the (now) common complaint that the civil service is too slow/seeks to frustrate the delivery of ministers’ objectives open.substack.com/pub/ukcivils...
Policy Making in Theory and in Practice
A recent doctoral research paper by Dr Laura Hilger combines the best academic thinking on optimal policy design with the recent real-world experience of several civil service policy teams. Some of th...
open.substack.com
June 13, 2025 at 6:33 AM
@bekahryder.bsky.social Thought you might be interested in this, if you’ve not seen it already.
Reposted
Absolutely surreal to have lived through the Napster days and watched as the titans of industry moved hell and high water to lock down any possible chance that someone's song might get swapped online without giving the studios a cut and now those same people are just like "well we gotta steal music"
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.
buff.ly
May 26, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Absolutely surreal to have lived through the Napster days and watched as the titans of industry moved hell and high water to lock down any possible chance that someone's song might get swapped online without giving the studios a cut and now those same people are just like "well we gotta steal music"
@metoffice.bsky.social Why do your forecasts have a daily high (top left) which frequently differs by 2° from the details? Why isn’t the daily high figure the maximum value off the hourly numbers? There’s a big comfort difference between 17° and barely 15°!
May 23, 2025 at 6:26 AM
@metoffice.bsky.social Why do your forecasts have a daily high (top left) which frequently differs by 2° from the details? Why isn’t the daily high figure the maximum value off the hourly numbers? There’s a big comfort difference between 17° and barely 15°!
Every day is International Tea Day in this house.
May 21, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Every day is International Tea Day in this house.
Bellingham (or maybe Beckenham) / Catford Borders?
Wtf is "the BeCa"????
May 6, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Bellingham (or maybe Beckenham) / Catford Borders?
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Reform councillors also about to discover that all their budget is committed to adult social care and children's services
They are also going to find out that they can only act within the law
They are also going to find out that they can only act within the law
May 3, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Reform councillors also about to discover that all their budget is committed to adult social care and children's services
They are also going to find out that they can only act within the law
They are also going to find out that they can only act within the law
Reposted
April 27, 2025 at 1:56 PM
The local film club’s screening this week (film chosen and scheduled months ago)?
Conclave, naturally.
Conclave, naturally.
April 21, 2025 at 9:05 PM
The local film club’s screening this week (film chosen and scheduled months ago)?
Conclave, naturally.
Conclave, naturally.
Today in Modern Life Is Rubbish (digital edition), I have been on the phone for 2.5 hours simply to upgrade my phone. I am now completely frazzled. Is this middle age?
April 14, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Today in Modern Life Is Rubbish (digital edition), I have been on the phone for 2.5 hours simply to upgrade my phone. I am now completely frazzled. Is this middle age?