Al Kitching
@itsalkitching.bsky.social
Birder, Beatles, bogs, fen-dweller, tries to finish books but drifts off into…whatever, runs The Fens feed https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:emtwh7ecdoazomcrvs4rbfdl/feed/aaafa74ch6fxy
Good morning, and a very happy Edgar Froese Day to all who celebrate.
January 20, 2026 at 8:08 AM
Good morning, and a very happy Edgar Froese Day to all who celebrate.
My Plague Dogs must be in another room, also Maia, the very loose (and misjudged erotic) prequel to Shardik; I’ll go looking for them later. Watership Down is indeed the timeless one, but I still believe The Girl in a Swing is a masterpiece.
January 14, 2026 at 8:28 PM
My Plague Dogs must be in another room, also Maia, the very loose (and misjudged erotic) prequel to Shardik; I’ll go looking for them later. Watership Down is indeed the timeless one, but I still believe The Girl in a Swing is a masterpiece.
Rewatching Men. I think it’s wonderful. And pretty horrifying. It seemed quite divisive at the time, but seems to have vanished culturally (if I might be unforgivably wanky and condescending for a moment).
It’s on All4 for nowt if you fancy seeing Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear being amazing.
It’s on All4 for nowt if you fancy seeing Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear being amazing.
December 20, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Rewatching Men. I think it’s wonderful. And pretty horrifying. It seemed quite divisive at the time, but seems to have vanished culturally (if I might be unforgivably wanky and condescending for a moment).
It’s on All4 for nowt if you fancy seeing Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear being amazing.
It’s on All4 for nowt if you fancy seeing Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear being amazing.
It’s a beautiful package, by the way. And goodness, the music. All mellotron and icy reverb is fabulous.
December 13, 2025 at 7:02 PM
It’s a beautiful package, by the way. And goodness, the music. All mellotron and icy reverb is fabulous.
I saw Daughters of Darkness (a 1971 let’s be honest EROTIC horror) years ago late night on the BBC and it has stuck with me ever since. Not like that.
It’s set in a deserted seaside hotel in Oostende. I **love** out of season North Sea seaside towns by the way. (“Everyday is silent and grey.”)
It’s set in a deserted seaside hotel in Oostende. I **love** out of season North Sea seaside towns by the way. (“Everyday is silent and grey.”)
December 13, 2025 at 6:57 PM
I saw Daughters of Darkness (a 1971 let’s be honest EROTIC horror) years ago late night on the BBC and it has stuck with me ever since. Not like that.
It’s set in a deserted seaside hotel in Oostende. I **love** out of season North Sea seaside towns by the way. (“Everyday is silent and grey.”)
It’s set in a deserted seaside hotel in Oostende. I **love** out of season North Sea seaside towns by the way. (“Everyday is silent and grey.”)
“Red sky in the morning,
Really quite lovely indeed”
Really quite lovely indeed”
December 11, 2025 at 7:46 AM
“Red sky in the morning,
Really quite lovely indeed”
Really quite lovely indeed”
Absolutely over the moon with my new slip mat from @gailmyerscough.co.uk. You should go check her stuff out, it’s aces.
November 19, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Absolutely over the moon with my new slip mat from @gailmyerscough.co.uk. You should go check her stuff out, it’s aces.
After too long hemming and hawing, picked up All The Haunts Be Ours, an astonishing compendium of folk horror containing 20 movies from around the world. Started the centrepiece documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched and wondered how I’d get on (it’s 3’15”). It flew by; amazing piece of work.
November 16, 2025 at 9:38 PM
After too long hemming and hawing, picked up All The Haunts Be Ours, an astonishing compendium of folk horror containing 20 movies from around the world. Started the centrepiece documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched and wondered how I’d get on (it’s 3’15”). It flew by; amazing piece of work.
And now…It’s been a while since I last watched Se7en, but here we are.
November 8, 2025 at 8:41 PM
And now…It’s been a while since I last watched Se7en, but here we are.
I’m rewatching Late Night with the Devil (which is great- David Dastmalchian is *fantastic*) and I’ve just realised it has a great mirror in the contemporaneous “3x3” episode of Inside No.9 (the one with Lee Mack, also brilliant).
November 8, 2025 at 7:48 PM
I’m rewatching Late Night with the Devil (which is great- David Dastmalchian is *fantastic*) and I’ve just realised it has a great mirror in the contemporaneous “3x3” episode of Inside No.9 (the one with Lee Mack, also brilliant).
I may have missed a memo, but Amadeus still (ahem) rocks. Almost zero cultural footprint these days, but it’s still wonderful.
November 2, 2025 at 8:09 PM
I may have missed a memo, but Amadeus still (ahem) rocks. Almost zero cultural footprint these days, but it’s still wonderful.
You sit in a comfortable room, they hook you up to a clever machine and blood comes out of one arm and goes through the machine and then back in the other arm. The magic happens in the machine which busily separates the stem cells and hangs on to them.
September 20, 2025 at 8:00 PM
You sit in a comfortable room, they hook you up to a clever machine and blood comes out of one arm and goes through the machine and then back in the other arm. The magic happens in the machine which busily separates the stem cells and hangs on to them.
I would be giving up my stem cells to someone whose stem cells aren't producing healthy blood, and because we're matched at a very precise level, that means the recipient's body should just think all is well and here is some healthy blood.
September 20, 2025 at 7:38 PM
I would be giving up my stem cells to someone whose stem cells aren't producing healthy blood, and because we're matched at a very precise level, that means the recipient's body should just think all is well and here is some healthy blood.
I have a relatively unusual blood group. Not rare;but I used to donate fairly regularly and on one visit it was suggested I put myself on the bone marrow register. On a routine GP visit a week later I saw a poster for the same thing and that was serendipitous enough for me to go for it.
September 20, 2025 at 6:24 PM
I have a relatively unusual blood group. Not rare;but I used to donate fairly regularly and on one visit it was suggested I put myself on the bone marrow register. On a routine GP visit a week later I saw a poster for the same thing and that was serendipitous enough for me to go for it.
Evening, everyone. I am watching The Quatermass Xperiment and isn’t that just a cracking image?
September 16, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Evening, everyone. I am watching The Quatermass Xperiment and isn’t that just a cracking image?
There’s a lot wrong with the world, so maybe we could start with this guy and move outward.
September 3, 2025 at 6:49 PM
There’s a lot wrong with the world, so maybe we could start with this guy and move outward.
Years ago, Tokyo did a commission for me of my daughter and her new pooch, Belle, as a pup. (There’s also Cleo the hamster sat on her shoulder if you look carefully.) He’s a great talent and a lovely man…you should take a look at his shop if you can.
August 30, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Years ago, Tokyo did a commission for me of my daughter and her new pooch, Belle, as a pup. (There’s also Cleo the hamster sat on her shoulder if you look carefully.) He’s a great talent and a lovely man…you should take a look at his shop if you can.
Hobbys at Lakenheath. More acrobatic than swifts. Ripping dragonflies in half and chomping them in mid air. Bloody great. Sometimes they stopped and took a breath #birds🪶 #ukbirding
June 8, 2024 at 7:23 PM
Hobbys at Lakenheath. More acrobatic than swifts. Ripping dragonflies in half and chomping them in mid air. Bloody great. Sometimes they stopped and took a breath #birds🪶 #ukbirding
Also, in #ukbirding and #birds🪶 news, the best pic I’ll ever manage of a blackcap (he was too busy warbling away to be worried about me).
May 6, 2024 at 2:33 PM
Also, in #ukbirding and #birds🪶 news, the best pic I’ll ever manage of a blackcap (he was too busy warbling away to be worried about me).
They’re back. They’re back, they’re back, they’re back! #TurtleDoves #ThatsMoreLikeIt #TFFT #ukbirding #birds🪶
May 6, 2024 at 2:25 PM
They’re back. They’re back, they’re back, they’re back! #TurtleDoves #ThatsMoreLikeIt #TFFT #ukbirding #birds🪶
Ah, very good, that goes on the list. I have read The Quincunx but my favourite of his is The Unburied.
May 6, 2024 at 8:30 AM
Ah, very good, that goes on the list. I have read The Quincunx but my favourite of his is The Unburied.
A gadwall, the king of ducks, and a bullfinch, after the rains cleared this afternoon #ukbirding #birds🪶
April 28, 2024 at 4:24 PM
A gadwall, the king of ducks, and a bullfinch, after the rains cleared this afternoon #ukbirding #birds🪶