Andrew Walsh
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playbrarian.uk
Andrew Walsh
@playbrarian.uk
930 followers 400 following 1.4K posts
Run workshops on Neurodiversity, play(fullness), creative teaching and more. National Teaching Fellow. Journal of Play in Adulthood Editor.
Neurodivergent. https://playbrarian.uk
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playbrarian.uk
Couldn't be bothered to do any work stuff today, so I'm at Bowes Museum for the first time!
An impressive stone frontage to Bowes Museum on a damp foggy day
January 19, 2026 at 10:44 AM
playbrarian.uk
Final one, quite appropriate to me at the moment, quitting "normal" work as money isn't the most important thing!
Do not be governed by money. Money often makes an ape of many a good man. Some are wealthy, others want. Meagre means are now shame.
January 13, 2026 at 10:56 AM
playbrarian.uk
This one I've read as essentially, bullshitting idiots should keep their mouths shut?
When to keep silent. Often it's best for the unwise man to sit in silence. His ignorance goes unnoticed unless he tells too much. It's the ill fortune of unwise men that they cannot keep silent.
January 13, 2026 at 10:52 AM
playbrarian.uk
A nice one, especially considering all the hate out there at the moment...
Courtesy. A guest needs giving water, fine towels and friendliness. A cheerful word, a chance to speak, kindness and concern.
January 13, 2026 at 10:49 AM
playbrarian.uk
Picked up "The sayings of the Vikings" the other day in a secondhand bookshop, might pick some for letterpress printing?
Cover of the book, The sayings of the Vikings, also called Hávamál. There is also an image of a viking ship on the cover.
January 13, 2026 at 10:47 AM
playbrarian.uk
Snow makes everything pretty. Our lunchtime walk today.
A lane covered in snow, with a black dog sniffing in the bushes.
January 3, 2026 at 1:32 PM
playbrarian.uk
The son has come to mine for the week, so setting up his Christmas present - a portable digital piano
A long haired young man setting up a brown wooden digital keyboard.
December 29, 2025 at 2:58 PM
playbrarian.uk
He likes to destroy them! My daughter's pet is much less destructive, this is the cute pet photo she sent me Xmas day...
A large snake laid on wood chips
December 28, 2025 at 7:28 PM
playbrarian.uk
How about a wild beast destroying his Christmas present, a stuffed bat?
A black dog chewing a stuffed toy bat
December 28, 2025 at 7:21 PM
playbrarian.uk
Trapped by a dog that is a tad heavy to be on my lap...
A black dog laid across my lap.
December 25, 2025 at 5:20 PM
playbrarian.uk
That's the (horrible) bathroom suite I had when I moved in here! Except I had extra brown tiles too, just in case the brown suite wasn't enough...
A very brown bathroom, probably from the late 70s or early 80s.
December 24, 2025 at 7:15 PM
playbrarian.uk
Popped to the allotment to get some parsnips and a leek. One parsnip has done a tad better than the others, it's enormous!
A leek and 3 parsnips. One of the parsnips is several times the size of the others.
December 23, 2025 at 8:58 AM
playbrarian.uk
Another little custom print! Anyone else want a custom letterpress print, last chance to order before Christmas will be Monday 15th (as they have to dry before posting!)
www.etsy.com/shop/Librari...
A letterpress print in yellow on white paper. These are the good days.
December 12, 2025 at 9:56 AM
playbrarian.uk
Went to a craft "taster session" this morning, did a tiny bit of linoprint stuff for a couple of hours :)
A vague tree shaped print in green ink on a page torn out of an old book.
December 10, 2025 at 2:03 PM
playbrarian.uk
Thank you TikTok for my daughter wanting hard to source tat (spice village houses) from the 1990s for Christmas...
Managed to find it for her though!
A small ceramic pot for dried herbs in the shape of a house with sage printed above one of the windows.
December 6, 2025 at 6:31 PM
playbrarian.uk
Custom print done! That was straightforward, hopefully the customer likes it.
Red letterpress print reading nice and spicy.
November 30, 2025 at 1:27 PM
playbrarian.uk
I'd love a big fancy one, they are gorgeous (but expensive and need a reinforced floor!), do most of my printing on a lovely little proofing press rescued from a uni print room after they closed a graphic design course...
A tabletop cast iron letterpress proofing press. It has a cast iron base on which type is placed, and a roller that pressed paper onto that type to take a print.
November 30, 2025 at 9:55 AM
playbrarian.uk
Well, if this isn't a day to light a fire, I don't know when is...
An open fire with a mix of coal and wood burning in a fireplace.
November 20, 2025 at 8:20 AM
playbrarian.uk
A bit of snow here this afternoon after the sleet and hail this morning! Just getting itself warmed up for the proper snow tomorrow I think...
A small yard with maybe 2 centimetres of snow covering everything.
November 19, 2025 at 4:46 PM
playbrarian.uk
A very quick (and small) leatherworking thing today! A small (dice?) pouch, just to see how a larger pouch might work! Half tempted to make some larger versions for in-person workshops that I can put bits and pieces in for each table, like special treasure to discover.
A small, tightly closed mossy greeny brown leather pouch, held closed by a leather lace thread throw holes at the top. A small, mossy greeny brown leather pouch. This is open and you can see there is space inside, as well as the detail of the leather lace weaving in and out as a way of closing it tighter.
November 18, 2025 at 3:55 PM
playbrarian.uk
Tried to make a leather wallet following a pattern (but no instructions) today.
Pattern was too stingy with the leather for me, no slack to make mistakes, so the card slots are a little tight with my wonky stitching!
But I think I know how they work well enough now to make up my own another day.
An open leather wallet, with space for notes and slots for cards visible. A dark leather wallet, closed, with stitching visible around the edges.
November 15, 2025 at 5:14 PM
playbrarian.uk
Another simple little leather project to practice, a roll for some of my fountain pens. Needs something to fasten properly like the notebook cover, but that's all. Quite happy my stitching is improving, been a bit braver with the thread colour on this one!
An empty leather tool roll, with a fold in the top and bottom, loops for the pens, two little compartments for ink. The same leather roll as the other photos, but this time full of pens in each of the spaces. A rolled up pen roll, with some colourful rope holding it together. A line of studs are visible which are the back of the rivets holding the pens loops together.
November 14, 2025 at 3:20 PM
playbrarian.uk
A bit rough and ready, but not too bad as a first try of doing something from scratch by myself?
A notebook cover in a dark plum leather. With 2 pockets the right size for business or credit cards.
Need to sort some fittings out to hold it shut properly, just a piece of elastic there for starters.
A leather piece, folded and stitched one side, elastic in the centre, two little pockets on the opposite side to the fold. Same piece of leather as in the other photos but with a paper notebook held in place on one side. A5 folded notebook cover, only the leather is visible and a piece of elastic holding it together. An open notebook, with the dark leather cover just visible around the edges.
November 13, 2025 at 3:23 PM
playbrarian.uk
Custom A3 letterpress print done for someone. It's only simple but took a while to get it how they wanted it! Apparently a quote by an Olympian to inspire someone as they work out in their gym.
A letterpress print. Better than yesterday. There is a hand pointing towards the yesterday.
November 13, 2025 at 11:27 AM
playbrarian.uk
Made a tool roll out of leather today, that was a fun workshop!
A dark green leather roll with a bright green strap. A dark green leather tool roll, with a bright red pocket laid open on a table.
November 9, 2025 at 3:04 PM