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velf.bsky.social
Vic is querying! 🌿🏺📚
@velf.bsky.social
1.9K followers 4.4K following 900 posts
96% tea
Civil Soc Analyst
Loves myth, literature, kitchen gardens, mist-pooled valleys, stinky cheese & 3,000yo dead guys
@workingclassicists contributor
Goldfinch Novel Award LL
Yeovil Lit Prize LL
TRYING to #write
Sleepy yet woke
pfp©HerderEd
🌍Birkenhead
Posts Replies Media Videos
velf.bsky.social
How does it feel to watch someone disappear when they are right there?

THE ARGONAUT’S SON

👨‍👦‍👦Found family
🌈 LGBTQ
❤️F2L
💔HEA free zone

#Q #A #HF #HR #RF
#QuestPit
A grid of images: A male chest in black and white A slab with Greek text. A Cove surrounded by rocks/caves A breath condensing in cold air The sun setting over the sea A bowl of apples Ancient style helmets Two male hands, one holding the other A marble statue of Ajax thinking. On top of one of the images, the text: "Herkos Akhaion they called him: Bulwark of the Greeks. Our last line of defence." Text overlaid a sepia style image to two male hands, one gently holding the other. "I meant what I said. Earlier. I trust you." There was a strange intensity to him, almost unsettling. “Thank you. I won't let you down. Your father wouldn't let me,” I joked, hoping to release the tension. This time it was Ajax who didn't smile. He smashed the shell against a rock, leaving a sharp, jagged edge and pressed it into his hand. The wound took a moment, then welled with blood. “Will you bind with me?” At my shock, his eyes narrowed, as if wary. “You are scared?” “No!” Though I knew it to be stupid. Dutifully, I held out my palm, gasping at the bite of the shell, the pain sharp and precise. Our hands dripped as we grasped each other's, hot blood mingling and running down wrists. It was risky, juvenile. But in that moment, it was as though everything leading to that point had been a conspiracy to have the two of us crouched and clasped in the chill gloom of the cave. We were bound forever. Brothers in blood. Nothing could part us.
November 6, 2025 at 1:06 AM
velf.bsky.social
Our history is littered with men who over-reached...

THE ARGONAUT’S SON

A retelling of Sophocles' Ajax

#FirstLine
#Q #A #HF #HR #RF
#QuestPit
A circular painting in classical style of two naked men. One (Tantalus) has one foot in a pool of water as he stretches for fruit on the overhanging tree, that remains just out of reach. In the background, another (Sisyphus) strains at pushing a boulder up a hill. Around the painting is an elaborate border.
November 6, 2025 at 12:40 AM
velf.bsky.social
When one man’s dream of family and brotherhood collides with another’s quest for honour, can their bond survive the trauma of war?

THE SONG OF ACHILLES x QUEENS OF THEMISCYRA x THE WOMEN

👨‍👦‍👦Found family
🌈 LGBTQ
❤️F2L
💔HEA free zone

#Q #A #HF #HR #RF
#QuestPit
Warrior in ancient Greek panoply walking in front profile through tall, golden grass. Behind is smokey / cloudy. At the top of the image is: THE ARGONAUT'S SON in grey lettering.
November 5, 2025 at 11:54 PM
velf.bsky.social
"Many Americans support foreign aid for health programs but overestimate how much the US spent on foreign aid"
tinyurl.com/mr3ya7as
Tragedy is the loss of this 1% = the loss of vital equipment, critical infrastructure, security personnel etc making other countries' combined efforts less effective
Our World in Data How much of the US federal budget do Americans think is spent on foreign aid? Bar chart based on the following data: 1,322 American adults were asked: "Just your best guess, what percentage of the federal budget is spent on foreign aid?" 0-1% = 11% 2-5% = 19% 6-10% = 13% 11-20% = 14% 21-30% = 11% 31-40% = 7% 41-50% =8% 51% or more = 15% 30% guessed less than 5%, which is close to reality 30% guessed more than 30%, which is more than 30-times too high Note: The US spent around 1% of its federal budget on foreign aid. The average guess among respondents was 26%. Data source: KFF Health Tracking Poll (Feb. 18-25, 2025).
September 29, 2025 at 8:18 PM
velf.bsky.social
Sounds like a fab idea
xx
Screenshot of a comment piece by Ed Miliband, titled: "Ed Miliband says it is ‘possible’ that UK government should leave X" Whilst referring to the hellsite social media, the positioning of the 'X' looks like the Guardian is signing off with a kiss and that Mr Miliband is, in fact, suggesting the government just leave
September 28, 2025 at 8:17 PM
velf.bsky.social
Ah...
Guardian article with headline: "Being organised and active may be predictor of longer life, study finds". Image is of a woman smiling making notes in a very organised and colour coded notebook. The article goes on to say "On the other hand, being frequently stressed, anxious or moody could be linked to a shorter lifespan." Double-bum! Being organised and active may be predictor of longer life, study finds | Psychology | The Guardian https://share.google/8gPkhz0GcQJNYgz6t
September 28, 2025 at 7:51 PM
velf.bsky.social
From where? The foothills of Skafell Pike?? The great Pennine plantations?? Honestly, smdh!
Article from the Independent: https://share.google/hu0qBQNw7j6Xv6agl Headline: New research finds widespread misconceptions about the tea we drink One in five British adults incorrectly assume the tea they consume is grown domestically
September 23, 2025 at 9:31 PM
velf.bsky.social
Ew, ew, ew!! As if! 🤢 🌱
Image of text box from a King's Seeds seed catalogue with the wording: Kings recommend when not sowing directly into your vegetable plot you sow your seeds into a good quality seed sowing compost and watering only with tap water. Do not use BUTT WATER as this can contain harmful pathogens, resulting in poor germination.
September 22, 2025 at 7:21 PM
velf.bsky.social
Managed to drop toothpaste down my Homer t-shirt. Doh!
A grey t-shirt worn with jeans and a yellow cardi. The t-shirt has an image of the Greek poet, Homer made up of the names of characters from the Iliad and the Odyssey in varying shades of grey. Circled in red is a small toothpaste stain.
September 8, 2025 at 8:07 AM
velf.bsky.social
Tomato plant making a very bold statement today.
🌱 🍅
#AllotmentSky #GYOSky
Tomato vine where two tomatoes have grown back-to-back with a third, forming a very thin cylindrical off-shoot between them.
September 6, 2025 at 7:27 PM
velf.bsky.social
I've always known garden centres to be my spiritual home, but it's reassuring to have it confirmed. 🌱 #plantsky #gardensky
Sign, surrounded by plants, reading "Bog Dwellers & Heavy Drinkers".
September 5, 2025 at 1:45 PM
velf.bsky.social
Husband: The plum tree needs cutting back.
Me: Well, it never really does much.

Plum tree: I can hear you...!

🌱 🍎 😋
One of many tightly packed clusters of purple plums weighing down a branch on our plum tree.
August 3, 2025 at 1:53 PM
velf.bsky.social
I've been keeping this one quietly under my hat, but The Argonaut's Son was recently longlisted for the @goldfinchbooks.bsky.social Novel Award. www.goldfinch-books.com/novel
It's been a long road, and I couldn't be more proud. Congrats to all longlistees & v best wishes to those shortlisted!
🍀🤞🍀
August 2, 2025 at 10:58 PM
velf.bsky.social
Great grey Owl, Melanistic Barn Owl, then I had to ruin it!
Great grey Owl in large aviary, running towards camera down a wooden branch with its wings spread wide Melanistic Barn Owl in an aviary, peaking over the wooden boarding to face the camera. Annotated child's drawing of a penguin with head, beak, wing, tummy, and feet labelled.
June 26, 2025 at 8:47 PM
velf.bsky.social
If you see this, post an image you saved because it made you laugh.
The then Prince Charles chasing a little girl in a yellow mac for her bubbles
June 26, 2025 at 8:29 AM
velf.bsky.social
I ❤️ #Birkenhead!
Bar lit in bright green and bright pink. Under the menu in white lettering on the wall is a small blackboard with 'TRANS RIGHTS' written on it, next to a Palestinian flag.
June 23, 2025 at 9:11 PM
velf.bsky.social
Lucerne, Kidney Vetch, and some Common Mallow from yesterday's walk along the #Wirral coast, for #WildFlowerHour
Close up of lucerne with clusters of small purple flowers, tipped with flower buds. Close up of a flower head made up of tiny, yellow, pea-like 'flowerlets'. Base of flower head is white and fuzzy. Flower is set in grass. Close up of bright mauve-purple flower, with dark veins
June 22, 2025 at 8:38 PM
velf.bsky.social
LOVE this time of year!
#Solstice #gardening 🌱
A bunch of bright orange and pink alstroemeria against huge green rhubarb leaves. In the background, various allotment paraphernalia inc a greenhouse and a polytunnel Sun setting rose-amber over a birkenhead allotment site. Silhouetted is a large sycamore tree. Big white blooms of philadelphus in the dusk, against large dark green leaves
June 21, 2025 at 9:36 PM
velf.bsky.social
Feeling pretty poo.
On the plus side, finished work early, meaning I have the chance to snuggle down with a favourite author.
#BookSky #AmReading
The Beyrayals by Bridget Collins. Cover is red with gold, looping vines ending in red flowers. Towards the bottom is a pocket watch set at 10 to 2.
June 9, 2025 at 2:24 PM
velf.bsky.social
First thought in this situation is always,'Crap, what have I said??'.

Hello all 👋 and thank you for making it a lovely surprise ❤️. Please bear with me in the follow backs..!
Bottom icon bar of the Bluesky mobile app, where the bell icon has a blue circle denoting '30+' notifications (for context: anything over two is cause for excitement, anything over eight is cause for panic around what clanger I must have dropped).
June 3, 2025 at 8:10 PM
velf.bsky.social
In the middle of a derelict carpark in Bootle, Merseyside, this little beauty!
🌱 #WildFlower #PlantSky #Campanula #GrowingAnyway
Empty carpark bordered with derelict, boarded-up 1970's style office blocks. A blue pedestrianised strip runs up to the boarded-up entrance, besides which is a (hopefully, but sadly, probably not) abandoned mattress. A small patch of bellflower / campanula. Large, perfectly white, bell-shaped flowers are held above a patch of small, green, lance-shaped leaves. The plant is seemingly growing out of concrete. In the background are derelict, boarded-up 1970's style office blocks.
May 30, 2025 at 2:48 PM
velf.bsky.social
I can't wait for 'Diddy's' trial to end because every time news updates flash up, this is all I'm getting.
I can't take much more!
Nightmarish image of the Diddy Men, four ventriloquist style puppets, dressed in bright colours and oversized hats.
May 16, 2025 at 7:36 PM
velf.bsky.social
Black tailed godwits at Burton Mere yesterday
A sizeable group of wading birds on a spit of land. In the foreground, there is grassland, behind, there is a stretch of water bordered by a reed bed. A sizeable group of wading birds on a spit of land. In the foreground, there is grassland, behind, there is a stretch of water bordered by a reed bed. In the far distance,Connah's Quay Power Station.
May 11, 2025 at 3:56 PM
velf.bsky.social
Been struggling to find time to read recently, so treated myself to an audio book of Above Us The Sea by Ania Card. I've been intrigued by the premise fora while and wondered how the inside could possibly live up to the brilliant cover.
1/3 in and my word, yes it absolutely does!!
Image of two people embracing, almost completely enveloped by a bright pink smoke that takes on a vaguely human form. The title is in block capitals split half on the very upper margin and half on the very lower margin. The name Ania Card appears in white italicised script.
April 25, 2025 at 8:14 PM
velf.bsky.social
This is brilliant! And horrifying!

Next time someone tells you they plan to use AI to understand a difficult concept, tell them they might as well "glue tortoises".
Image of a Google search: Google V Q never glue a tortoise mea... The expression "never glue a tortoise" likely refers to the philosophical concept of "turtles all the way down," which highlights an explanatory failure where an explanation requires an endless series of further explanations. It's a humorous way to describe a situation where an explanation gets stuck in an infinite loop, with each answer leading to another question that needs answering, and no ultimate grounding or resolution. Here's a more detailed explanation: The "turtles all the way down" concept: This idea, often used in philosophical discussions, suggests that if you try to explain why something exists or why it's... <
April 23, 2025 at 11:58 AM