NEWS! Man installs ‘placebo’ thermostat to let family think they’re putting the heating on newsthump.com/2026/10/08/m...
Elan Valley is worth a visit. Beautiful place.

@martycricket.bsky.social
Journalist of 30+ years. Cricket commentator for BBC Sport covering Durham CCC. Presenter/reporter on BBC Radio Newcastle for 28 years. Sunderland. Cycling. Cricket. North East England. Roker Riviera.
Elan Valley is worth a visit. Beautiful place.
Make sure it's open. It is run by volunteers and only opens every now and then. I was lucky the day I visited in 2018. Fascinating place.
Very true. Plus very different musicians and bands. But other than that!
My wife constantly mixes up Matt Johnson of The The with Lloyd Cole. "They are virtually the same" is the defence. Where do we start with this?
Bugger, I have already fleeced you for the last two books. Can you write another? I have money to save and fleecing to do.
Corker.
My air fryer book says they need to be put in water first, for about half an hour, to remove excess starch. But they are good.
The new "petrol" feature on Google Maps is interesting, particularly if you want a gas engineer! Must be an Americanism mix up. Gas = petrol etc!
Lovely place. Enjoyed a few days there in July - 25 years after our previous visit. The cycling infrastructure was also excellent.
NEWS! Man installs ‘placebo’ thermostat to let family think they’re putting the heating on newsthump.com/2026/10/08/m...
Hey folks. In total honesty my tour is NOT selling well. I’ve sold 30 tickets in a 400 seater in Birmingham, and not much more elsewhere. If you like musical comedy, if you like standup, then please come see my show! And spread the word! The Rachel Parris Songbook tour starts in Nov! Link in bio! 🎶
I initially thought Norfolk but Southwold is Suffolk. It featured in the Tour of Britain last year. It also appears to be the location for the cartoon Christmas film That Christmas, which came out a couple of years ago.
Noticing the nights drawing in? 🌙 October brings a big shift, with most of the UK losing over 2 hours of daylight this month. Do you enjoy the cosy evenings or miss the longer days?
Seen lots of geese flying over the Roker Riviera in recent days.
Who is thinking what I am thinking?
Good point.
The Canalside Cafe is a lovely bolthole.
Forgot Celia Imrie was in this. Must have been a great gig filming on Jersey.
Archer came and spoke to my school in the 1980s.
Charm personified. Bragged at length about his many achievements and then... something bizarre happened. 1/3
My greatest #jeffreyarcher story. I was a lobby correspondent
Archer was selected as the Tory London mayoral candidate in 1999...