AGregg 💙

This snail is wearing the exact same outfit I wore for most of the 80s

Roald Dahl on Measles: Olivia, my eldest daughter, caught measles when she was seven years old. As the illness took its usual course I can remember reading to her often in bed and not feeling particularly alarmed about it. Then one morning, when she was well on the road to recovery, I was sitting on her bed showing her how to fashion little animals out of coloured pipe-cleaners, and when it came to her turn to make one herself, I noticed that her fingers and her mind were not working together and she couldn’t do anything. 'Are you feeling all right?' I asked her. 'I feel all sleepy,' she said. In an hour, she was unconscious. In twelve hours she was dead. The measles had turned into a terrible thing called measles encephalitis and there was nothing the doctors could do to save her. That was...in 1962, but even now, if a child with measles happens to develop the same deadly reaction from measles as Olivia did, there would still be nothing the doctors could do to help her. On the other hand, there is today something that parents can do to make sure that this sort of tragedy does not happen to a child of theirs. They can insist that their child is immunised against measles. ...I dedicated two of my books to Olivia, the first was ‘James and the Giant Peach’. That was when she was still alive. The second was ‘The BFG’, dedicated to her memory after she had died from measles. You will see her name at the beginning of each of these books. And I know how happy she would be if only she could know that her death had helped to save a good deal of illness and death among other children. Roald Dahl, 1986

The best story you’ll read this Christmas bbc.com/news/articles/…

All other typos can go home. This one wins.

Sad to hear about #ChrisRea Auberge is one of my all-time favourite songs. Will be giving it a blast in his honour. Cheers mate, rest in peace ❤️

Grate art ~ children not looking at the paintings at the San Francisco Museum of Art, 1963 (photo: Herb Slodounik) tumblr.austinkleon.com/post/109814267… ridiculouslyinteresting.com/2012/12/22/chi…

Badger carries the old moon out of the month. #NewMoon 21 October. #Art: Jackie Morris #FairyTaleTuesday

Look Ma, I'm on the telly! #LeadWriter Thanks for a great show Susie McCabe Liam Withnail Amanda Dwyer Sam Lake And the man himself @des_clarke #BreakingTheNews #BBC bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod…

Rest in peace, Patricia Routledge 🙏🏻 In memory of her, I encourage everyone to read these words of hers from February last year. Whether young or old, you're bound to get something out of it. ***** "I’ll be turning 95 this coming Monday. In my younger years, I was often filled with worry — worry that I wasn’t quite good enough, that no one would cast me again, that I wouldn’t live up to my mother’s hopes. But these days begin in peace, and end in gratitude. My life didn’t quite take shape until my forties. I had worked steadily — on provincial stages, in radio plays, in West End productions — but I often felt adrift, as though I was searching for a home within myself that I hadn’t quite found. At 50, I accepted a television role that many would later associate me with — Hyacinth Bucket, of Keeping Up Appearances. I thought it would be a small part in a little series. I never imagined that it would take me into people’s living rooms and hearts around the world. And truthfully, that role taught me to accept my own quirks. It healed something in me. At 60, I began learning Italian — not for work, but so I could sing opera in its native language. I also learned how to live alone without feeling lonely. I read poetry aloud each evening, not to perfect my diction, but to quiet my soul. At 70, I returned to the Shakespearean stage — something I once believed I had aged out of. But this time, I had nothing to prove. I stood on those boards with stillness, and audiences felt that. I was no longer performing. I was simply being. At 80, I took up watercolour painting. I painted flowers from my garden, old hats from my youth, and faces I remembered from the London Underground. Each painting was a quiet memory made visible. Now, at 95, I write letters by hand. I’m learning to bake rye bread. I still breathe deeply every morning. I still adore laughter — though I no longer try to make anyone laugh. I love the quiet more than ever. I’m writing this to tell you something simple: Growing older is not the closing act. It can be the most exquisite chapter — if you let yourself bloom again. Let these years ahead be your TREASURE YEARS. You don’t need to be famous. You don’t need to be flawless. You only need to show up — fully — for the life that is still yours. With love and gentleness, Patricia Routledge ***** Once more, rest in peace. 🤍

Calling it "LOL UK" and not having any Scottish, NI or Welsh comedians on it is really poor. Don’t get me wrong, everyone on it is great. But not having a single one from outside England shows a complete lack of understanding or interest in the great comedians across the UK.

Right chuffed as ever to be lead writer for #BreakingTheNews hosted by the lovely @des_clarke with @comedyray @MarjoleinR @FunnyBlindGuy #AmyMatthews #WomenInComedy #BBC bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0…

I am so fucking proud of #England #womenseuros2025 #Women Bloody well done and get in my ladies ❤️❤️❤️🥂

Can someone VAR this referee's betting account please #England #Euros2025

#Warning ⚠️ #Heatwave

Sometimes I’m asked ‘why do you care?’ ‘Swifts are one of the oldest species on earth. They spend more time airborne than any other bird yet when they come home they come home to us. They’re on the brink. They just need a brick with a hole in it.’

Isn't it ridiculous that the government is saying we need 1.5 million new homes, but the 1.4 million that already have permission, we'll just let the developers sit on the land and bank the profits. @AdrianRamsay

Delighted as always to be lead writer on #BBC #BreakingTheNews, massive thanks to @Des_Clarke @marknelsoncomic @emalcolmson @DonBiswascomedy @KatetheHammer and big up the crew 😘 bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0… #CatchUpOnBBCSounds #WomenInComedy

Lil crab eating a grape

The Quiet Room c.1929 ~ George Clausen

Pre Horizon, Betty’s Post Office didn’t even have a stamp missing. Then Horizon arrived. It showed a £500 deficit when first turned on. She poured in her own cash - but Betty was chasing ghosts. She lay awake at night, teeth chattering in fear. Betty is 92. Compensate her fully.