It is friday! Therefore it is time for the weekly good news thread! What's your good news from the week? What's made you smile? What's brought some light into your life?
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I’ve got a job interview in a few days, a lunch date with friends today, and 95% of a shed in the garden. I’m doing a lot better than I was this time last week!
It's been a mixed week, but on Wednesday I travelled to Kent to meet a new client and her fantastic team, did a presentation and they gave me a round of applause at the end, it was lovely
Found a great (possibly queer) GP who sorted out my health woes, set up a NAS for all our bad films plus this doofus from next door has been keeping me company 😺
I love me some fonts and this deal came across my timeline: https://bsky.app/profile/chequered.ink/post/3lcfik434lk2o
I'm not a game developer but these look great for some of my off-duty design stuff - under £20 for ~1200 fonts...
(I hope this is okay for the good-news-ness)
Tonight I am going to see a B&W 1962 Bollywood adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles on the big screen in that London and I am about 90% squee in anticipation of how gloriously bonkers I expect it will be.
Oh it SO was - my favourite twist: the hound WAS A CAT! Not a panther, but a little puss cat with jangly anklets on it that the bad guy used to lure the victims into the marshes. It was truly, spectacularly awful but *incredibly* entertaining.
The only version I can find with subtitles is colorised, but here it is. Best watched, I think, with lots of booze and at least one friend to laugh/boggle along with you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrITnA2IgcQ
People are so keen for lovely bookish connection on here after being slowly starved of it on Xitter. They were the frog being slowly boiled in a pot of hate and bots and no links and not seeing their friends’ posts, and now they’ve realised what they were missing!
This is the final day of a 2 week book-signing tour that's taking me to 50 bookshops in 15 counties. Met brilliant, dedicated, hilarious, entrepreneurial #booksellers, made new friends, seen new places & can confidently say reading/bookselling are thriving here in #Ireland
I had a lovely lunch out with my husband today. I very nearly lost him earlier this year so I’m grateful for days like today. What’s made you smile this week?
Finished planting hedges across the ward, with the extra funds and support leveraged by my grant application we now have about half a kilometer of new native hedging and over 40 new fruit trees planted. And that's given me an idea for an application for the next round of environmental projects
Attended a writing conference where I was reminded that literacy is critical to democracy and given a wonderful list of books to read. 📚 Thank you, @caroljago.bsky.social!
Must be such a good feeling! My mum used to get me all my fav snacks and we'd have fish and chips. Sometimes I had a banner - felt like a celeb haha. The next day she'd joke ' when do you go back again?' haha
I'm doing my first overseas DJ gigs in a while, playing old soul, beat, psychedelic pop and junkshop glam records at the Purple Weekender in Leon, Spain. I am looking forward to playing them Vince Hill's amazing version of Sunny Afternoon by The Kinks & the theme to Pebble Mill At One later today.
Ahh the good news thread! And I actually have some. Yay
1. I did *not* electrocute myself with Christmas tree lights, despite best efforts
2. Got good feedback on my book draft and am getting into more edits
3. Good news thread is on Bluesky!
All of the gifts I ordered for donation have arrived! Toys for Tots, a woman’s shelter and teen shelter! My Christmas shopping is done since I’m making family gifts!
Oh god I need to do this. Fourteen slightly different shots of the same thing where I thought "I'll pick out the best one later" and never did. Photos of a book I was reading or something on TV which I only took to post online. The sign on the car park wall so I could remember what level we were on
Exactlyyyy. But it is a depressing and frustrating task sorting through them. Still gives me the shivers. I hope I'm not back here in 10 years' time. AAAAA.
Had a really decent week on the PhD but also wrote this fun little thing for my side-project which has had a delightful amount of comments and reactions!
I went to a community showcase at a theatre when I was in Brum because a friend was doing their first ever 5 minute set!
The whole show was so much fun, my friend did great, and it totally turned my mood around! 😁
Yesterday, when doing grocery shopping, I saw a man at fruit aisle unintentionally drop a banana on the floor. I've never seen that happen before and for some reason I was stunned! (silly, now that I'm writing this down!)
I got a Christmas/birthday gift early, a Nintendo Switch and have been decorating my island and learning to cook new dishes (virtually of course) because I’m that kind of wild gamer! 😂
First off it’s just lovely to be back home and be reunited with Oreo and Biscuit but secondly I went ice skating with my rowing club on Weds and well the photo says it all
Sadly work-related, but was super excited to be able to report a positive patentability opinion on a client's international patent application. (Yeah, this is niche.)
Last week I didn’t even make top 5 in a writing competition with 26 entries. This week my short story was accepted for publication by this lovely indie publisher. https://www.razurcuts.com
The husb @bobbyp19.bsky.social has a rare inset day so we are going on a daytime cinema trip date to the cinema. Yay! Sometimes it’s the little things 💜
I managed to sit at my desk for a couple of hours a day this week and get both some writing and admin done.
After seven month of excruciating sciatica and surgery on my spine, this is a HUGE step in the right direction. 😊
Be EXTREMELY careful in the months ahead and don’t lift anything heavy. Stretch. Build your core. Mind hasn’t come back but it was awful too. Good luck!!
I have finished website listing my Yule collection of animals! It took me 4 days at the computer and my least fave job and I’m grinning I’ve finished! Also I now get to start on the illustrations for the new book and my friend gave me a Moomin sticker advent calendar!
Last night I had dinner with some lovely friends, one of whom had recently acquired Agatha Christie’s fur stole and I tried it on and was very excited.
Seeing lovely author friends at my agency’s Christmas party last night was a delight…made even better by the fact I have today off to recover (the festive cocktails being served were STRONG 😂)
I DM'd my first D&D session since the 1980s (and my 2nd). Hilarious fun. And it turns out a good way to spend time with my youngest. It was great to hear my young guests chatting and teasing each other, while the newbies learned the game and I made life harder for the experts *satisfied sigh*
We gaave away 30 book to our students this week as a part of our Christmas Market. It's the second year we've wrapped up books with a hot chocolate sachet and a postcard/bookmark explaining Jolabokaflod and they really enjoy it. One even came back to thank us after the event.
Have given a large quantity of my new book to our alma mater animal shelter. All profits, the whole cover value, goes to them. Lovely warm feeling to be in such a positive position for good
Spent two lovely days in London meeting friends and visitingbookshops, making plans with my editor and publicist. Walked myself ragged as the blisters on both feet attest!
My cat who has always been swept has become even more loving since we moved out of our... "complex" living arrangement last snuggled into me and kissed my cheek.
I feel like I have already screamed too much about this on social media, but The New York Times picked my book as one of the best thrillers of the year and I am still having a hard time believing it!
My book, I Can’t Remember if I Cried: Rock Widows on Life, Love, and Legacy, which profiles 14 widows of my favorite musicians and what they taught me about grief, was listed as a top nonfiction book of 2024 by Library Journal!
My dog loves the dark nights - he loves a night time walk - he seems more alive and more vital just using his nose and snuffling about in the cold leaves and the bottoms of the hedgerows. I love to see him enjoying his highly evolved senses to navigate and understand the darkness.
Nice things I saw this week: The end of a deadline, the beginning of a new story, the live show of #TheRestIsEntertainment, and – this morning – a stunningly bright Jupiter in a clear blue sky.
Sometimes seeing other ppl's good news is the thing that'll do it! I particularly like when someone has found joy in something really small - makes it easier to think of positive things when times are hard somehow
Got all my Christmas cards sorted out, started one of the two craft projects I'm giving as Christmas presents. Started 'y' for my book title alphabet challenge and it's a p quick read so once that's done only have j v and z left to do!
On Monday I was working with a big team of residents and volunteers to prepare a wildflower meadow. Everyone broke for lunch and I just sat on the ground in the winter sunshine, alone, planting bulbs. It was so peaceful. I can’t wait to see what grows next year
Today kicks off #BookElves2024 - a week of book recommendations. Plus it's #LateLateToyShow day - a must for all Irish toy and book fans, young and young at heart!
Before the flu knocked me down, I went to a union Christmas party in Greenwich and I only knew 2 people in the room. 2 hrs and a game of charades later, a bunch of them dragged me into their group photo, saying "come on, Gabby, you're one of us now" 🥹❤️ oh, this job 🥰
Went to the LOLLIES and did not win but did get to meet Dodge off CBeebies; went to new agency party to the news I have just had an offer on adult novel; did not get spattered by the vomit of the drunk man on my train home. Win!
I’ve been able to help more than one person feel seen, feel understood and safe. I’ve helped re-write problemmatic poems. I’ve sorted a massive long-term issue with my working space and am very closed to a significant mental health breakthrough.
The first postcard I sent through Postcrossing has arrived on it's destination!
And I also started going to classes of Czech, I missed going to language classes, it's always so chill.
I found out a question I had asked when reviewing an Equalities Impact Assessment about disabled access to a had led to the supplier going “we had not thought of that” and changing the way it works.
I've written a little comic ghost story to be read aloud around the Christmas tree when our dear friends come over for Sunday roast this week - and everything about that pleases me!
Loads! First time back at library story time in aaaages and the chocolate cake I made. I don’t bake often and don’t mean to brag (well maybe just a bit!) but this was a TRIUMPH (in taste even if not in aesthetics! 😂🙈)…
And thanks for the kind comment! Cake decoration is not my strength but my son loved it which was the main thing - and it’s amazing what you can cover with cake toppers 😂😘
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We had a works dinner this week, and the lovely certificate I received included jazzy hair, caring, good listener, and at one with nature.
https://bsky.app/profile/chequered.ink/post/3lcfik434lk2o
I'm not a game developer but these look great for some of my off-duty design stuff - under £20 for ~1200 fonts...
(I hope this is okay for the good-news-ness)
Perfect timing too: department Christmas party on Wednesday. Whole office Christmas party on Thursday.
So far, my main duties have been wearing sparkly tops and eating mince pies
I've printed out the song sheets, made the flannel boards, and built the playlists for storytime for next year.
and I'm about 200 followers off the number I had on Twitter in three months rather than seven years
and it looks like people like to read blog posts from social media links, go figure
#Booksky📚💙 #spéirgorm
(Still looking for clients)
Been participating in #A-Haydn-A-Day, listening to a random Haydn Symphony every day.
Yesterday's episode of #StarTrekLowerDecks was sweet and fun.
Also managed to submit a script on time for a writing opportunity
Yesterday they called and it's a harmless cyst that can be left alone.
1. I did *not* electrocute myself with Christmas tree lights, despite best efforts
2. Got good feedback on my book draft and am getting into more edits
3. Good news thread is on Bluesky!
Hot lemon water and a good book on the mountainside while the city shakes off its slumber.
https://bsky.app/profile/dapsdraws.bsky.social/post/3lcmwx2deoc2x
*RUNS AWAY*
Well done to you though!
The whole show was so much fun, my friend did great, and it totally turned my mood around! 😁
Time flies 😊
https://youtu.be/9M6EsKHtgv4?si=d13MaF4zC4s1Upu2
Also it was my birthday and I booked myself in for a facial in which I nearly fell asleep. Bliss. 😴
Bloomsbury have added a new clause (ii) to the 'rights reserved' that made me very happy.
Don't let my poems pollute your AI!
After seven month of excruciating sciatica and surgery on my spine, this is a HUGE step in the right direction. 😊
Recovery is going to be a long slog, but we made it this far.
https://bsky.app/profile/drewgum.bsky.social/post/3lcap5yucsc2f
https://phoenixartspace.org/Events/brighton-art-book-fair/
I love this furball.
This has been a VERY good week.
https://bsky.app/profile/cazapr1.bsky.social/post/3lclompxnpk2s
When the entire country chucks a pack of smarties into their taytos and believes in the mayhem and joy of children on late night tv.
I LOVE IT.
(Pretty sure RTÉ player is free tonight so the whole world can join in)
And I also started going to classes of Czech, I missed going to language classes, it's always so chill.
Made me very happy.
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/triple-chocolate-layer-cake/