* a crew of roadworkers who wanted me to do a shift with them, and dropped me on a dangerous road when I said I couldn’t, and one lonely man who invited me to “relax”, and maybe have a look at a magazine he had in the glove compartment. At least he dropped me on a decent roundabout.
I understand why people wouldn’t feel comfortable doing this, and I am aware of my privilege as a blokey bloke. I must have had hundreds of lifts from strangers over the course of about 15 years when I was in the habit of the windswept thumb, and only twice* was made to feel uncomfortable. Your milage would almost certainly vary.
I used to hitch pretty regularly in my teens and twenties. In college in Pontypridd (87-90), I would hitch home every two or three weeks to see my girlfriend. In my late 20s I spent a long summer hitching around Wales from one WWOOF host to the next, one of which was in Llangrannog. I hitched back there at the end of that summer and haven’t really left since. (The first time I kissed my partner of nearly 30 years was when she dropped me off in a layby in Plwmp.)
RE: https://toot.wales/@nic/117440248540807707
I hitchhiked today, for the first time in 15+ years. I got a lift almost straight away, but I was on a B-road that only goes to two villages, and I’m on crutches. Also, nice new haircut, which always helps.
But the conversation in the car was interesting, and it got me wondering…
Have you ever hitchhiked?
Ar ôl wisgi bach sydyn yn y Bryn, wnes i benderfynnu bodio adre, llai na 3 milltir, ond lawr rhyw y holl ffordd, felly yn eitha poenus i fi ar hyn o bryd.
Y car cyntaf i basio, ges i rywun yn wneud y “ha ha, ffyc off” bawd i fyny i fi, rhywbeth dw i heb ei weld ers y 90au. Beth sy’n bod ar bobl? 🤷🏻♂️
Y pumed car stopiodd, a rhoi lifft i fi y rhan fwya o’r ffordd adre.
Diwrnod cyntaf yn ôl yn y gwaith wedi’r ddamwain, a phopeth yn iawn, ond roedd y T5 dan ei sang, gan fy mod i wedi aros i gael toriad gwallt ac wedyn dal y bws coleg.
Worth it, ddo.
“Man always kills the thing he loves…” #1949club
After a mixed bag of reading for my first day of the #1949Club, I thought I would turn to a book that's been on Mount TBR for a number of years - since 2020, in fact, when I picked it up through Hive, no doubt stockpiling books during the pandemic. I don't know where I heard about this one, but it's apparently considered a pioneering classic of ecology writing, so should have been right up my street.
Wedi gorffen hon heno, ac mae’n debyg taw dyma’r nofel dw i wedi’i mwynhau fwya ers blwyddyn neu ddwy. Ddim wedi rhuthro, a darllen ambell i beth bach wrth cael hoe, ond ie, rhyfedd o lyfr, cyfieithiad gwych, ac nawr dw i eisiau darllen popeth arall ganddo sy wedi’u cyfieithu.
Little basket with dandelion stems & reedgrass
Handmade.
I read some post about how Mastodon consists primarily of German-speaking creatures talking in English. I'm gonna do a poll, need to test that. Boosts highy appreciated!
So, do you speak German?
Feels like every day I end up blocking yet another Mastodon mutual who is now posting about their exciting new experiments with Claude or whatever other commercial AI bullshit. Most of the people I'm blocking recently are academics; it's like they think using an unethical technology is somehow magically okay if you do it intellectually enough. Academia really values centrism these days, and you can absolutely see that in many academics' attitudes to AI.
Bydda i’n ymweld â’r Arth, ger Paddington, eto, ar fy ffordd adre, ond yn gofalu am fy het yn well y tro ‘ma.
Pecyn o feinyl newydd heddi, llenwi ambell i dwll yn y casgliad. Cwpl gan AC/DC, ail albym Big Star, ac ail hefyd gan y Brodyr Allman, band sy ddim yn cael llawer o sylw erbyn hyn, efallai. Debyg taw hwn yw fy hoff un o’u gweithiau yn y stiwdio.
Gwasgiad neis iawn hefyd, sy’n newyddion da, ar ôl i fi gael fy siomi gan y “Fillmore East” ges i ganddyn nhw yn ddiweddar.
https://www.discogs.com/release/38518269-The-Allman-Brothers-Band-Idlewild-South
Off to London in a couple of weeks, won’t be very mobile, so looking for recommendations for good pubs to pass the time.
I’ll have a couple of hours on Pentonville Rd before the Kristin Hersh gig in the Lexington.
Spending Saturday in Kew with sister. Probably no pub 🥺
On Sunday I’ll be in Piccadilly, maybe a swift early pint before an exhibition at the Royal Academy?
Sunday night on Waterloo Rd. Saw a couple nr the Old Vic last time but didn’t have time.
Any ideas?
This is mesmerising.
https://youtu.be/EcDJJSKs2o8
Hanner Marathon, https://www.blipfoto.com/entry/3555511061811562538, #blipfoto, @blipfoto, 2026-10-09
Os cewch gyfle i weld Mwsog, ewch. Gig heno yn Mhontypridd yn rhan o Ŵyl Morfydd (sy'n edrych yn ddifyr). Set bach trymach a mwy trippy na'r Eisteddfod, a chafwyd mini Fest-noz.
https://www.morfydd-owen.cymru/cy
Apologies to my wife but if you're going to say "there was a guy..." and leave enough of a pause I'm going to ask "an underwater guy who controlled the sea?"
Doug Bradley as Pinhead but using Doug Bradley's own accent and vernacular
SCOUSE PINHEAD
https://bsky.app/profile/tauriq.bsky.social/post/3mxc4nisla22o
SCOUSE PINHEAD
Among the recommended videos at the side of this is Rick Beato asking “Did Radiohead write the last important song?” and I’m not going to tag Ian Betteridge, because I’m sure he gets tired of that, but come on.