Chris Ó Conghaile
LightNews LightNews
banner
mccustard.bsky.social
Chris Ó Conghaile
@mccustard.bsky.social
400 followers 130 following 100 posts
Retired welfare rights worker & bookseller. Now celebrating the things that make life worth living: love, peace, friendship, nature, art, music, sunshine, coffee, cake, dairy-free custard. &c. Nae flags. Nae anthems xx
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
mccustard.bsky.social
Chris Ó Conghaile @mccustard.bsky.social · 22d
I've retired from talking about politics but that doesn't mean I don't have an opinion or don't care. If you're pro-peace, anti-fascist and care about the environment please take it for granted that we're on each other's side.
mccustard.bsky.social
Soft rain today at Carlingwark Loch.
A tree by a loch, snapped through a car windscreen during a shower of rain, blurring the picture.
January 14, 2026 at 8:24 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
Welcome to my new friends. For those in the USA, If I've not followed you back it's because I'm all Trumped out, but I send you my genuine admiration, support, sympathy & love.
January 13, 2026 at 1:23 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
Far too many talented artists here. Time to redress the balance. This is called A Woman Surprised By A Wasp.
Cartoon drawing of a woman being surprised by a wasp.
January 12, 2026 at 4:03 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
Hadn't realised just how unethical Spotify is. My account is now closed. The company won't notice till many more of us quit as well. Just like Twix really.

The US government didn't renew their contract but till 1 January Spotify was running adverts for people to join ICE. That deserves a red card.
January 11, 2026 at 7:30 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
We really need cheering up. This will do the trick, but only for fans of Kurt Vonnegut. It must be the most classic Vonnegut paragraph of them all. If you've not read Slaughterhouse 5, Cat's Cradle or Hocus Pocus I recommend them, but not Bluebeard or Deadeye Dick, which are surprisingly dull.
A paragraph from Slaughterhouse 5 involving the hero Billy Pilgrim and a character who turns up in many of KV's novels, science fiction writer Kilgore Trout.
January 11, 2026 at 11:43 AM
mccustard.bsky.social
Wigtown's parish church, rebuilt in 1730, was replaced by a new one next door in 1851, but some of it still exists. It's an interesting feature of what is a lovely wee former county town.
The old and the "new." The 18th century walls are largely covered in greenery. 18th century walls and ancient gravestones, against a cloudy sky. Some more gravestones. Among them are the remains of the Wigtown Martyrs, who were tied to a post and left to drown when the tide came in, as a punishment for following the wrong religion at the wrong time.
January 10, 2026 at 5:44 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
Boats in the mud at Annan Harbour. The blue-painted one will never float again; I think the other one might be somebody's cosy home.
Two boats in a muddy channel. The one in the foreground is a wreck, the one behind looks in good condition & still has its masts.
January 8, 2026 at 6:05 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
First snowdrops of the year in Stranraer. Fab.
A patch of snowdrops seen today in a garden on the walk back from Lidls.
January 7, 2026 at 8:47 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
Moon tennis
Yellow moon in a pink sky, just to the left of a shiny tower. Yellow moon in a pink sky, just to the right of that shiny tower.
January 3, 2026 at 7:12 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
Today's walk in the December sunshine. 2025 has just 1 day left. May it be a peaceful one.
The Stena ferry leaves Cainryan on its way to Cairnryan. Calm, smooth water in the loch made it a perfect day to make the trip. Tiny Christmas trees. The wood is full of them. A white cottage is almost hidden by wintry trees. There's a wee burn to the bottom right of the picture.
December 30, 2025 at 6:07 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
Roe deer today in Kirkcolm, North Rhins. She's keeping an eye on me even though we're on opposite sides of the burn.
A deer in a field, chewing some grass while looking in my direction.
December 30, 2025 at 1:38 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
The Besotted Wretch; bookshop, cafe & welfare rights advice, Abbeydale Road, Sheffield, in January 2016. When the same 2 guys came back to try to rob us a second time we knew we'd probably be better off closing down. We worked more or less for nothing, but have no regrets. It was a dream fulfilled.
Our old bookshop. Sign by street artist Coloquix.
December 28, 2025 at 6:04 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
The wreck of the Monreith, Dhoon Bay.
The Bay framed by trees and folaige. In the middle of the photo - only just visible even to people with perfect eyesight - are the bones of the Monreith, a schooner that ran aground in 1900 and has been slowly decaying ever since. That's better! A close up of the Monreith, looking like the upside remains of a dinosaur. But don't go too close. There's quicksand all around.
December 28, 2025 at 3:21 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
Nothing but repeats on TV this evening, folks, so how about a game of dominoes instead? Confession: I'd never heard of artist Horace Pippin (1888 to 1946) till about 10 minutes ago but I love his work already.
The domino players, painted by Horace Pippin. 3 women are seated at the table, having a game, while another is doing some sewing. There's a warm stove glowing on the right of the scene.
December 25, 2025 at 8:00 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
Silhouettes in Kirkcudbright today.
Picture taken from the east side of the River Dee, up a grassy bank, into the sunshine. Trees and buildings, including Maclellan's Castle, are silhouetted against the sky.
December 24, 2025 at 4:36 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
Stranraer, also known as The Clayhole, or Cleyhole. It's a bonnie wee town, in which we happen to have a house for sale. £100K will do nicely so we can move to what's currently a holiday cottage near Kirkcoubrie. 0.1% discount for Bluesky friends, or 0.2% if pie & custard are included in the deal.
A boat turned into a flower garden. It's painted red on the outside, white on the inside and its name is The Clayholer. Lots of cherry blossom by the A75, the entry into Stranraer from the East. Looking out of a window at house roofs and a bit of treetop in Stranraer Castle. The toon. Old shops in the foreground, hills, Loch Ryan and a blue sky beyond. I can't lie. The weather isn't always like this.
December 23, 2025 at 12:52 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
Take some well-deserved time off with Glenn Gould & his seatless old chair performing - & humming along to - JS Bach's Goldberg Variations in 1981. This performance lasted 13 minutes longer than his 1955 recording, & IMO those 13 minutes make all the difference.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klqj...
J.S Bach - Goldberg Variations - Glenn Gould (Fixed Unsynced Audio)
YouTube video by TF2 Starlight
www.youtube.com
December 22, 2025 at 11:01 AM
mccustard.bsky.social
Kirkmaiden churchyard in today's December sunshine. There's a touch of sea in the picture if you look closely.
Shadows in the foreground. A leafless bush to the left, 17th century kirk on the right, gravestones and a blue sky.
December 19, 2025 at 3:36 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
Give this ensemble a menu to look through, and see what happens. Extraordinary, and very lovely indeed.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSh6...
Michael Praetorius - Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland - polyharmonique
YouTube video by polyharmonique
www.youtube.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:44 AM
mccustard.bsky.social
Biographical note: I'm an atheist but I don't agree that the Devil has all the best tunes. Here's some wonderful Xmas music from the Baroque period to illustrate the point...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns4O...
Main-Barockorchester | Corelli: Concerto Grosso Op. 6 no. 8 "Christmas Concerto"
YouTube video by Main Barockorchester
www.youtube.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:33 AM
mccustard.bsky.social
Killantringan Bay, South Rhins, Scotland.
Grazing sheep in front of a sign that reads LITTER - TAK IT HAME. The sea lies beyond, with a headland visible in the top right of the picture.
December 15, 2025 at 9:40 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
A wee part of Torhouse Stone Circle, Wigtownshire, Scotland, in rare winter sunshine.
Sun shining on standing stones.
December 15, 2025 at 9:36 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
Ian is my first follower & followee. What a guy!
December 15, 2025 at 9:04 AM
mccustard.bsky.social
Never knew it at the time but I was lucky to visit Sycamore Gap in 2019. 4 years later the famous tree was no longer there.
The famous, much-missed sycamore tree by Hadrian's Wall, pictured against a blue sky with wispy clouds.
December 14, 2025 at 7:50 PM
mccustard.bsky.social
44 High Street, Kirkcoubrie. EA Taylor & Jessie M King were artists & designers during the Art Nouveau period, and were instrumental in establishing the town as an artists' colony.
Pot plants around the door leading to a pretty close. The outside walls are painted white, with light blue facings. A sign reads EA Taylor and Jessie M King lived & worked in this house,
December 10, 2025 at 4:28 PM