Phil Banting
@philbanting.bsky.social
Christian, married to Miriam, #LibDems, #Remain. Active in Christ Church Selly Park, #Stirchley and beyond. Twitter @philbanting Instagram @philbantingbrum https://www.banting-family.org.uk
My most used words on Bluesky: nothing to stir the blood really. Top 10 range from "road" (20) to "remember" (16). "British" also 16, "Birmingham" 14. Must try to be more interesting in the future
December 2, 2025 at 10:49 PM
My most used words on Bluesky: nothing to stir the blood really. Top 10 range from "road" (20) to "remember" (16). "British" also 16, "Birmingham" 14. Must try to be more interesting in the future
The sun always shines when I visit my mother... well, usually. But there's a cloud nearer than the horizon: today 2 men turned up and spent hours digging at the edge of the empty ground in front of the metal fence. I'm always afraid that someone will put up a building and spoil the view #NIMBY
November 25, 2025 at 11:28 PM
The sun always shines when I visit my mother... well, usually. But there's a cloud nearer than the horizon: today 2 men turned up and spent hours digging at the edge of the empty ground in front of the metal fence. I'm always afraid that someone will put up a building and spoil the view #NIMBY
Not wanting to get too philosophical about this, but non-existence is surely a guaranteed way of avoiding any kind of disease
November 7, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Not wanting to get too philosophical about this, but non-existence is surely a guaranteed way of avoiding any kind of disease
It's been creeping up steadily... bsky-users.theo.io
November 2, 2025 at 11:02 PM
It's been creeping up steadily... bsky-users.theo.io
The clock is on GMT but the calendar is stuck on BST (British Stuart Time)
(The clock projects from the Guildhall above the High Street, Guildford)
(The clock projects from the Guildhall above the High Street, Guildford)
October 28, 2025 at 11:42 PM
The clock is on GMT but the calendar is stuck on BST (British Stuart Time)
(The clock projects from the Guildhall above the High Street, Guildford)
(The clock projects from the Guildhall above the High Street, Guildford)
"Begone!"
The angel apparently wants the scaffolding off its turf - the turf being the roof of Guildford Cathedral
The angel apparently wants the scaffolding off its turf - the turf being the roof of Guildford Cathedral
October 28, 2025 at 10:06 PM
"Begone!"
The angel apparently wants the scaffolding off its turf - the turf being the roof of Guildford Cathedral
The angel apparently wants the scaffolding off its turf - the turf being the roof of Guildford Cathedral
"What can we put in the window to help people forget that they can't afford any of our properties?"
October 28, 2025 at 9:10 PM
"What can we put in the window to help people forget that they can't afford any of our properties?"
Let's go away, I said. Somewhere quiet, I said. Away from it all, I said. So we find ourselves in a rather dusky Trafalgar Square
October 26, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Let's go away, I said. Somewhere quiet, I said. Away from it all, I said. So we find ourselves in a rather dusky Trafalgar Square
A particular downside of the long period of stable, cloudy weather is the lack of power generation from renewables, hence reliance on gas. In the coming years we have to bridge that gap, whether through more wind farms, nuclear, storage or something else (e.g. Europe-wide grid, tidal)
October 13, 2025 at 8:07 PM
A particular downside of the long period of stable, cloudy weather is the lack of power generation from renewables, hence reliance on gas. In the coming years we have to bridge that gap, whether through more wind farms, nuclear, storage or something else (e.g. Europe-wide grid, tidal)
Post you from a different era.
On the beach at Swanage
On the beach at Swanage
October 13, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Post you from a different era.
On the beach at Swanage
On the beach at Swanage
Yesssss... the daily average has been over 10,000 steps for over 2 years now
October 9, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Yesssss... the daily average has been over 10,000 steps for over 2 years now
Been visiting my mother, and for the first time I’ve done it by train. It’s a fiddly journey, but a generous interpretation of “on time” enabled me to make a tight connection and save half an hour - and I can avoid the horrors of the M6 and rush hour on the way home
October 7, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Been visiting my mother, and for the first time I’ve done it by train. It’s a fiddly journey, but a generous interpretation of “on time” enabled me to make a tight connection and save half an hour - and I can avoid the horrors of the M6 and rush hour on the way home
"Age yourself with a movie you saw in theatres as a kid."
September 29, 2025 at 3:11 PM
"Age yourself with a movie you saw in theatres as a kid."
In my 20's I spent several holidays on the Norfolk Broads, and learned how to sail a yacht. Possibly a more valuable life lesson was how to do washing up in a very confined space, especially when there is no drying rack. I had to revive this skill recently: this is how it's done
September 7, 2025 at 10:03 PM
In my 20's I spent several holidays on the Norfolk Broads, and learned how to sail a yacht. Possibly a more valuable life lesson was how to do washing up in a very confined space, especially when there is no drying rack. I had to revive this skill recently: this is how it's done
We've recently returned from 2 weeks in Germany where solar panels are plentiful and, on the whole, large. We also passed several solar farms
September 6, 2025 at 7:22 PM
We've recently returned from 2 weeks in Germany where solar panels are plentiful and, on the whole, large. We also passed several solar farms
#FingerpostFriday Alpine views on a walk from Kranzbach to Elmauer Alm, Bavaria. The walk was hilly rather than mountainous, but we did ascend nearly 1000 metres
September 5, 2025 at 4:34 PM
#FingerpostFriday Alpine views on a walk from Kranzbach to Elmauer Alm, Bavaria. The walk was hilly rather than mountainous, but we did ascend nearly 1000 metres
Budget view from a budget hotel. To be fair, guests in the posher hotel next door see much the same thing, though in greater comfort. Still, it’s handy for the motorway, which is what people on the other side of the building can see
September 3, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Budget view from a budget hotel. To be fair, guests in the posher hotel next door see much the same thing, though in greater comfort. Still, it’s handy for the motorway, which is what people on the other side of the building can see
Spotted in the Deutsches Museum in Munich, from an era when toys were real toys and it was fun to play radioactive hide and seek using uranium ore and a Geiger counter. Exciting - definitely. Safe - where's the warning about a choking hazard for under-3s?
August 28, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Spotted in the Deutsches Museum in Munich, from an era when toys were real toys and it was fun to play radioactive hide and seek using uranium ore and a Geiger counter. Exciting - definitely. Safe - where's the warning about a choking hazard for under-3s?
Facebook invites me to send cheery birthday greetings to a dear and wonderful friend. I suppose there is no way of telling FB that said friend died over 6 years ago so that it could offer a more appropriate set of messages
August 15, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Facebook invites me to send cheery birthday greetings to a dear and wonderful friend. I suppose there is no way of telling FB that said friend died over 6 years ago so that it could offer a more appropriate set of messages
#FingerpostFriday Signpost from CUBA (the County that Used to Be Avon, and, before that, Somerset). The background isn't very pretty so I've added a nicer photo of Portbury for balance
August 15, 2025 at 3:45 PM
#FingerpostFriday Signpost from CUBA (the County that Used to Be Avon, and, before that, Somerset). The background isn't very pretty so I've added a nicer photo of Portbury for balance
Quote this with a book you read way too young that explains why you are the way you are
August 13, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Quote this with a book you read way too young that explains why you are the way you are
There’s some bonus industrial archaeology at the venue too
August 12, 2025 at 3:40 PM
There’s some bonus industrial archaeology at the venue too
En route to my mother. It appears that the area has changed quite a bit since the late 19th century: it really was all fields round here then
August 9, 2025 at 6:06 PM
En route to my mother. It appears that the area has changed quite a bit since the late 19th century: it really was all fields round here then