Stuart Hedges
@stuarthedges.bsky.social
Serial adopter of retired greyhounds. Retrofitted a 1970s ex-council house with solar/batteries/heat pump/EV. Keen home cook.
Pinned
I've been meaning to do a thread about our eco-home retrofit, as it all happened before I started on Bluesky. Here goes!
Our house is a 1970s-built ex-council house, mid-terrace, timber frame. All very standard and ordinary.
Our house is a 1970s-built ex-council house, mid-terrace, timber frame. All very standard and ordinary.
Reposted by Stuart Hedges
Like everyone else caught up in the Unbound “drama”, John Finnemore is working out what to do with a book that was terminated with incompetent prejudice by people who vanished.
If you would like a lovely Xmas gift, he’s opened a shop, announced in this post here!
open.substack.com/pub/johnfinn...
If you would like a lovely Xmas gift, he’s opened a shop, announced in this post here!
open.substack.com/pub/johnfinn...
The Unbearable Torment of Bear Bear Bear
Concerning an unexpected window, an unchristmassy fuhrer, an unlucky publisher, and an unaware bear.
open.substack.com
December 2, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Like everyone else caught up in the Unbound “drama”, John Finnemore is working out what to do with a book that was terminated with incompetent prejudice by people who vanished.
If you would like a lovely Xmas gift, he’s opened a shop, announced in this post here!
open.substack.com/pub/johnfinn...
If you would like a lovely Xmas gift, he’s opened a shop, announced in this post here!
open.substack.com/pub/johnfinn...
I've been seeing a lot of these around as well, interesting backstory!
I haven't driven any myself but I keep up with reviews, the consensus seems to be that recent Chinese cars have left European brands in the dust...
I haven't driven any myself but I keep up with reviews, the consensus seems to be that recent Chinese cars have left European brands in the dust...
I've noticed a lot of new 'Omoda' and 'Jaecoo' cars on the road, some of them EVs, and the story behind them is quite interesting. 🧵
In the mid-90s a regional Chinese government wanted a car industry. How did you start a car company in China in the 90s? By copying an existing car, of course!
1/
In the mid-90s a regional Chinese government wanted a car industry. How did you start a car company in China in the 90s? By copying an existing car, of course!
1/
Omoda and Jaecoo launch EV tax rebate – is this the start of a new trend?
Omoda and Jaecoo introduce an EV tax rebate worth 20,000 miles, giving drivers an early saving ahead of the UK’s future pay-per-mile electric car tax announced in the 2025 Autumn Budget.
www.carwow.co.uk
November 30, 2025 at 3:05 PM
I've been seeing a lot of these around as well, interesting backstory!
I haven't driven any myself but I keep up with reviews, the consensus seems to be that recent Chinese cars have left European brands in the dust...
I haven't driven any myself but I keep up with reviews, the consensus seems to be that recent Chinese cars have left European brands in the dust...
Reposted by Stuart Hedges
Sultana and Corbyn act like they were put together in a competition by Simon Cowell and now they're contractually obliged to go on tour
November 29, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Sultana and Corbyn act like they were put together in a competition by Simon Cowell and now they're contractually obliged to go on tour
This is extraordinary. The high street here is shared-use (pedestrianised with vehicles allowed for deliveries and disabled access) and I frequently see drivers bullying pedestrians out of the way by revving engines, coming too close and sounding horns. I fear this will happen here.
The Paul Doyle thing - it's fascinating that it's no more complicated than irritation at delays and entitlement that everyone should move out the way. An extreme example of a person who we've all met, someone who unleashes their inner arsehole when they drive.
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...
Favour for pal ended in carnage after ex-Marine crashed into Liverpool fans
Dad of two Paul Doyle's devastating driving was caught on his own dashcam which showed him 'recklessly' making his way through the football fans
www.mirror.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 11:01 AM
This is extraordinary. The high street here is shared-use (pedestrianised with vehicles allowed for deliveries and disabled access) and I frequently see drivers bullying pedestrians out of the way by revving engines, coming too close and sounding horns. I fear this will happen here.
Reposted by Stuart Hedges
My #CrossBorderRail trip from Brugge 🇧🇪to Nuits-sous-Ravières 🇫🇷has gone so badly, and will leave me €59.94 out of pocket
So Alberto Mazzola of @cer-railways.bsky.social is getting an open letter and an invoice for €59.94 from me
Here's the letter 👇
jonworth.eu/an-open-lett...
So Alberto Mazzola of @cer-railways.bsky.social is getting an open letter and an invoice for €59.94 from me
Here's the letter 👇
jonworth.eu/an-open-lett...
An open letter, and an invoice for €59.94, to Alberto Mazzola, boss of Community of European Railways - Jon Worth
Dear Alberto, It is a little odd for me, a blogger and campaigner, to be writing an open letter to you as Executive Director of Community of European Railways (CER). But the combination of circumstanc...
jonworth.eu
November 26, 2025 at 8:46 PM
My #CrossBorderRail trip from Brugge 🇧🇪to Nuits-sous-Ravières 🇫🇷has gone so badly, and will leave me €59.94 out of pocket
So Alberto Mazzola of @cer-railways.bsky.social is getting an open letter and an invoice for €59.94 from me
Here's the letter 👇
jonworth.eu/an-open-lett...
So Alberto Mazzola of @cer-railways.bsky.social is getting an open letter and an invoice for €59.94 from me
Here's the letter 👇
jonworth.eu/an-open-lett...
Reposted by Stuart Hedges
If the EV road charge is set at 3p per mile tomorrow, that's about the same as adding 25p per litre to fuel duty.
Let that sink in.
Let that sink in.
This afternoon the government has again been briefing a tax on driving electric vehicles.
Brilliant 🤦.
Brilliant 🤦.
Goverment pledges £1.3bn to EV grants but will still tax pay-per-mile
The Chancellor is still expected to announce a controversial pay-per-mile tax on electric vehicles in the Budget on Wednesday.
www.thisismoney.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 4:30 PM
If the EV road charge is set at 3p per mile tomorrow, that's about the same as adding 25p per litre to fuel duty.
Let that sink in.
Let that sink in.
I've got a (fairly) golden rule never to chat about prosecutions on here because We Do Not Know All The Facts but I'm going to break it just this once - this bloody well was harassment. Genuinely stunned he was found not guilty.
Fun fact I couldn't mention until now: At the time Graham Linehan was harassing Sophia Brooks online, I was contacted by her former teachers and School Safeguarding Team to get her latest contact details, as they were worried sick about her being publicly stalked by an abusive alcoholic celebrity.
November 25, 2025 at 8:43 PM
I've got a (fairly) golden rule never to chat about prosecutions on here because We Do Not Know All The Facts but I'm going to break it just this once - this bloody well was harassment. Genuinely stunned he was found not guilty.
I definitely have followers eligible for this, if anyone fancies a go at a prize draw.
Heat pumps get talked down by people who’ve never lived with one. If you’ve had yours a year or more, your experience can cut through the noise.
Take this short survey and help show what really works in British homes. £500 prize draw included: forms.office.com/pages/respon...
Take this short survey and help show what really works in British homes. £500 prize draw included: forms.office.com/pages/respon...
November 25, 2025 at 3:42 PM
I definitely have followers eligible for this, if anyone fancies a go at a prize draw.
This article is quietly and forensically furious at the bluster and the lies. Lord knows I'd love to forget about covid but we mustn't - the lessons from this are too important for next time - and there will be a next time.
"My NHS colleagues & I weren’t willing to let the bodies pile high in their thousands. Boris no longer mentions them at all."
My piece on the responses to the UK Covid-UK Inquiry report that try to airbrush the dead away.
Sincere thanks, @theobserveruk.bsky.social.
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
My piece on the responses to the UK Covid-UK Inquiry report that try to airbrush the dead away.
Sincere thanks, @theobserveruk.bsky.social.
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
I’ll never forget the horror of the Covid wards | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 7:38 PM
This article is quietly and forensically furious at the bluster and the lies. Lord knows I'd love to forget about covid but we mustn't - the lessons from this are too important for next time - and there will be a next time.
Went to Herstmonceux Observatory today, which is a brilliant museum, but the question in our heads all day was "does anyone ever still look through these telescopes?"
One of them had a 90-odd year working life, surely it would still be useful for education at least!
One of them had a 90-odd year working life, surely it would still be useful for education at least!
Museums weren’t right for me because they aren’t living buildings. With some exceptions- St Fagans, Butser Farm- a lot of ‘museum’ sites are frozen. Artefacts are cared for and preserved but not used. The buildings feel dead.
Now I work with buildings that are being used for daily life
Now I work with buildings that are being used for daily life
November 22, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Went to Herstmonceux Observatory today, which is a brilliant museum, but the question in our heads all day was "does anyone ever still look through these telescopes?"
One of them had a 90-odd year working life, surely it would still be useful for education at least!
One of them had a 90-odd year working life, surely it would still be useful for education at least!
I've always been fascinated by sci fi book covers, here's a lovely little anecdote about the one on an excellent Star Trek novel.
Status report, "Obscure #StarTrek #Novel Stories", "Stuff That Happens To Book Covers" division: This post just popped up on my Tumblr dash. Let me tell you a story... www.tumblr.com/dduane/77793...
Reblog by @dduane · 3 images
💬 3 🔁 679 ❤️ 1404 · BTW, let me tell you a story about this cover art.
What a lot of people don't always realize is that, due to work pressures (or the way things just work at some publishers),…
www.tumblr.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:38 PM
I've always been fascinated by sci fi book covers, here's a lovely little anecdote about the one on an excellent Star Trek novel.
This one hit really hard. So much going on that I read as WWII allegory when first broadcast that's actually happening around the world now.
My grandad was still alive when this was broadcast and he always warned against complacency, he knew fascism might come back.
My grandad was still alive when this was broadcast and he always warned against complacency, he knew fascism might come back.
New episode!
It's a HUGE turning point on #Babylon5 as Sheridan battles Clark's forces and Delenn takes drastic action
@brandiwine.bsky.social joins @lukewinch.bsky.social & @bazgreenland.bsky.social to talk Severed Dreams!
Only on @filmstoriespodnet.bsky.social
open.spotify.com/episode/0qYT...
It's a HUGE turning point on #Babylon5 as Sheridan battles Clark's forces and Delenn takes drastic action
@brandiwine.bsky.social joins @lukewinch.bsky.social & @bazgreenland.bsky.social to talk Severed Dreams!
Only on @filmstoriespodnet.bsky.social
open.spotify.com/episode/0qYT...
November 20, 2025 at 7:24 PM
This one hit really hard. So much going on that I read as WWII allegory when first broadcast that's actually happening around the world now.
My grandad was still alive when this was broadcast and he always warned against complacency, he knew fascism might come back.
My grandad was still alive when this was broadcast and he always warned against complacency, he knew fascism might come back.
Reposted by Stuart Hedges
always remember: Terry Pratchett said trans rights
this book was written in 1996 by a 48 year old British man and no cis person in 2025 has a single goddamn excuse to behave differently
this book was written in 1996 by a 48 year old British man and no cis person in 2025 has a single goddamn excuse to behave differently
November 20, 2025 at 7:09 PM
always remember: Terry Pratchett said trans rights
this book was written in 1996 by a 48 year old British man and no cis person in 2025 has a single goddamn excuse to behave differently
this book was written in 1996 by a 48 year old British man and no cis person in 2025 has a single goddamn excuse to behave differently
This matches our experience. We don't have "significant levels of insulation" but we do have a battery which helps shift the load to off-peak times.
Like comparing fossil cars with EVs, the difference in efficiency is just incredible.
Like comparing fossil cars with EVs, the difference in efficiency is just incredible.
“Annual total energy consumption for each property was between 40% and 67% lower than the UK average.”
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Heat-pump homes put less strain on grid than expected, study shows
Analysis of new-builds in Birmingham suggests all-electric homes not only use less energy but vary in peak usage
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:45 AM
This matches our experience. We don't have "significant levels of insulation" but we do have a battery which helps shift the load to off-peak times.
Like comparing fossil cars with EVs, the difference in efficiency is just incredible.
Like comparing fossil cars with EVs, the difference in efficiency is just incredible.
So having annoyed the whole sector by announcing a cut to the BUS grant... They're actually improving it.
Yes, I know Labour are doing some terrible things. They are also doing some good things and obscuring them with the worst comms the world has ever seen.
Yes, I know Labour are doing some terrible things. They are also doing some good things and obscuring them with the worst comms the world has ever seen.
Heat pumps news! DESNZ is expanding the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to cover air to air heat pumps and heat batteries.
Both will be eligible for a £2,500 grant if it fully replaces a gas or oil boiler…
www.businessgreen.com/news/4521952...
Both will be eligible for a £2,500 grant if it fully replaces a gas or oil boiler…
www.businessgreen.com/news/4521952...
Boiler Upgrade Scheme: Government set to expand scheme to include air conditioning heat pumps
Government expands heat pump scheme to include heat batteries and 'air-to-air devices' that can cool homes in summer, despite speculation over budget cuts
www.businessgreen.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:12 PM
So having annoyed the whole sector by announcing a cut to the BUS grant... They're actually improving it.
Yes, I know Labour are doing some terrible things. They are also doing some good things and obscuring them with the worst comms the world has ever seen.
Yes, I know Labour are doing some terrible things. They are also doing some good things and obscuring them with the worst comms the world has ever seen.
Reposted by Stuart Hedges
Every word of this.
Policies that will cost consumers more, suffocate nascent industries, leave us dependent on gas for longer, and jeopardise green transition are really not great overall.....
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Policies that will cost consumers more, suffocate nascent industries, leave us dependent on gas for longer, and jeopardise green transition are really not great overall.....
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Scrapping green subsidies is short-termist sabotage – and as usual the consumer will pay | Camilla Born
Weaning ourselves off gas is the only way to reduce energy bills long term. Cutting support for this is exactly the ‘sticking-plaster politics’ Labour promised to end, says CEO of Electrify Britain Ca...
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Every word of this.
Policies that will cost consumers more, suffocate nascent industries, leave us dependent on gas for longer, and jeopardise green transition are really not great overall.....
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Policies that will cost consumers more, suffocate nascent industries, leave us dependent on gas for longer, and jeopardise green transition are really not great overall.....
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Always worth listening to Rahaeli on this stuff.
FWIW I think it's pretty obvious the post was a joke but it's not a joke I'd have made either on here or around a pub table with friends.
FWIW I think it's pretty obvious the post was a joke but it's not a joke I'd have made either on here or around a pub table with friends.
There is a very good reason why the thing I say most consistently about situations like this is "the violent rhetoric policy is my least favorite policy to write and enforce, and the policy that creates the most upheaval among the userbase when it is applied"!
"bluesky will suspend you for anything vaguely resembling a death threat" is maybe the single most consistent moderation policy they have I don't know why anyone is surprised by this one
yes, even if it's a reference to song lyrics
yes, even if it's a reference to song lyrics
November 13, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Always worth listening to Rahaeli on this stuff.
FWIW I think it's pretty obvious the post was a joke but it's not a joke I'd have made either on here or around a pub table with friends.
FWIW I think it's pretty obvious the post was a joke but it's not a joke I'd have made either on here or around a pub table with friends.
This is the core of it. Yes I am one of those middle class people, but it's also benefited my neighbours and all the people in that supply chain. Several of the installers were very young, this better not take their careers away.
Very easy for Treasury to characterise heat pump grants as being kickbacks for middle class families, but they are primarily a mechanism for catalysing a market that will then benefit everyone. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Hundreds of thousands to lose heat pump subsidies in Reeves’s budget plan
Exclusive: Supporters say grants largely going to middle-class households, but experts warn move will slow transition from gas boilers
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:46 PM
This is the core of it. Yes I am one of those middle class people, but it's also benefited my neighbours and all the people in that supply chain. Several of the installers were very young, this better not take their careers away.
This is as stupid as the Tories kneecapping solar. That subsidy is needed while we build the industry, we're not there yet but this will lead to job losses - even if you don't care about decarbonising home heat.
Sincerely hope this doesn't happen.
Sincerely hope this doesn't happen.
This will kill the heat pump market.
And that means cuts in investment in the whole system: tech, skills, supply chain, business investment.
And the subsidy is not a *benefit*, it's designed to equalise the choice between gas and electric.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
And that means cuts in investment in the whole system: tech, skills, supply chain, business investment.
And the subsidy is not a *benefit*, it's designed to equalise the choice between gas and electric.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Hundreds of thousands to lose heat pump subsidies in Reeves’s budget plan
Exclusive: chancellor plans to fund energy efficiency levies via warm homes plan as part of drive to lower energy bills
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:51 PM
This is as stupid as the Tories kneecapping solar. That subsidy is needed while we build the industry, we're not there yet but this will lead to job losses - even if you don't care about decarbonising home heat.
Sincerely hope this doesn't happen.
Sincerely hope this doesn't happen.
They've got Rock Star Ate My Hamster on here!!
We have launched a new Play Online Centre.
Not just the Dizzy games, but a lot of the classic Codemasters games to play online too.
🥚 thecodemastersarchive.co.uk/playonline/
Not just the Dizzy games, but a lot of the classic Codemasters games to play online too.
🥚 thecodemastersarchive.co.uk/playonline/
November 12, 2025 at 6:19 PM
They've got Rock Star Ate My Hamster on here!!
Reposted by Stuart Hedges
It's International Women in Science Day ♀️, and I want to talk briefly about Rosalind Franklin.
A conventional choice for unconventional reasons: Dr. Franklin was one of the FIRST STRUCTURAL VIROLOGISTS. Let's talk about her work outside of the Crick & Watson debacle.
A conventional choice for unconventional reasons: Dr. Franklin was one of the FIRST STRUCTURAL VIROLOGISTS. Let's talk about her work outside of the Crick & Watson debacle.
February 11, 2024 at 2:31 PM
It's International Women in Science Day ♀️, and I want to talk briefly about Rosalind Franklin.
A conventional choice for unconventional reasons: Dr. Franklin was one of the FIRST STRUCTURAL VIROLOGISTS. Let's talk about her work outside of the Crick & Watson debacle.
A conventional choice for unconventional reasons: Dr. Franklin was one of the FIRST STRUCTURAL VIROLOGISTS. Let's talk about her work outside of the Crick & Watson debacle.
I also came home from seeing Bugonia, talked about it to my wife at some length then said "no it's definitely not for you."
For the record I loved it, but not for everyone.
youtu.be/q_OBGb3XxJo?...
For the record I loved it, but not for everyone.
youtu.be/q_OBGb3XxJo?...
Mark Kermode reviews Bugonia
YouTube video by Kermode and Mayo's Take
youtu.be
November 7, 2025 at 10:49 PM
I also came home from seeing Bugonia, talked about it to my wife at some length then said "no it's definitely not for you."
For the record I loved it, but not for everyone.
youtu.be/q_OBGb3XxJo?...
For the record I loved it, but not for everyone.
youtu.be/q_OBGb3XxJo?...
I love an overcoat but it's just never cold enough to need one any more. Mine - 1980s British Rail uniform - didn't even come out of the wardrobe last year. I miss it.
Fall is here and many of you may be shopping for an overcoat.
Let me show what you can get as you move up the price ladder. 🧵
Let me show what you can get as you move up the price ladder. 🧵
Here are four overcoats.
— Which do you think is the most expensive?
— Which do you think is the least expensive?
— Which do you think provides the best value?
Answer below. Tomorrow, I will show what you get as you climb up the price ladder for overcoats.
— Which do you think is the most expensive?
— Which do you think is the least expensive?
— Which do you think provides the best value?
Answer below. Tomorrow, I will show what you get as you climb up the price ladder for overcoats.
November 7, 2025 at 9:14 PM
I love an overcoat but it's just never cold enough to need one any more. Mine - 1980s British Rail uniform - didn't even come out of the wardrobe last year. I miss it.
Well, after three years without them I am a speccy once again. Bit annoying but not the end of the world, it'll just be for driving and so on.
Still very glad indeed that I got LASEK but wish I'd done it a bit sooner, would have been nice to have a bit more time without glasses.
Still very glad indeed that I got LASEK but wish I'd done it a bit sooner, would have been nice to have a bit more time without glasses.
November 7, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Well, after three years without them I am a speccy once again. Bit annoying but not the end of the world, it'll just be for driving and so on.
Still very glad indeed that I got LASEK but wish I'd done it a bit sooner, would have been nice to have a bit more time without glasses.
Still very glad indeed that I got LASEK but wish I'd done it a bit sooner, would have been nice to have a bit more time without glasses.
Reposted by Stuart Hedges
Star Trek TNG, S5E19: Captain Picard yells at Wesley do to the right thing and Nick Lorcano* yells at Wesley to do the wrong thing, and Wes has to decide who he's more afraid of
*legally distinct from Tom Paris
8/10 cool story, shame none of this will ever come up again
*legally distinct from Tom Paris
8/10 cool story, shame none of this will ever come up again
November 7, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Star Trek TNG, S5E19: Captain Picard yells at Wesley do to the right thing and Nick Lorcano* yells at Wesley to do the wrong thing, and Wes has to decide who he's more afraid of
*legally distinct from Tom Paris
8/10 cool story, shame none of this will ever come up again
*legally distinct from Tom Paris
8/10 cool story, shame none of this will ever come up again