@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

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Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

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@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social · 2d ago

A canal sketch for #MonochromeMarch

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Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

cupoftea.social

Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

cupoftea.social

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social · Mar 14, 2026

There's a clutch of articles in The Guardian today (CBA to link to them all) describing how badly the war in the Middle East is going, particularly for the Americans, and how it may go very badly for the US economy in the longer term.
The thrust is that there is no coherent strategy, and very little in the way of tactical strategy either.
Effectively, Trump has been out-manouvered in a way that had been predicted by war-gaming by his predecessors.

My very real fear is that Trump is so unstable and unpredictable that once he sees no 'Venezuala' solution he will unleash a nuclear weapon on Tehran with or without Israeli support.

My second fear, independent of the above, is that there is an army of terrorists waiting in the background to subvert any state that supports American or Israeli interests. This war could lead to international terrorism in a way not yet seen.

Heaven help us all.

#uspolitics #MiddleEast

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Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

cupoftea.social

Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

cupoftea.social

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social · Mar 13, 2026

We're having an early meal this evening because we're going out to see a proper play.
None of this musical nonsense this is a Play.

We're seeing the first touring production after the London run of LeCarré's The Spy Who Came In From The Cold at Leicester Curve.

The reviews are promising and I'm a massive fan of Leicester Carré in book & film, so to the first time he's been put on stage should be very interesting.

#Theatre #Leicester #LeicesterCurve #Play

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Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

cupoftea.social

Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

cupoftea.social

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social · Mar 13, 2026

My son isn't impressed with Holyhead station

(I think he might have been doing some official urban exploration of the abandoned ferry terminal - pictures may follow)

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Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

cupoftea.social

Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

cupoftea.social

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social · Mar 03, 2026

Bonus!
Chocolate digestive as a reward.

I've completed tomorrow's big job today.

I needed to move the TV unit (also housing miscellaneous carp) to clean behind and under it.
I did that, and discovered a few horrors including a patch of mould on the wall.

It's back, rewired and most of the stuffs are back away and tidy. There's now a bigger gap behind the unit.

I've got to find a home for some cans of booze (which rarely gets drunk here) and some jigsaw puzzles (which Sacha likes the idea of doing, but never gets around to).

The rest of the room - vacuuming and dusting - can wait until tomorrow now.

I also need to check the TV actually works as well!

Biscuits!

#housework #Today

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Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

cupoftea.social

Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

cupoftea.social

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social · Feb 11, 2026

Art advice (web-links) sought

Our daughter has found that she's really enjoying drawing and watercolour painting. She's currently doing a short in-person course.

She's desperate to be able to draw people. She's making good progress with figures, but it's faces that she's really struggling with.

Can any suggest any links for someone at beginner level to help her draw faces and facial features please?

#MastoHelp #MastoArt #Art #BeginnersArt #Drawing

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Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

cupoftea.social

Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

cupoftea.social

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social · Jan 13, 2026

I'm not a great one for funny videos, which I rarely find funny, but this from my son who works in the railway industry tickled me. #trains #railway #avanti

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Thread context 4 posts in path

Root @mattblaze@federate.social Open

@mattblaze@federate.social

Note, important safety tip: you can get closer to this tower without clearly trespassing or jumping fences than most other 50KW broadcast antennas I've encountered. I measured a field strength of over

Ancestor 2 @mattblaze@federate.social Open

@mattblaze@federate.social

AM broadcast is a technically interesting and somewhat endangered medium. The low frequencies mean that signals routinely travel well beyond their local coverage areas, especially overnight in winter.

Parent @mattblaze@federate.social Open

@mattblaze@federate.social

The rapid decline in recent years of local content on the mediumwave bands has considerably reduced the romantic mystery of tuning around and seeing what you find. It's mostly now a sterile mix of mas

Current reply

Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

cupoftea.social

Mike 🇬🇧 🇪🇺

@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social

I live in Central England I'm a retired NHS Scientist & Manager with a BA(hons) French & Art History I cycle, sketch, try to grow stuff on our allotment & play petanque (badly) I'm a perpetual beginner at TaiChi & Quigung I twiddle with amateur radio as GE4SDZ My disabled wife & I enjoy European travel especially by rail Mental health is a personal & family challenge NO DMs # allotment # cycling # petanque # TaiChi # AmateurRadio # hamradio # Leicestershire # interrail # sketching # Oddfellows

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@MikeFromLFE@cupoftea.social · Dec 11, 2025

@mattblaze@federate.social Medium Wave (AM) radio is being switched off across Europe with UK and Spain still hanging on. This means that there are some long range gems to be heard for those who have the patience

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