Basically, I'm a lot about #localgov, public services, place, travel, art, culture, photography and London. And sometimes a little bit about Canada too. Migrant and citizen, at the same time.https://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3mmolys2qrk2iWhen I was a kid in Ottawa, the city didn't have a team so I fell for the Habs. My heart is now pounding as it did for the Oilers last year. The last Canadian team to win the Cup - 🙏🏽 bring it back this year! #gohabsgo #allezcanadiensallez [contains quote post or other embedded content]25 May 2026 13:38 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmolys2qrk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3mgmxg2eeik2gStunning shot. (Go Canada!) [contains quote post or other embedded content]09 Mar 2026 13:26 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3mgmxg2eeik2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3m5ub74xhuc2mWhen exactly did the concept of "deportation" become one to throw around casually? Not sure if it would be worse for it to be performative cruelty or genuine policy. Is this *really* the kind of country the UK wants to be?17 Nov 2025 22:22 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5ub74xhuc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3m5c5zdnqy22wBlows my mind how much we're learning about our earliest history. https://www.fossewaytreeservices.co.uk/10-11-2025/165638-kenyan-archaeological-excavation/10 Nov 2025 17:38 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5c5zdnqy22whttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3m4q6t2ayec2aEverything we learn about the Inca impresses me more and more. And I find myself fuming (futilely) about the records and knowledge Spanish colonisers destroyed and suppressed. https://share.google/mJD7Hzc9dn5ZJwxKw03 Nov 2025 14:04 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4q6t2ayec2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3m4jartkv5k2nOk @torontobluejays.bsky.social I'm thrilled you've got 2 shots to win the World Series but please get it done tonight. I could really use an unbroken night's sleep soon.31 Oct 2025 19:51 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4jartkv5k2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3m4225bxgy22xThe thin thread to my beloved Expos via Vladimir Guerrero Jr feels unbelievably precious. Let's go @torontobluejays.bsky.social! #NosAmours https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn09j4xw7jeo25 Oct 2025 18:42 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4225bxgy22xhttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3m3wqjtgwhc25My body is in London, sure, but my spirit is in Toronto. Conjuring up 1992 vibes...let's go @torontobluejays.bsky.social! https://youtu.be/U9pCrFxwjeo?si=6nCiR9uwy8LxitFC24 Oct 2025 11:12 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3wqjtgwhc25https://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3m3v4f7ms2c2iWith Toronto very much on my mind right now, I'm assuaging the loneliness of being an ex-pat at a time like this by plunging down a YouTube vortex. https://youtube.com/shorts/LYlKlTGrhPU?si=LjxDYSz1D-Cjdk3i23 Oct 2025 19:39 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3v4f7ms2c2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3m3prwopsnk24Not gonna lie - I wept with joy. Go @torontobluejays.bsky.social go! https://youtube.com/shorts/g5zXInam49M?si=d-HeNVIP7isE8Zrk21 Oct 2025 16:48 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3prwopsnk24https://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3lzgsdixqbc2wI was 38 when I decided to move from Canada to the UK on a highly-skilled migrant visa. I knew I was taking a risk leaving behind a secure job with potential for progression and the option to live in cities with a lower cost of living than UK cities. (1/2)22 Sep 2025 16:11 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3lzgsdixqbc2whttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3lyebdpqu222oThinking about all in #localgov waiting on ministerial decisions. Another drawback of a centralised state. Reshuffles and stasis afterward obvs can happen anywhere and at any tier. But in most OECD countries you wouldn't see this many decisions about local matters held up after political churn.08 Sep 2025 22:36 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3lyebdpqu222ohttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3lxpozbxuac2eI grew up watching baseball - the crack of a bat hitting the ball and the low murmur of the crowd are the soundtrack to my childhood. Watching @bluejays.com live on BBC as I eat supper feels like time travel. Normally I huddle in bed with my app, hoping the game finishes by 5 am. #basescoveredlive31 Aug 2025 18:15 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxpozbxuac2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3lxkoad77nk2xhttps://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/hurricane-katrina-anniversary-new-orleans-658nvc6zc29 Aug 2025 18:18 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxkoad77nk2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3lxknuivtlc2xI will be incredibly disappointed if this turns out to be true. When I was growing up, my hometown #yeg was an oasis of sanity in a rabidly redneck province. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-school-books-removal-1.762080729 Aug 2025 18:11 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3lxknuivtlc2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3lx3lqxhksc2gAnd breathe...23 Aug 2025 18:24 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3lx3lqxhksc2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3lvtpymgiw22dThe William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow is such a little gem. The current Morris Mania exhibition is well worth catching.07 Aug 2025 21:53 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvtpymgiw22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3lvjj75zgh22mRight to buy in England ‘fuelled housing crisis and cost taxpayers £200bn’ https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/aug/03/right-to-buy-england-fuelled-housing-crisis-cost-taxpayers-common-weath-report?CMP=share_btn_url03 Aug 2025 20:25 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3lvjj75zgh22mhttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3luz7h4fhzc25What amazes me about Stockholm is not the excellence of its public transport system nor its residents' willingness to commute by active travel measures. It's how badly its city centre is still scarred by the legacy of motorway-enthralled planners.28 Jul 2025 08:48 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3luz7h4fhzc25https://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3luqj24czlk2dDamn it's hard to leave a job you love, even when you know it's time to seek a new challenge. Cannot thank London Councils colleagues, members and officers at boroughs, and partners across the capital enough for a magical three years. Getting to serve a place you love truly madly deeply is 🤩.24 Jul 2025 21:45 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3luqj24czlk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3ltfobxybfk2uI ❤️ London07 Jul 2025 20:55 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3ltfobxybfk2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3lswod3yiys2s01 Jul 2025 21:46 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3lswod3yiys2shttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3lstop667fc2yWhat makes me laugh about the current weather in London is that I'm persuaded that my Italian friends would be wearing a jacket if they were here. Or a cardigan, minimum. 🥵30 Jun 2025 17:14 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3lstop667fc2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/pialidg.bsky.social/post/3lsjkvwmjx22oJust shared a laugh with a stranger of a different ethnic background at a London bus stop. But I suspect that, like me, the other may be foreign-born. Can't work out if that counts as integration in Goodwin's world view.26 Jun 2025 16:40 +0000at://did:plc:pro7njjfdvjfgsldebek6qld/app.bsky.feed.post/3lsjkvwmjx22o