Today has been one of those quietly demanding days — the kind where you don’t stop moving, yet the world barely notices the work being done.

I started with a mountain of cat beds and blankets for the rescue, all needing a good wash. This time of year always brings a heartbreaking surge in the fluffies who were handed out as presents and then discarded when the novelty wore off. Kittens, especially. Tiny lives treated like trinkets.

But there’s something grounding about doing what you can, even if it’s small. Giving a few hours to a team of real animal advocates — the ones who roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, and do the work that rarely gets applause. The cats notice. That’s enough.

Between loads of laundry, I sorted through some vintage for their community shop in Blackpool. There’s a certain soulfulness in that too — passing things on, keeping them in circulation, letting objects find their next chapter.

A quick note of correction: in a previous blog I misspelled Emma‑Jean Thackray’s name. It matters to me to get it right, especially as I want to shout out her Jazz FM show — she’s hosting her own slot every Saturday night at 9pm throughout January. Worth tuning in.

Later, while sifting through more vintage, I put on GB News and caught Lily Moo — an activist speaking for the suppressed in her country of origin. Her courage made me cry. Not out of sadness, but pride.

The interview was well handled, and it reminded me how rarely we hear Iran spoken about with nuance, empathy, or urgency. I stand with Iranian activists. And I stand firmly against any hard‑line ideology — from any direction — that tries to plant hatred on British soil. There’s no place for that here.

Finally, a thought on the recent noise around deepfake porn and Grok. Yes, it’s serious. Yes, it deserves scrutiny. But if we only focus on one platform or one headline, we’re missing the wider landscape. Women’s rights are being undermined by pinhole cameras, facial recognition misuse, stalking apps, car trackers, hackers, and a whole ecosystem of tech that slips under the radar. It’s all connected. It’s all part of the same problem. We can’t afford to be complacent or narrow our attention to a single topic when the issue is systemic and right across the dark web also, etc.

A long day, a full day, and one that reminded me — again — that small acts matter, names matter, courage matters, and vigilance matters.

Tiffy Belle ❤️