Part of the mystery solved. A while back in May the drain cover kept being moved some feet away overnight. Put a brick in it and the cover got moved again. Only when I placed a much heavier roof tile did it stop. What is it doing though? #badger #wildlife #uk #mammal #unexpectedbehaviour

Pretty shocking. In the uk there is no testing / screening for lead poisoning (unlike US), no reqt to inform warn of affected land, properties. Flooding spreads it. And no appetite to quantify or change #podcast #polution #environment #uk #health #legislation www.ft.com/content/d25e...

You can’t beat this greeting for the new day. The semi-resident Greylag and Canada geese who visit around dawn and before dusk every day. Each day they choose a different part of the field to graze. And then one of them decides it’s time to move on… #geese #birds #cambridgeshire #uk #wildlife

For anyone not keen on providing the UK govt with the means to track every time you provide ID #government #privacy #identity petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

Out hanging the washing out this morning when I heard some commotion behind me. A group of 7 or more long-tailed tits were rooting about in the scots pine tree. Weren’t at all bothered about me standing underneath them. #bird #longtailed-tit

Spotted this in Lyon. Is this a water fountain for dogs? Looks to be a bowl-like receptacle underneath tap. #france #lyon #question

Must be the hot weather. Grass snakes much like buses. Surprised us both when I went to get the watering can. #reptile #snake

Saw some disturbance on the pond surface. Then a head moving from side to side surveying the surface. Had to approach from behind and downwind since grass snakes are very shy. Apart from accidental surprises - the last in amongst the rhubarb - I’ve never managed to get so close. #uk #reptile #snake

In 2025 in the UK it isn’t legal to have an abortion - you’re just exempted if you meet certain conditions. Reform et al want to criminalise abortion. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... Add your name to the portion to protect the right to choose. you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/de... #uk #law

Opened the blind to find this little Pied Wagtail and sibling on roof and another two on the grass. Not at all fussed about me. #bird #wildlife

A few of the local visitors (and this excludes a grass snake in the rhubarb patch that surprised me) 2 hares (mating), green woodpecker and common toad. #mammal #hare #bird #amphibian #uk #cambridgeshire

Tiny Mint Moth. Unsurprisingly near some mint. Never knew of such things. I suspect that all too often we are completely unaware of what is in our vicinity. Insects never get much good PR or care because they’re not photogenic. #moth #wildlife #insect

@k8lister.bsky.social I feel that some verification is required 😉 pca.st/6i88egmh

From one extreme to the other in the garden. The heron perched at the top of a fir calculating its chances on getting to the pond. The tiny wren scratching around in the pots. #wildlife #garden #heron #wren #birds

It looks like the independence of future US statistics and funding very much under attack now. pca.st/episode/4b69... #government #doge #assurance #statistics

@timharford.ft.com just imagine if independent control of the ONS changed and the budget got axed. In the US it’s happening - pca.st/episode/4b69...

Neulich berichtete das polnische Investigativmedium @vsquare.bsky.social, dass die Heritage Foundation nicht nur Amerika umbauen möchte sondern offenbar auch die Europäische Union zurückbauen will: vsquare.org/heritage-fou...

Like many people I suspect, I didn’t realise that digital court transcripts are routinely deleted in the UK making it almost impossible to challenge an unfair conviction theconversation.com/convicting-t... #law #uk

The UK is supposedly working on a trade deal with the US. We know that the US believes that higher standards in the UK and EU are unfair. So what standards are the UK lowering to allow US goods? Food? This will ruin farmers, environment and welfare.

@europeanspod.bsky.social looks as though you made it onto a list of recommended EU podcasts blog.pocketcasts.com/2025/02/21/a...

Story here: www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/b...

Just remember- these are the advocates of free speech www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/c...

Aye fuck it I'm not paying for it

Love this! ktla.com/news/califor...

Chump may well achieve world peace - by providing a common enemy and uniting the rest of the world against the US (unfortunately).

GOP Rep. Eli Crane is drafting articles of impeachment for District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer because he issued an injunction blocking DOGE from accessing Treasury financial data of millions of Americans. This is classic authoritarian intimidation of the judiciary to remove checks on the executive.

I was just told that I have to remove “climate” from the title of an ongoing grant if I want to keep it. And publications from that grant cannot include “climate” and other forbidden words. I can’t believe I’m writing this from the United States of America. #AcademicSky

Interesting frost pattern on car roof first thing in the morning. #winter #frost #weather

The UK imprisons more than any Western European country. Reoffending increases with number of imprisonments ie prison isn’t reducing reoffending. The UK issues more life sentences despite lower rates of violent crime. secretlifeofprisons.libsyn.com/prison-in-nu... #prison #uk #statistics

Promises to be interesting viewing at Christmas. The RI have a long history of these annual family-friendly lectures with plenty of demos to keep the youngsters entertained - www.rigb.org/christmas-le... #science #microbiome #health

Now at least I can see where I planted the dogwood …it’s still small.

It’s that time of year when the Geese (these are Greylag geese) visit the nearby fields. At dawn and dusk they fly in and later retreat. Sort of miss the sound in the summer months. Nice to know they’re around.