1974: the top marginal rate of UK income tax was 83% + 15% unearned income surcharge. There were no university fees & food banks, short NHS queue. Now top tax rate is 45%. 1% have more wealth than 70% of the population combined. 13.4m live in poverty, food banks everywhere, £292bn student debt.

Did u know? I get asked a lot,when do you let the ladybirds that have been overwintering in your house,back outside?The answer is when it's been warm enough on consecutive days for them to be able to move around freely to find food,find mates,then find shelter again if the weather temps dip. 🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🐞🪲

Our #TerrierTuesday theme for 7th April is #DogsOnLogs chosen by @baggie4711.bsky.social I'm starting in #Winter with hi-vis Heidi. This was when she was much younger and could still run & jump about. We needed to be able to spot her in the woods as she was so fast! #Photography #DogsOfBlueSky

Garden visitors for the morning yesterday...

Auto focus tripped me up a few times today so no birds worth the image so have some daisy in the marsh. I did see a #HouseMartin and the #StMarksFlies starting, just in time for the House Martins. #Wildlife #Flowers

#Dandelion doing Dandelion stuff. Still no Orchids yet, they will be up soon. #wildflower #Nature

German mayors call for night-time ban on robot lawnmowers to protect Hedgehogs... www.theguardian.com/environment/...

First #RhubarbCrumble of the year. My rhubarb patch looking like a jungle this time of the year. Only ever seems to die back briefly in Nov-Dec. Pass the #Custard #Cooking #Baking

Did u know? Everything has its place & its role to play in ecosystems. Everything has a partner, or a predator or a pollinator. Once you see the interconnectivity of life, you can't unsee it...& it's a life-changing realisation... Cuckoo flower seed pods feed Orange-tip b'fly caterpillars. 🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🦋🐛

Last one for #WeekMforMovies Its been another fun #AlphabetChallenge week thank you Sheena 🎬 Four Weddings And A Funeral, 1994 #Manchester Cathedral. I've been to neither a wedding or a funeral here but its worth a look inside if you're in the area #ClassicMono #Architecture #Photohraphy #B&W

One hedgehog had already claimed the supper bowl… Then another turned up through the tunnel like it owned the place 🦔 No booking. No manners. No concept of personal space. Watch here: youtu.be/pDyJd4a11Pg 🎥 Reolink RLC 811A 👉 reolink.com?aff=1559 #hedgehogs #wildlifegarden #britishwildlife #nature

Dinner at the Hedgehog Hotel got a bit rowdy. One hog wanted supper. Another wanted drama. Very British wildlife behaviour. 🦔 🎥 youtu.be/Fqo0etsOU3U?... #Hedgehog #GardenWildlife #BritishWildlife #WildlifeCamerahttps://youtu.be/Fqo0etsOU3U?si=08CLN3qke5EWiArf

Did u know? I'm loving my nature-friendly veg' gardening. More Rudi radish seedlings going in my no-dig beds, alongside my Jerusalem artichokes. I might be going too heavy on the slug/weather protection, but I'm not taking any chances. I'm creating a space station at the bottom of the garden. 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍

Moonlight at Auchenmalg. #blackandwhitephotography #Scotland #Galloway #SouthernScotland

A tad wild on the hill just now! #StormDave

It's wild here now, wild I tell you 😬😂 #StormDave #Scotland

Fluffy!

A patch of nettles can support over 40 insect species. They’re a vital source of food for the caterpillars of peacock and small tortoiseshell butterflies - so please let a few nettles grow! More: www.littlegreenspace.org.uk/features/wil...

The first marigold of Spring from an overwintered one. #floweroftheday #spreadflowersnotwar #bloomscrolling

Robert brought me this tiny little sprig of pretty Honesty flowers that he found on the grass💜 I suppose it could've been the wind that snapped them off, if the wind today is greyish-brown with a fluffy white tail 🫤🐰 This is about my limit when it comes to flower arranging 😂 #MHHSBD

Good luck to anyone dealing with #StormDave We've filled the flasks and the log baskets just in case we lose power yet again 🙄 Here's a hefty Badger visitor from last night 🩶 #MHHSBD

I can also wholeheartedly recommend ...Amazing how moving it is too....

I've just ordered the swift call cd. Got two boxes already & they also nest next door, so fingers crossed they move into our boxes this summer once their calls are resounding throughout the village.

Did u know? To me, I can't ever see a Dandelion without a pollinator on it, or a pollinator without a Dandelion under it...Perfect partners.... #weedsareflowerstoo 🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🐝🦋🪲🌼🪰🐜

It really is a delightful watch. ♥️

A rather elongated #FoxOfTheDay today , shared by Natalie McDermott on Facebook !

Garden activity today...

Feeling 💩 today, but the 🦓🕴️🕷️ was on the window in the porch, so distracted myself with 10mins of trying to predict what she was going to do next, to get a 📷. I like this one as it looks like she's checking out her purty self in the reflection. #wildlifefrommywindow #arachnid #invertebrates #spider

The Grasshopper Warbler creeps its way into today's #SpringArrivalSpotlight. A master of concealment, this warbler is rarely spotted - listen carefully for it's high, trilling, insect-like song. On the conservation Red List, these little birds are a special spring visitor.

This could have been a really lovely photo of this Heron, but I only had my phone camera and it is really quite grainy. Never mind, you can maybe see the vision lol #BirdOfTheDay #LargeBirdsInFlight #Herons #birds

Scottish Kelpie, a mythical, shape shifting spirit that inhabited lochs and rivers. earthandsandbyanna.etsy.com/listing/4470... #kelpies #art #UKMAKERS #folklorethursday #MHHSBD

👉 Why not pop in to the Bradgate Park Visitor Centre this Easter holiday, and check out our temporary exhibit on the Geopark's 560 million year old fossil, Charnia. 🌐 Plan your trip to Bradgate Park here: www.bradgatepark.org/opening-times

#DavidsMonthOfMusic #MusicChallenge Day 1 - A comedy Song I had a few but this wins based on the line " Beat me on the bottom with the Women's Weekly" Victoria Wood - Let's Do It - The Ballad of Barry & Freda www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFI5...

@rspb.bsky.social Finding your Planning For Nature Toolkit very helpful. Currently fighting for #hedgehogs in our village & beyond, www.change.org/p/hedgehogs-...

100 years of trust and hope… Meanwhile, the hedgehogs would quite like some actual legal protection. Just saying. 🦔 A good watch: youtu.be/78ay7FPaUT0?... #Hedgehogs #Wildlife #Nature #Conservation #Campaigning

A handful of fresh coriander? 😂 #herbs #coriander #cilantro 🌱🇬🇧

Did u know? One warm day & everyone is taking full advantage of the opportunity to move around - to feed, to sunbathe, to exercise ....& to mate. Yesss! Three Peacock butterflies for the price of one. 🌱🌿🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🦋

Here's a Thrush having a bath, serenaded by a Wren and watched over by two Rabbits trying to keep out of the wind 😊 As you can see, it's still not spring here 🥶, (ignore our wildlife cam that thinks it's 16 degrees 😂) #MHHSBD

My website has been updated with my latest news blog post, where I chat about the spring flowers in my garden, new items inspired by nature and a forthcoming change to my postage prices. elliestreasures.square.site/s/stories/ma... #smallbusiness #blogging

When my plants wake up in the spring, it's like meeting up with old friends 😊 Here's a native wildflower I'm looking forward to having a chat with - Nettle-leaved Bellflower - Campanula trachelium 💜 Loved by Bees and surprisingly hairy 🐝 Seeds available from our store - link in bio. #MHHSBD

Bluebells for #BlueskyMonday #EastCoastKin #ArtYear #SmArtist I have made some pretty art greeting cards using prints of this original watercolour cardsbymormorjan.etsy.com/listing/9872... #mhhsbd #craftbizparty #ukmakers

Nice bit of social history - the Games Shed at Polam Hall School, Darlington. It was founded in 1848 as a boarding school for girls. This postcard can be found in our shop here www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12753216...

Heidi's #Spiders from Ma...nchester 🕷 Whitby #Goth Weekend looms on 1st May so get insect style sass in her #Gothic print dog bandana And match your Haunted House to your Hell Hound with coordinating #Bunting for Creepy Crypt Chic 🕸 misheleneous.etsy.com #Etsy #DogsOfBlueSky #SteamPunk #Garlands

One of the Greenfinch pair in the garden today...

Feeding the feral baybays dinner. So many butts. 😂

Did u know? Some folks express their love of the natural world in poetry, or in paintings (I used to be a natural history artist before I retired). I now show my admiration, respect & concern for nature by creating an outside space that's as nature-friendly as possible. Go a bit more wild.🌿🌱🇬🇧🌱🌍🪲🐞🐝🐸🦎

Our gardens matter. Ultimately, our gardens are not just patches of land – they are living ecosystems that contribute to the overall well-being of our planet.... www.ourgardensmatter.co.uk/why-our-gard...

English stained glass artist Ann Sotheran, 'Isa's hare' (2011) #WomensArt

Today - mixed flock of Swallows and Sandmartins amidst the crazy weather at Brandon. #birds

Today's Flighty's plot blog post is A short break - flightplot.wordpress.com/2026/03/29/a... 🌱 #UKGardening