At last! Proper weather for the time of year. Rain, hail and soft snow, accompanied by squally winds. With yellow flowers in the garden it almost seems like March.

I just watched this new animation for schools by #HumanistsUK. When it comes to religion or belief, the state should treat and protect everyone equally. In a diverse society, secularism helps make that possible. Find out more about #secularism today! understandinghumanism.org.uk/secularism/

I've just signed a petition calling on the UK government to give British businesses a better deal with Europe. Add your name: www.europeanmovement.co.uk/single-marke...

The Government is planning to send King Charles to the US to celebrate with Trump. Giving him a royal visit right now sends a terrible message that his behaviour is acceptable. We can stop this if enough of us speak up. Will you add your name to the petition? you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ca...

🚨 An undercover sting just exposed alarming loopholes in Westminster’s weak lobbying system: a fake Chinese company bought meetings with ministers and MPs, and it may not have even broken any rules! ✍️ Sign & share: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/st...

Is it the shortening of the day length that makes us want to preserve and lay down food in store at this time of the year? Or, with another thought: Will all Neptune's oceans wash this onion smell clean from my hands?

I can't sit on my hands for this one. Kemi Badenoch is an evil trouble-making witch. Immigration is NOT tearing this country apart. What does tear the country apart are two-bit politicians like Badenough who are trying to make capital out of the issue.

It sounds as though the Epstein blackmail videos may have content that even Trump won't be able to brazen out.

53,000+ voices are demanding gambling giants pay their fair share 💸 The goal? Lift 500,000 kids out of poverty. Help us reach 75,000 signatures: sign & share today. 38d.gs/6eeq

Prostate cancer affects tens of thousands of men each year - including one in four Black men - yet routine screenings for men at risk still aren’t available. Sign the petition now calling for routine screenings for all men at risk of developing prostate cancer: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ro...

Love this from Humanists UK! #Thatshumanism is the perfect introduction to the humanist approach to life, featuring four animations narrated by Stephen Fry, and brand new posters all about humanism for schools. Have a look for yourself! humanists.uk/thatshumanism/

Trump’s heading to Scotland this weekend and wants the next Open at his Turnberry course. I just told The R&A: DO NOT give it to him :x: Will you join me too? you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/no...

So what is are Humanist Funerals all about and other questions to which you may want to know the answers, including, 'How do you find a Humanist Celebrant?' humanists.uk/ceremonies/n...

It's hard to imagine how much worse would the flash floods in the United States could have been if global warming hadn't been made illegal there? They must be feeling so grateful to the Great Big Beautiful Orange!

Some pretty impressive steelwork going in for HS2, just outside Curzon Street Station in Birmingham.

Planning a funeral while grieving can be incredibly challenging. ❤️ Our blog post linked below includes some tips and advice to help support your mental health during this time. humanists.uk/ceremonies/f...

Our highly trained funeral celebrants can help you to personalise the funeral of a loved one to truly reflect their life. From sharing memories to including their favourite song, these non-religious ceremonies focus on the life lived. ❤ Find a humanist celebrant near you humanists.uk/ceremonies/f...

From our side of the Atlantic, the impression we have of Trump is that he is completely out of his depth. He's trying to be a statesman in a world full of experienced and accomplished politicians and they are running rings round him. He thinks that he's a great economist too - without a clue!

Today I've spent much of the day, practising 'The Future' by Matthew Arnold. It's for a funeral on Wednesday. It's a fascinating poem with a difficult metre and punctuation... but I'm getting there.

humanists.uk/celebrants/m... #humanistfuneralcelebrant #nonreligiousfuneral #funeraldirector #funeralofficiant #humanistsuk #bereavement #funeralplanning #funeralarranger #funeralservice #celebrant

I just watched Humanists UKs brand new animation narrated by Alice Roberts: Human nature, human potential. It’s a fantastic introduction to the humanist approach to life. Watch it today! understandinghumanism.org.uk/human-nature...

It doesn't sound as though the FAA needs to investigate the Washington plane crash because Donald Trump has told us all we need to know. That will save some government costs straight away!

Not Coronation Street but still gtitty, northern and frosty.

We appear to have a small flock of sheep in our hotel.

What sort of music do you have in a Humanist funeral? Whatever you like! You can have anything from Meatloaf to Mozart, Elgar to Elvis, The Beatles to Beethoven or anything inbetween. You’re the person planning the ceremony and you get to choose. www.humanist.org.uk/marktaylor

No. I definitely don't want to go there! I'd want far more trees.

Our little summer house - the perfect place for the two of us to have a lazy lunchtime picnic... in the summer!

Elon Musk seems so obsessed with paedophiles that it makes you wonder what he's got to hide.

Perhaps it's time for Elon Musk to be replaced!

It's interesting to consider what happened to Howard Hughes: he was fabulously wealthy, created a corporation that produced some amazing things, then descended into paranoia, madness and obscurity. How fortunate it is that Elon Musk is unlikely to do the same.

Almost as good as the hot version on Christmas Day, cold turkey put into a sandwich with stuffing, salt and pepper is one of the best treats of the season.

I came across this plate a few days ago. It seems to show two archers, possibly wearing skull masks, shooting arrows at a bowl of fruit. So many questions...

Yesterday, I visited a primary school where, unusually for Britain, the children were not wearing school uniform. I was struck by how normal, smart and confident the children were. A controversial subject in this country but one that needs more discussion. I know what I would choose.

A cold, frosty and slightly snowy morning but the sun's shining, we're generating a little bit of electricity and we haven't got to go anywhere.

Enough to look nice but not enough to disrupt the day. I have a funeral ceremony to take this afternoon and I won't have to worry about getting there. As for the family, that's another matter; they have further to travel.

Monday is the hardest day of the week. It's also the loveliest day of the week. Monday is the day we look after our three-year-old grandson. You can't get better than that!

Like our lives, a once magnificent tree rots, but nothing is lost and nothing is wasted. The fungus that produces the mushrooms recycles the stump and the roots, releasing its chemicals and freeing the space it once filled. As Tim Rice puts it It's the circle of life And it moves us all #humanist

I've just managed to bring one of our wedding presents back to life after it stopped working - only forty years!

I took a funeral ceremony yesterday, for a fan of Leonard Cohen and used parts of the song 'Anthem' in the Committal; the words are quite poignant. 'There is a crack, a crack in everything That's where the light gets in'

The turn of the screw!

Well, I wouldn't have thought it possible but here is a wooden keycard for my hotel room.

Maybe my predictions for the onset of winter, earlier this week, were a little premature!

When it is a dark, grey mid October day, it's easy to imagine that this will be the weather for the next five months. Hopefully, the reality will be a little different.

Dark skies over Bournemouth.