We have a new "Warmest Day of the Year So Far" in #Darwen #Lancashire. Tuesday 17th March saw a high of 17.2°C. The previous maximum had been 15.2°C on the 4th March. Expect at least 18°C tomorrow.

The personnel changes on #MasterChef have reignited my affection for the show. Monica is rejuvenated, Matt is (almost) an inspired addition, & Marcus has become a gastronomic icon. Now I've developed a craving for a second series of Marcus Wareing's Simply Provence. #MasterChefTheProfessionals

Reform UK councillor Simon Evans shared the post about Natalie Fleet, Labour MP for Bolsover, which also included a fake quote attributed to her. It's unacceptable that Farage/Reform UK still considers the incident an ‘honest mistake’ and refuses further action.

Some thoughts about Trump's lunatic war in the Middle East. "The reason to end this war is not because the president is scared. The reason to end this war is that it should never have started in this way to begin with." open.substack.com/pub/votevete...

BBC1's #TheCapture has continued to hold my interest through tonight's episode 2. I thought it was losing its thread at one point, but the final act pulled the web back together.

A useful update for those who inexplicably rely upon Laura Kuenssberg for their energy price news.

The week ahead in #Darwen #Lancashire: After a wet & breezy Monday frequent sunny spells. Quite warm by midweek. MON 9°C Cloudy/Breezy→Rain later TUE 13°C Occ sunny spell/Breezy WED 15°C Sunny spells THUR 14°C Sunny spells FRI 12°C Often sunny SAT 12°C Sunny spells Week after: Sunny start→Some rain

It's been a lovely, sunny spring-like Saturday (14 March) in #Darwen #Lancashire. Today's maximum temperature was 13.5°C. Rain returns from early on Sunday through to late on Monday but expect MUCH better from Tuesday onwards, especially Wednesday & Thursday.

Hope springs eternal when Monty and the new season of #GardenersWorld returns.

It's been a cold, although less blustery, day for mid-March in #Darwen #Lancashire. A few snowflakes fluttered around this morning, the maximum temperature was only 6.4°C, and it's presently (at 7pm) hailing. Temperatures will rise steadily through next week.

Seemingly unremitting bad news on tonight's BBC News at Six including numerous opinions by reporters (NOT experts) likely to instigate panic buying of fuel by the public. Let's stick to the facts BBC News. Over on ITV News there was notably more focus on verifiable stuff like petrol pump prices.

Just finished lapping up tonight's S3 ep1 of #TheCapture. It's terrific Sunday night drama. Unpredictable plot twists and a cast of spicy characters expertly crafted by writer Ben Chanan. BBC drama is the antithesis of BBC news: it serves the national interest.

The opening titles of #bbclaurak make my flesh creep. It could be LK strutting in pink or the promise of what's to come. Today, Yvette Cooper's every sentence was interrupted. She then completely indulges the patently clueless Mordaunt and Jenrick, whose facile solution to all is "cutting waste."

The week ahead in #Darwen #Lancashire: Mild at first then chilly. No frost. Showery & breezy. MON 12°C Showers ↑pm TUE 11°C Fine→Light rain later WED 9°C Light rain→Sunny spells later & breezy THUR 10°C Blustery light rain FRI 7°C Showery SAT 8°C Sunny spells/ showers Week after: Chilly with showers

Lost amongst other news this week there have been two new "Warmest Days of the Year So Far" in #Darwen #Lancashire. On Tuesday 3 March, the temperature reached 17.5°C only to be surpassed by 19.0°C on Wednesday 4th. Today's (Friday's) maximum was only 6.6°C. Expect it to be milder from Sunday.

It is difficult to understand why, two years into a Labour administration, there hasn't been a clear out of the BBC Board and Executive Committee. Lisa Nandy, what have you been doing for almost 2 years? open.substack.com/pub/owenjone...

Help the Save Our Reds campaign. Every signature helps bring the issue into the national conversation. c.org/y94Stzb6wz

The TV show #DirtyBusiness exposed the human cost of profit before public health. Our water system needs public ownership. You could ask your MP to attend the MP drop-in on 17th March & hear that message directly from sewage campaigners: actionnetwork.org/letters/ask-...

Four numpties (five if you include Fiona Bruce) and the impressive George Monbiot on BBC #QuestionTime tonight.

The NEU's fight for support staff in schools. A report back from last weekend's NEU Special Conference. revsoc21.uk/2026/03/04/r...

The UK needs to stand up to the tangerine twit's bully boys in the White House. This illegal war is another reason to increase cooperation with the EU.

"Foreign-born voters stole by-election blasts Farage,” stated the front page of the Mail on Sunday – a newspaper owned by France-based non-dom Lord Rothermere. open.substack.com/pub/writesbr...

This petition is not about rewriting policy. It's about enforcing the laws and safeguards that already exist – and ensuring woodland management genuinely prioritises biodiversity. You may wish to sign it. c.org/djcHqYhSyD

Today, I received an email from my water supplier #UnitedUtilities. They claim to be doing a fantastic job and are increasing water bills by 12%! Ofwat, this is criminal. UU reported a 6 month profit of £325 million recently. Invest this. No need to put bills up. Nationalise UK water!

"If there are more people in a certain constituency that want to vote for another party than for your party, you’ll lose." Reform UK, Tories and LABOUR take note. open.substack.com/pub/writesbr...

The week ahead in #Darwen #Lancashire: Mild & frost free. Sunny spells with occasional light rain. MON 11°C pm Light rain/Breezy TUE 10°C Sunny spells WED 13°C Often sunny THUR 13°C Sunny spells/Chance of a shower later FRI 10°C Cloudy SAT 11°C Sunny spells Week after: Staying mild but often wet

Keep informed re. our underfunded state education sector: one of the reasons Labour lost the Gorton and Denton by-election. Have a read. open.substack.com/pub/rs21educ...

Strange panel on tonight's #Newsnight. Dodgy ex-Tory/unelected Reform bloke Jake Berry didn’t like sectarianism, moaned about "family voting," and thought stoking division was bad for British politics. You couldn't make it up.

Congratulations to Hannah Spencer and the Green Party for promising much of what the Labour Party should have done.

It's a very big problem.

No more Dirty Business ! The public, MPs and Environmental Groups have said NO to 14 years of illegal Thames Water sewage pollution. You may wish to email Ofwat about this @weownit.org.uk weownit.org.uk/act-now/emai...

Tuesday 24th February became the new "Warmest Day of the Year So Far" in #Darwen #Lancashire. The temperature reached 12.1°C. Due to the thick cloud cover, today's (Wednesday's) peak was a slightly inferior 11.2°C. Temperatures will fall off a little through to Saturday before recovering next week.

Sunday 22nd February was a new "Warmest Day of the Year So Far" in #Darwen #Lancashire. The temperature reached 10.5°C. Today's (Monday's) maximum was a relatively disappointing 9.8°C.

Many of the goals of the government's School White Paper, "Every Child Achieving and Thriving," are laudable, but its funding is not. You may wish to ask your MP to write to the Chancellor and insist that all SEND reforms are fully funded. actionnetwork.org/letters/send...

WHY was this deeply offensive slur not edited out? Did the BBC apologise directly to Michael B. Jordan or Delroy Lindo? They should have. WHY did a media organisation as significant as the BBC censor Akinola Davies Jr. saying “free Palestine” yet allow the N-word? www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/st...

I'm sure that Bernie Sanders is right, and it's not just the American people.

A very interesting read. open.substack.com/pub/heatherd...

Vote Green in Gorton & Denton.

This is how the super-rich, the kleptocracy, operate.

On stolen land.

The week ahead in #Darwen #Lancashire: Mild & frost free. Frequent light rain except for a Tues/Wed am fine period. MON 10°C Light rain/Breezy TUE 12°C Sunny spells WED 13°C Fine am→Chance of a shower later THUR 11°C Light rain FRI 9°C Sunny spells/Showers SAT 9°C Cloudy Week after: Mild & wet

After weeks of chilly easterlies, a low pressure system is heading towards the Iceland-Faroe gap & bringing a stream of mild subtropical air with it. Today's temp has reached 9.8°C & is still rising. It's the "Warmest Day of the Year So Far" in #Darwen #Lancashire, & highest since the 12th December.

And in #Darwen #Lancashire.

Party leaders 'unfavourability' ratings.

There is hope. Until now, this SCOTUS has ruled in favour of the Trump administration in approximately 90% of cases. 3 of the 9 SCOTUS judges are Trump appointees. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

"Just Matt being Matt," pleads Farage. Reform also have responsibility for Bob being Bob, Suella being Suella and Tricky Dicky being Tricky Dicky. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

There are concerns that the 1265 directed time policy for teachers may be scrapped. Teachers have faced real terms pay cuts. With recruitment & retention at critical levels, 1265 is the only thing protecting staff from even more unpaid & excessive workload. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/75...

Revulsion, recklessness, regret.

It makes no sense that "in modern Britain, right-wing journalists have protected status to spew radioactive nonsense at the expense of science and even the health of children"... but it's true.

Fair point, and there are others.