Tacitus noted the diversity of Britain’s tribes, suggesting our origins lay in Germany, Gaul & Iberia. History shows us migration is the norm.

(sound on for full effect) Chapman State Park near Clarendon, PA is home to Chapman Lake, which is home to a group of energetic North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) that like to host a midnight rave / leaf frolic. Not sure where they plug the speakers in.

Good night, lovely people and lovely dogs. I hope that you have a wagtastic day tomorrow.

look I forgot to show you this last night but it was important

We have one less goldfinch than we did this morning. A sparrowhawk dived off the roof above my head, body slammed the smaller bird then grabbed it and flew off. Brutal but spectacular. Must be feeding young as it's been here most days.

The family of chav goldfinches monopolising the window feeder are making so much noise feeding themselves and the fledglings that Elsie has grumbled her way into the back room to continue her snooze in peace.

Came in just before 10 and it was 19 degrees out, forecast is for it to be 29 by 4pm. Although we had a great thunderstorm pass through in the night and a burst of heavy rain, it's going to be back to unpleasant very soon.

I was in a realistic mood earlier and tried on several dresses I've had since my 30's and was hanging on to because they're lovely, not because I wear them. Gone onto the charity shop 20 years after they should have. Found a lovely skirt there to soften the blow 🙄😄

Ooo, bit cooler today, should be able to get out and about after being housebound in the heat. Except the pollen count is through the roof and I'm nursmaiding this pointy beak on the patio

Pictured below are some mid-century examples of àdìrẹ eleko (starch-resist), àdìrẹ alabere (stitch-resist), àdìrẹ oniko (tying raffia around the cloth, sometimes with small seeds or stones to create a pattern), and even hand painted cloth. The last really turns cloth into art.

Its really convenient for Tony Blair that his most deeply held beliefs also happen to be extremely profitable to him personally.

The bats are having a rare old time outside. The weather has gone close and sticky, at least they're getting something out of it.

Was idly looking through rightmove at properties in Melrose and up pops a bungalow at a ridiculously low price. What's the catch, it's a prefab in almost original state, just a wee bit lived in.

Disability Rights UK is conducting a survey on disabled people’s experience of Personal Independence Payment (PIP). If you want your experiences to inform research, policy discussions and recommendations on PIP, please fill out the survey in the link below.

Home fake tans are tricky. In related news, I always pay a professional to plaster a wall, spray paint a car and ice a cake.

5 minute tour of the garden for a wee. Quite enough thank you

TL;DR It’s hot as all fuck. Skip the dog walk. You have my permission. Signed, Your friendly neighbourhood veterinary surgeon.

Have been invited to go, at the hottest part of the day, to a cafe for a coffee, cake and watch a steam train go past. V tempting, but bit of a trek, would need to unbundle the van for air-conditioning, need to leave Elsie at home on her own...... Still tempted

Would you prefer: 1. Migration down to zero? OR: 2. Functioning public services, a growing economy, pensions being contributed to, taxes being paid, universities staying afloat, care homes staffed and the NHS not collapsing into a smoking crater? One or the other - you can’t have both.

UK people. Who else knew it was summer or a hot day when mum would bring this meal out.

Turns out that on a bank holiday Monday at 7am in a heatwave, the park is full of responsible owners & their well behaved dogs. Both dog and human had some lovely social interactions though I was mugged by an exuberant 7 month old lab pointer cross who spotted the treat bag. My cream top will wash 😆

Ready, thready, go. Had great fun making this. #wallart #photography #concept #rainbow Distinctly different from the Pink Ffloyd which in turn came from the famous light through a prism experiment. folksy.com/find/item/86... Pretty please for likes, repost , clicks.

Happy Gotcha Day Ozzy 💕 8 years of Spaniel madness, it's not always been easy but it's never been boring 😂 I'm still glad the previous adopters gave you back.....for being a Spaniel 🤷🏻😂😂🐾💕

Today a 🧵 about lost treasure in #Edinburgh, & how a friend of mine found it. The treasures in question are the swanky goods that go with the office of Usher of the White Rod, a hereditary office at the Scottish Parliament, established in the 14th century... Are you in? /1

This morning was take your manic spaniel to the park morning. We were exhausted just watching them as we took a sedate sniff filled walk around under the big trees, found the correct distance to not antagonise the reactive Airdale and ignored the shouty cockapoo.

Iceland will now totally be ruled by blonde women. The Prime Minister is a blonde woman, the President is a blonde woman, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Justice are blonde women, the Bishop is a blonde woman, Chief of Police is a blonde woman.

Due to rearranging everything over the weekend and down the days to adapt to the heat, I am about to go and do the big shop. The only redeeming factor is the air-conditioning in the supermarket, otherwise, it's a totally pants decision.

Walked Elsie through the urban shady green corridor in retail park town, along with lots of other dog walkers. Had a lovely meet and greet with a big energetic muscled rescue labrador, his owner was really pleased we stopped as he doesn't get enough opportunities to interact. I was mugged for treats

One of our recently fledged thrush chicks got an aerobatic work out this morning. Big enough to attract Elsie's attention, fast enough to get away. I put some food out near where they're hanging around by way of apology.

Reform don't actually want to govern.

Okay and just to piggyback on this, as a person with both chronic and occasionally acute disabilities, one of which got me a radar key from the NHS- you can just buy them online for a tenner. You should not need to be doing this, I hate that you are put in this position, but if you need one, lmk.

I've written to my MP about the EHCR guidelines. I look forward to being fobbed off with a reply asking a gazillion questions to prove I'm in her constituency and then a bland holding statement.

We are all heartbroken by the loss of the nicest man in horticulture. His final appearance on Gardeners' Question Time last week, where Biggsy talked eloquently and movingly of his path through illness, had the biggest response in my 20 year history on the show 😔 www.radiotimes.com/audio/radio/...

Very pleased with the wisteria clematis combination on the pergola. A classic case of something looking loose and natural as a result of a lot of tying up, weaving in and general faffing.

The important point to remember is NO SHE DOESN'T. What was published yesterday were guidelines for service providers. They impose NO obligations on individuals and are NOT the law. People want you to believe otherwise, to intimidate trans people. But they haven't yet criminalised their existence.

I definitely get my attitude towards AI from Vila. Always a highlight of a Blake's 7 episode. RIP Michael Keating.

Realised I'd gone out for today's dog walk dressed like a character from M*A*S*H. No, not that one.

I've always been annoyed by the misnaming of various AI systems and the conflation of modes. So I've decided to refer to LLMs as Lemming Tech and the people staking their future on them are lemmings. :)

Spent a couple of hours pounding the streets of a nearby town asking if shops etc would take a counter top collection box for Guide Dogs. Placed exactly 2, and was given one back from a shop that was closing down. Face has returned to it's resting grump status but at least I got my steps in.

Rise and shine Elsie, it's daycare day Nah, don't think I'll bother today.

We had 12 college students with us yesterday for a crash course in archive work! At the end of the day we asked them what their highlights were, and here they are in their own words:

Any history / maritime / ecclesiastical nerds happen to know why there's a Trinity House ensign in Winchester Cathedral? All the tour guides had gone home by the time I spotted it, and no one I could find knew.

sorry I’m just catching up after holiday and ngl I love this www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/8...

This is an exceptional read and resonates very strongly ❤️

My beloved has stopped partaking of the office birthday cakes as part of his weight loss kick, however he has brought me home a slice of lime and coconut sponge from work as he knows they're flavours I enjoy. He's a keeper that one.

This must be the most portally portal that ever there was.

We absolutely dwarfed the fash yesterday. Thousands more people choosing solidarity and kindness over coked-up bile and violence. I feel like knowing this might make a lot of people in this country feel a bit less frightened and alone. So it'd be lovely if just one major media outlet reported it.

Feel free to judge, but after years of bringing on trays of plants in the greenhouse and doing it all myself, I've just been to B&M, bought two pre planted hanging baskets for £12, popped the hangers off and dropped them into my cane hanging baskets, job done.

Reo doing her bit! Reo was taken out of Guide Dog training because, to be blunt, she just couldn't be arsed. Now she helps fundraising as an ambassador dog, loving lounging about having small children pet her.