74 MPs have signed the EDM for swifts. WOOHOOO!!!!! If yours hasn’t, email [email protected] for a template you can send to them. It’s so easy & also vital. And they can represent your view in about 2 minutes.

He’s a disgrace

Worth reading then thinking about ..

Read and be transported.

Shame on us all

Oh wonderful

Just a week until I’m at Toppings Books in Ely! Couldn’t be better: Ely cathedral and it’s old marshes is on the front cover of #thecuckooslea! Details and tickets here: www.toppingbooks.co.uk/events/ely/w... #birdsandplace #naturewriting

Essential reading

One to seek out.

Russia’s war is escalating, not ending. We must raise the cost on Moscow, strengthen support for Ukraine, and invest in Europe’s defence. The EU plays a major role and we will support initiatives like the Eastern Border Shield defence line. (2/2)

Me, in The Guardian, wanging on about kingfishers (and other things). www.theguardian.com/environment/...

To make your feed a bit more beautiful today: A view of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.

why aren’t we helping to fight to save this…harder and faster!

Tomorrow!

Would it give your readers a quiet pause or a deeper glimpse into Ukraine beyond the war? Does it say something, even if small, about life, land, or people? Then yes, publish it. My new letter shares a story from the Carpathians. Available for Patreon supporters www.patreon.com/posts/136303...

“From this height, close up, A spider’s web is like the rigging of a shop..”. 💫

Maybe the correct headline is: Maybe Mamdani is the answer the Dems need and the future the country needs: www.cnn.com/2025/08/14/p...

Could the tide be shifting? 🤔 “Democratic strategist Max Burns told the Washington Examiner Obama’s support for Mamdani could reveal something changing within the Democratic party. ‘If he’s comfortable letting his name be linked to Mamdani so directly, … (1/2) www.theroot.com/obama-offers...

Mark your calendars for Sept. 30! @nicolawriting.bsky.social's GHOSTS OF THE FARM is highly anticipated as: ⁠ "a Nan Shepherd of our time"—@themarshtit.bsky.social "exquisite prose"—@authorrhysbowen.bsky.social "heartening, haunted & beautifully written"—@robbiecowen.bsky.social #BookSky

Right wing coup = profits for corporations. Services privatised. Adult social care, profit margins of up to 42%. Privately owned cataract surgeries, profit margins 32% - 43%. Children’s care homes average profits of 23%. Public money buys less. Higher taxes to pay for corporate profits.

Pockets picked Big pharma made £12bn excess profit from just 10 NHS drugs; profit mark-ups up to 23,000%. Energy companies £514bn operating profit since 2020. England Water companies £85bn in dividends, dump sewage in rivers. Govts subservient to corporations. Abuses continue. Wither democracy.

I play out Wimbledon 2025 with the classic BBC Wimbledon theme ‘Sporting Occasion’ by Arnold Steck.

The heatwave is back, and the fire risk is high. Please help keep the countryside safe. 🔥 No barbecues or campfires 🍾 Take glass bottles and jars home 🚬 Dispose of cigarettes properly 📞 If you see a fire, call 999 With thanks North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

If you find a grounded swift, it needs expert & urgent help. Please contact me so I can link to rehabber. These birds can’t easily take off from the ground & in hot weather, chicks who 👀 like this aren’t quite able to fly & often are pushed or jump out of their nests.

Oh, now That’s Fun And Rather Fine Check it out 😎

Cute Swift fact: Swifts' Latin name 'Apus apus' comes from the Greek 'a pous' which means 'without foot'. Their legs are so short it was believed they didn’t have any feet! 😭 💚 #SwiftAwarenessWeek

I’m always pro-disabled people leading what affects them but the reality is, many disabled and chronically ill people are paying a huge physical price for fighting tomorrow’s welfare bill. Many are suffering more pain and exhaustion from campaigning, all whilst in a brutal heatwave. 1/2

Happy to be in Armenia and meet President Khachaturyan. We discussed deepening of EU-Armenia relations, EU support to reforms and building resilience and prosperity. It is key to ensure peace and stability in the region.

Emotions. I just finished reading and replying to all the words under my latest letter. Thank you! Recently, I was accused of being greedy - of thinking only about money - when I thanked my Patreon supporters. The truth is, my supporters help me do something truly important: write about Ukraine.

The Russians, who have been murdering Ukrainian civilians and bombing cities for three years, are suddenly very worried about "gross violation of international law" and "global and regional security" www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/06/22/r...

People say cocker spaniels are unintelligent but Mabel is a heatwave genius, thank you very much.

A second #bookstack of recommended reads from our #IndieBookshopWeek saturday guest bookseller @katiescribbles - this one called 'complicated women'. #ChooseBookshops #BooksellerRecommends #CumbriaCulture #ShopLocal #BooksAreMyBag

One day

In the Sunday Telegraph today. If you have a Tory MP please email them asking for their advocacy on this tiny measure, by asking them to speak in support of mandating swift bricks to Kevin Hollinrake the Shadow Housing Minister.

Very much enjoying this. Written with a true historian’s eye it explores places associated with particular birds and helps the reader to imagine how past generations perceived these strange , almost otherworldly beings, apparently with the power to shape shift and teleport.

If you’re looking for a weekend read in the 🌧️- now out in most bookshops & online— and a thank you to my brilliant editor at Viking-Penguin Connor Brown 👏

Morning from Kyiv! The night was calm here again. Unusual, temporary, but so good. I read the news. Going to have a warcoffee. It is raining.

Evening Cafe, magnificent- May they flourish

Our 2025 winners, Yael van der Wouden and @doctoroxford.com with the #Bessie and #Charlotte🏆 👏 Both Yael and Rachel will be at Waterstones Piccadilly from 5:30pm today signing copies of their incredible books, #TheSafekeep and #TheStoryofaHeart! Learn more here: www.waterstones.com/events/meet-...

“My 11-year diagnostic delay has been avoidable. If #doctors had worked together across teams and not consistently ignored #clinical evidence, in particular abnormal #BloodTests, then I would have received a #diagnosis years ago.": buff.ly/R6Pz7GS @myfacialpain #ChronicIllness

More dates to come, but here’s where you can find me talking about #thecuckooslea. Some great guests joining me! 😊 For details: www.birdsandplace.co.uk/thecuckooslea. @globalbirdfair.bsky.social @wildlifefestival.bsky.social @themarshtit.bsky.social @guyshrubsole.bsky.social

It’s madness

It would be nice to Think they’d listen to the old curmudgeon - more likely too listen to Hannah. But, everything helps…

Cherish this writing while you can folks ☺️

Oh to be at this one 😊

And an eternity ahead for joy