The Swifts have returned! Last year we were delighted that these two Swifts fledged in one of the nest boxes we put up 5 years before. Today, their parents returned and have taken up residence again.

Interesting find on my walk this afternoon: an Oil Beetle.

Saw this fabulous Broad -banded Nomad Bee, Nomads signata, in the garden today. I saw one couple of years ago and got some photos just before I went in a solitary bee ID course so was able to get expert confirmation. It's a pretty scarce bee in the UK so I'm honoured to share it's territory.

It's been really windy and chill, so not many of the smaller bees were about even when the sun was shining, but this Grey-patched Mining Bee, Andrena nitida, was up to the task of pollinating the apples along with a couple more of her kin.

I've been seeing something out of the corner of my eye for some time now, but the other day we found out what it was. This little mouse realised we weren't a threat and came to check out the soil round a plum tree we had just planted, while we sat and watched just a few feet away.

More evidence, if you were to need any, that Starmer's New Tory Zionist Party don't have a socialist policy within a million miles of them! When is this world going to realise we need a complete overhaul of our political systems. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Bottom trawling is so damaging to marine life nothing but a total ban on this fishing practice is sufficient & in the feebly-governed UK, incl Scotland, we can at least ban this plague of life in our waters in ALL MPAs! UKGov's plan to ban practice in *parts* of 41 MPAs is nowhere near enough!

This Red-tailed Bumblebee, Bombus lapidarius, has been doing the lion's share of pollination on this patch of broad beans. It's great to see them around the garden in increased numbers this Spring. Usually, our broad beans mostly get pollinated by B. terrestris and B. hortorum.

what a good idea.

One of today's star visitors to a magic patch of dandelions was this male Andrena haemorrhoa, Orange-tailed Mining Bee.

A beautiful visitor to the garden today despite the strong, cold wind: Andrena nitida, Grey-patched Mining Bee, I think.

Yesterday was warm enough to have lunch outside. Fresh-picked salad of mixed lettuces, mustards, mizuna, dandelion, chervil, endive and radicchio, with homemade sauerkraut and fermented cucumbers and local Blue Vinny cheese, topped with flowers and herbs.

Also yesterday, I managed to capture these Dark-edged Bee-flies, Bombylius major, mating.

Yesterday, this beauty was the first bee of the year to need help getting out of the polytunnel. I think she is an Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Halictus rubicundus.

First Garden Bumblebee, Bombus hortorum, I've seen in the garden this year. Earlier than usual I think and collecting pollen.

The first young slowworm I've seen this year sunning itself on the path. Previously I've seen a few very small ones when disturbing some leaves.

I've been away, so it was nice to catch up with some neighbours in the garden like this stunning parasitoid wasp. I'm guessing at Ichneumon stramentor, but I'm happy to be corrected or confirmed in that ID.

So so close to 100,000 signatures to end the Guga hunt! Please keep signing: petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE...

I picked up this caterpillar in the garden to move out to a safe spot, and suddenly a white larva emerged from it! My guess is it's a parasitic fly larva. Anyone help with ID of the host or parasite?

Beautiful 22-spot Ladybird, Psyllobora vigintiduopunctata, looking so bright and pristine in the sun today.

First Early Bumblebee, Bombus pratorum, I've seen this year. She kept going back to that space down the side of the bee bricks presumably because it had warmed up in the sunshine, but it meant she had to keep ridding herself of cobwebs.

These two women are suing Andrew Tate, alleging he raped them. Here they visit the social media companies that created Tate. Please share. *one voice altered to disguise identity

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Bombus terrestris, patrolled the garden regularly today visiting every Lungwort in flower, drinking deep and long, gathering masses of pollen. #WildlifeFriendlyGarden

Quite so.....we need to do the right thing now or we will be home a mere blip on the fossil record...actually, that is the norm....

When the evidence is this blatant and it’s still not enough, trail hunting has to end. Support Northants Hunt Sabs.

Buds are bursting

The last two apples from our crop. They kept well considering all ripened so early. We almost got through to February without having to buy any, and we still have frozen and dehydrated to use. I'm so grateful we have space to grow organic fruit. #GrowYourOwnFruit #RealFood

But the Government won't act on any of this: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Zuhrah is in a critical condition, now on day 50 of her hunger strike she could die aged only 20. In 1981, Irish republican Martin Hurson died on day 46. The government has refused to engage & reverse the decision to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation.

At this very moment, foxes are being hunted, exhausted, and ripped apart by hounds all under the guise of "tradition." Boxing Day is the biggest event for the hunting community, even though it’s illegal. Share to raise awareness and help end this cruelty for good. 🦊

A little thread of ideas for your Boxing Day Walk (Trespass)

The Countryside Alliance are once again talking out of their (top) hat. 80% of the public, rural & urban, think fox hunting should remain illegal. The ‘rural culture war’ is a myth, as @jon-moses.bsky.social shows here: national.thelead.uk/p/the-rural-... bsky.app/profile/theg...

We are so lucky to have access to good quality, nutrient-dense, fresh food. We can just pop out to the garden to pick a wide range of salad leaves and herbs, put it on a plate with this morning's sourdough bake and some goodies from the fridge.

Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.

First published as a 'digital pamphlet' in 2023, and briefly available as a print edition in 2024, here's the free, downloadable PDF of our 'Winter Songs' mini-anthology, with poems apt for the year's end, and the year to come. longbarrowpress.com/wp-content/u...

Well of course: but there's a huge fight to tackle the problem of all the other chemicals being thrown on the soil and our food. One small step. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I was a little concerned for this Tern I saw down at West Bay this afternoon. It seems to have damage near its right leg, which it kept preening around. Sadly, there's not much I could do except hope. It seemed exhausted and only flew short distances. I fear the gulls will get it.

I've been really enjoying the Savoy and red cabbage sauerkraut I made at the beginning of September, so I thought I'd try 3 cabbage kraut: red, Savoy and January King. I'll let you know what it's like in a month or two. #SlowFood #FermentedFood #OldManMakesFood #FoodPreservation #HealthyGut

Swapped our usual Jurassic Coast for a few windy days in Cornwall. Nice view from our room.

And another step closer to oblivion www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Wild bird numbers continue to fall in UK with some species in ‘dramatic freefall’

The borlotti beans have dried beautifully, and beautiful they are. #GrowYourOwnFood #NoDig #organic #RealFood #NoPesticides

This is partly why we moved away from the "dark side" (as I call it) and stopped keeping bees www.theguardian.com/environment/...

WTF! Nuclear is not the solution. It's an expensive and dangerous distraction. Along with bonkers ideas about carbon capture and storage, Starmer's New Tory Zionist Party has really lost the plot. www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.bbc....

Well, it's a start. It's time to restore access to the land stolen from the people by the Enclosures and other lands grabs. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Our borlotti beans are drying nicely. They're not quite as big or bountiful as two years ago, but they are certainly as beautiful. I love the Dutch name of this variety, Stokkievitsboon, which means pole lapwing beans, named for the similarity of the patterns on the beans to lapwing eggs.

Somewhat concerning! www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Homemade tomato soup. A scrummy lunch with some to go in the freezer. Heinz tomato soup has 14 ingredients, this has 4. The tinned stuff isn't too bad: no artificial colours or preservatives. Heinz is cream of tomato so it has milk products. Mine is tomato and basil, plus a little onion and EVOO.

Madly dehydrating tomatoes to preserve the taste of Summer's bounty through till we can eat fresh again. (We don't buy tomatoes any more.) Such beautiful and nutrient dense things. #tomatoes #preserving #dehydrating #GrowYourOwnFood #RealFood #organic #unsprayed #NoChemicals #NoPesticides #NoDig

Comprehensive evidence review on effects of grouse moor burning on biodiversity, carbon & water - a report the shooting industry doesn't seem keen to promote raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/09/08/c...