Sam’s Cottage

I have never seen one of these in Ireland before. Calliteara pudibunda, I think. My (gardening) fingers for scale at one point. Beautiful creature.

I wish I had been able to go on a weekend like this when I was an undergraduate. If you've ever wondered about the houses of ordinary folk in history, or (if you know me) wondered what it is that I actually get up to, then book in and have an amazing weekend in Oxfordshire!

An absolutely pleasure to speak to Bracebridge Heath U3A today about mud and stud, and a delight to be speaking to Horncastle History & Heritage Society tomorrow evening - in the heart of Mud & Stud country!

Who doesn’t love an Irish cottage?
‘Lost Houses’ showcases forgotten homes & overlooked architectural fragments in Galway City’s rich cultural & social landscape, in the Architecture At The Edge exhibition 2025 👏 Visited with students from BA Design @atu-ie.bsky.social @oflynnatu.bsky.social

Large spider in doorframe

Photograph here

Calling all #arachnophiles

Is it just me or are spiders getting bigger? Is it climate change or just a propitious year for them? This chap was photographed just before being caught and released 40 or so meters away. For scale the worktop is 3cms.

what species & have these always been in Ireland?

Thank you for this very useful advice.

@trcava.bsky.social any idea what is happening here? I accept the they are not unusual on a fallen log, but at the base of (what I hope is) a healthy tree

It's in Ireland.

Storm Amy in County Antrim. It is not so much the wind as the noise. The dog is a bit spooked.

Spider beside ruler with legs extended to 8 cm.

Are spiders in Ireland bigger than they used to be? I don't ever remember seeing any as big as this when I was wee (unfortunately this one is no longer with us, but it is more compliant at being measured). 8cm leg span!

👍😊

But I did go home when I needed my Mom to do my laundry.

Restoration Rescue - Series 2: 1. Ballymena Cottage Architect Patrick Bradley meets a couple in Ballymena who are on a mission to restore a row of derelict cottages into their new family home.

The story of Sam’s Cottage.

If outside the UK you may need a VPN.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

Embarrassing, but secretly looking forward to this.

Restoration Rescue: Ballymena couple revive historic cottages in new BBC Series Discover how Ballymena’s Stephen and Marie restore 19th-century cottages with architect Patrick Bradley in BBC’s Restoration Rescue. Watch on BBC iPlayer from 22 September.

𝗧𝗩 | Can a crumbling 19th-century cottage become a dream home?

Join Ballymena’s Stephen and Marie as they team up with architect Patrick Bradley to save a piece of Northern Ireland’s heritage in Restoration Rescue.

Photos and more below!

Climate Advisory Council Call for End to Fossil Fuels in Homes No More Winters of Cold Homes, High Bills, and Fossil Fuels: Friends of the Earth Welcomes Advisory Council’s Calls for Change

We welcome the Climate Change Advisory Council’s Annual Review of the Built Environment, which strongly echoes long-standing civil society calls for decisive government action to decarbonise Ireland’s homes & protect people from energy poverty.

Find out more👇

bit.ly/45NkTqu

Epstein survivors say they’re compiling their own client list.

“We know who abused us. We saw who came and went. This list will be survivor-led—for survivors”

Florida will work to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates in the state, officials say Florida will work to phase out all childhood vaccine mandates in the state, building on the effort by Republican Gov.

Reason #12,398 never to step foot in Florida ever again

apnews.com/article/flor...

'This country needs migrants'

Zack Polanski, the new leader of the Green Party in England and Wales, speaks to #BBCBreakfast about his views on immigration

So our military just bombed a boat in international waters and extrajudicially killed suspected drug traffickers without so much as a conversation, let alone a trial?
Then posted it on social media?

And we’re all supposed to just trust their account?

That Pritzker press conference was... surreal, and I think marks a significant moment of escalation in the constitutional omni-crisis. This was the governor of a state saying plainly the Union itself is being torn apart and his state is being militarily invaded by an authoritarian regime.

Climate change deniers now going from “the earth is not warming up” to “ yes the earth is warming up but it’s cyclical. It’s natural and not man made”. Why do they think scientists with no political association are lying to them? Why do they think scientists are wrong and Richard Tice is right?

Acorns, some attached to small branches.

A mast year, but the storms have taken their toll.

You have to start to wonder if the interior decorator is actually trolling him.

Late evening sun in Ireland.

Looking towards Mull in the Scottish Highlands

Looking towards Mull. Beautiful.

Glorious. Sam's Cottage. Co. Antrim.

We’re giving a shoutout to one of nature’s hands-on dads!

Male Curlews take an active role in raising their young. They help incubate the eggs, protect the nest, and look after the chicks once they hatch. Their commitment is crucial to the survival of these special birds.

📷 Tony Pope