Helen Simmons (She/Her)

#AltText award of the day 🏆

Photo by David Brooke Martin. A delicate branch of cherry blossoms emerges gracefully against a deep black background. The pale pink flowers, accented by rich red buds, stand in striking contrast to the darkness, highlighting their fragility and fleeting beauty. The simplicity of the composition evokes a sense of calm and quiet reflection, celebrating nature's ephemeral elegance.

Beauty has no past or future. It is always alive because it is present.

- D.T. Suzuki

Here are my top 10 most unusual dog friends of all time!

Haggis pasta with leftovers tonight, now cosy in bed ready to note down my gratitudes for the day before sleep. So many to count, messages from friends, helpful posts here, a lovely hug, pretty reflections in puddles, giggles with one of the teens, a warm bed. Such richness. sleep soundly.

A close up image of a stem of pussy willow. The fluffy soft catkins are yellow with pollen. In the background behind them is an old stone wall, and a bright blue sky juxtaposes against the yellow of the plants. This photo was taken a couple of years ago, these spring days are on their way.

Might we support those who need a safe positive space here?

How about we drop suggestions below of people who post uplifting messages. So that others can create a feed which soothes, amuses, inspires and demonstrates the humanity, hope and kindness abundant around us.

Beautiful feed

Oh how lovely. Surely this is #bloomscrolling!

I’m a bit overwhelmed with emails so tend to avoid mailing lists but I so enjoyed her book

I wish Josie George was in this place. Her way of seeing the world is beautiful and balanced and hugely inspiring. If you can find her in other places online, I recommend looking her up.

You are allowed to feel personal joy. Delight is allowed, healthy and an act of resistance. I dreampt last night that I bought you the best gift. If I remember what it was I will tell you! 😂

For Alex Jeffrey Pretti Murdered by I.C.E January 24, 2026 by Amanda Gorman We wake with no words, just woe & wound. Our own country shoot ing us in the back is not just brutal ity; it's jarring betrayal; not enforcement, but execution. A message: Love your people e you will die. Yet our greatest threat isn't the outsiders among us, but those among us who never look within. Fear not the those without papers, but those without conscience. Know that to care intensively, united, is to carry both pain-dark horror for today & a profound, daring hope for tomorrow. We can feel we have nothing to give, & still belove this world wait ing, trembling to change. If we cannot find words, may we find the will; if we ever lose hope, may we never lose our humanity. The only undying thing is mercy, the courage to open ourselves like doors, hug our neighbor, & save one more bright, impossible life.

The heartbreakingly beauty of Amanda Gorman’s words for humanity. Be the light. Save a soul.

Have you had/are you having a good day?

In the bakery, two staff members wearing black had big floury handprints on their bottoms (hopefully their own) and on their shoulders (I hope they’re from pats of affirmation from colleagues)

I’ll add @mirandakeeling.com whose observations on life remind us to stay present to the wonder

I’m not suggesting a bubble, or only following ‘positive’ posters. I’m advocating for a personal feed people can scroll through when they need that type of space. I wish you well in your day ahead and in our shared aim for peace safety and equity for all.

Thank you for the suggestions.

This paralysis makes it a lot easier for those in power to steer and control people.

For many of us, curating a peaceful and positive feed isn’t about denial, it helps us building the communities and sustaining the energy needed to stay engaged in the work of social equity.

It’s not helpful to propose that we focus only on what is happening. Everyone needs time and space to imagine possible futures, find allies through shared interests and discover balance through delight in nature. Forgetting about fun, love and beauty is what paralyses people with fear and anxiety

Your reply suggests that curating a safe and positive feed means that we are hiding from more negative current affairs. That’s not the case. We can be marginalised, social justice activists and aware of harmful politics while also spending time celebrating the good in life.

I also love to hear how photographers and image sharers describe the pictures, they often ‘see’ something in them that I’ve not noticed or appreciacted.

I really love the images you share. This one is so evocative, the lady in specs is how I remember my nana.

I only share posts with #alttext so sight impaired friends can experience them. I know it’s not always easy or possible, but if you’re ever able to add it, I’d be happy to share your posts.

Kama huzungumzi Kiswahili, unaweza kunakili na kubandika kwenye mtafsiri. Lakini kama hii ingekuwa picha bila maandishi mbadala, usingekuwa na chaguo hilo. Hivi ndivyo ilivyo kwa mtu anayetumia kisoma skrini. Hakuna dalili. Hakuna muktadha. Nyamaza tu. Ongeza maandishi mbadala. Ni muhimu.

For example @radiolento.bsky.social, @actionhappiness.bsky.social and @weratedogs.com (sometimes the latter features sad stories of poorly treated dogs, but is mostly fun and heartwarming stories). Check the feeds out before you follow to make sure you’re happy with their contents.

A close up image of a stem of pussy willow. The fluffy soft catkins are yellow with pollen. In the background behind them is an old stone wall, and a bright blue sky juxtaposes against the yellow of the plants. This photo was taken a couple of years ago, these spring days are on their way.

Might we support those who need a safe positive space here?

How about we drop suggestions below of people who post uplifting messages. So that others can create a feed which soothes, amuses, inspires and demonstrates the humanity, hope and kindness abundant around us.

This picture combined with the alt text briefly transported me away from *all this* 🥰

The power of language, eh?!

😘

*neeps. Blasted autocorrect. Will it ever let me write a post without a typo?

Feels relevant. translation for those not familiar with Scots

wrongplanet.net/forums/viewt...

A Man’s A Man For A’ That Written in 1795, this is one of Burns’s last works. It has become a firm favourite in Scotland, and was sung at the opening of the Scottish Parliament in…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2pGWkjwOBw

“Ye see yon birkie ca’d ‘a lord,’
Wha struts, an stares, an a’ that?
Tho hundreds worship at his word,
He’s but a cuif for a’ that.
For a’ that, an a’ that,
His ribband, star, an a’ that,
The man o’ independent mind,
He looks a laughs at a’ that.”

With thanks to the vegetarian haggis who gave itself for our supper tonight. Full of needs and tatties. Happy Burns Neet to all who celebrate