SP

Yay, Spaniel. And yay humans - it's ultra stressful when a four-pawed family member is sick.

Trust the Torygraph to use hyperbole and clickbait headline...

May her healing be boring and quick.

Wot? Cats let you sleep in? What is the world coming to!

noting for later 📌

I once taught (in SE London) a Boudicca, who indeed had a brother named Caractacus. This was in the 1980s and I still haven't forgotten...

[insert expletives of choice]

That's around where I've seen them in the past, but never as relaxed as that.

Your patch of bank or near the allotments? Definite small mammal envy here.

My water butts would still appreciate MOAR WET STUFF!

When I was volunteering at Wicken Fen, maintaining the cottage back garden, I was heard to say that, while I'd been vegetarian for decades I'd eat a Wicken Fen muntjac....

I'm not sure they're called reversible over here, but they certainly exist. The one I knew best the wall units inside weren't the quietest, but it was installed some years ago and I think things have improved. They're not so much used as retrofits as they don't use existing radiators.

Seconded!
Also the catacombs.

Someone running a cut flower business there or just feeding a lot of birds?

After a weekend featuring suboptimal folding chairs I may just have over done the gardening...
I shall be over there alternating between muttered ows and dark imprecations.
You'd think I'd be old enough to know better.
Best not approached!
Cats are side-eyeing me.

This, exactly!

in amongst the wildflowers and long grass patch is a peacefully sleeping cat.

In other garden news...
#ProofOfCat

close up of part of a ragwort plant, with cinnabar moth caterpillars and two fornicating red soldier beetles.

My ragwort doing nicely this year.
No grazing herbivores in my garden so a ragwort or two, carefully curated, is now part of the flora each year.

Screenshot of form on the UK Met Office website. Text reads: "You can provide up to 5 storm names in the boxes below. Storm Name: [a user has filled this in with "BigOil"] Storm Name (optional): [filled in with BP] Storm Name (optional): [filled in with Equinor] Storm Name (optional): [filled in with Exxon] Storm Name (optional): [filled in with Shell]

So the UK Met Office is inviting people to suggest up to 5 names for storms.

And apparently lots of people have been suggesting "Storm Bigoil", along with BP, Equinor, Exxon & Shell...

This is obviously appalling & definitely not to be emulated via this link: www.metoffice.gov.uk/forms/name-o...

cherry tree with about half branches shrouded in net curtains. Sharing with birds rather than them scoffing the lot.

net curtains...

📌

🙀 We're all doomed...

Coming your way via WhatsApp as for one reason or another it appears I can't DM you on here.

Yes, that's a good time. Is it open to non-members?

Scenes from that are still embedded in my visual memory.

😡 FFS.
How terribly, terribly colonial...

Go for it, large fauna!

Niiiice... Some years I get the caterpillars on my bedstraw and fuchsias.

view across to a cherry tree where a share has been reserved from the birds by somewhat ad-hoc net curtaining!

Shares system here! But I'm assuming from the fence reference that cherry tree wasn't private!

I don't remember that. But I was mostly focused on what would be used with infant classes!