Mary Francis

I asked Alfie, aged 6 what he wants to be when he grows up:

“God. Or a hacker.”

Eurasian Blackbird, Great Tit, House Sparrow, Collared Dove, Common Redstart

Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian BlueTit, Stock Dove, Eurasian Jackdaw, Rock Dove

Today’s birds:

As I just said on CNN, my father's parents were Nakba survivors. I don't want Israeli children to live in fear and I don't want Palestinian children to starve to death. There is nothing anyone could do to make me put nationalistic talking points above basic human rights.

CopOut28

I didn’t see it coming,

The FINAL Advent.
The End of Days.

I can't name my foreboding-

Don't ask me to. it's too deep.

So terrible that no-one dares play sad music

On the wireless.

The world is coming to an end, you see,
And no-one must know.

June 30th. I was in holiday in Herefordshire. Sunday morning. I awoke to the dawn chorus for the final time this year. Now it’s just pigeons, crows and sparrows.

App Logo for Butterfly Conservation Big Butterfly Count

Butterfly Count for 7/7/25 Large White 2 Small White 16 Gatekeeper 2 Ringlet 9 Speckled Wood 5 Comma 2 Holly Blue 2

Seven days into The Big Butterfly Count: Peacock Brook, Newent, Gloucestershire

House Sparrow and Common Woodpigeon

If I were still concerned about politics, I’d be furious all the time.

Meanwhile:

My promise to you is that I will maintain our radical values and work tirelessly to get Labour in to power – so that we can advance the interests of the people our party was created to serve. Based on the moral case for socialism, here is where I stand. 1. Economic justice Increase income tax for the top 5% of earners, reverse the Tories’ cuts in corporation tax and clamp down on tax avoidance, particularly of large corporations. No stepping back from our core principles. 2. Social justice Abolish Universal Credit and end the Tories’ cruel sanctions regime. Set a national goal for wellbeing to make health as important as GDP; Invest in services that help shift to a preventative approach. Stand up for universal services and defend our NHS. Support the abolition of tuition fees and invest in lifelong learning. 3. Climate justice Put the Green New Deal at the heart of everything we do. There is no issue more important to our future than the climate emergency. A Clean Air Act to tackle pollution locally. Demand international action on climate rights. 4. Promote peace and human rights No more illegal wars. Introduce a Prevention of Military Intervention Act and put human rights at the heart of foreign policy. Review all UK arms sales and make us a force for international peace and justice. 5. Common ownership Public services should be in public hands, not making profits for shareholders. Support common ownership of rail, mail, energy and water; end outsourcing in our NHS, local government and justice system. 6. Defend migrants’ rights Full voting rights for EU nationals. Defend free movement as we leave the EU. An immigration system based on compassion and dignity. End indefinite detention and call for the closure of centres such as Yarl’s Wood. 7. Strengthen workers’ rights and trade unions Work shoulder to shoulder with trade unions to stand up for working people, tackle insecure work and low pay. Repeal the Trade Union Act. Oppose Tory attacks on the ri…

Keir Starmer’s pitch to become Party Leader, or, “How I stole a Party and f**ked it up.”

Wry smiles as he sinks in the polls and tries to throw some sops to the disgruntled working class who are about to get shafted by Farage.

Glad I switched to birdwatching.

YouTube video by Carbon Radio Top Economist Explains Real World Macroeconomics

Many thanks to Joe and his Carbon Radio for this interview!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygfr...

Fifty years of, “Trickle Down” has turned millionaires into billionaires. The working class into the working poor.

True, this⬇️

Eurasian Robin Collared Dove Eurasian Blackbird Common Woodpigeon Common Chiffchaff Eurasian Wren Dunnock Eurasian BlueTit Eurasian Blackcap Eurasian Jackdaw Great Tit Song Thrush

Map of Bird Walk 19/5/25

Peacock Brook flowing through a meadow

Stream flowing through woodland

Birds, birds, birds! Walk through woods and meadows behind the cottage.

List of luxury goods to choose as your main pursuits: , Watches, Handbags,Clothing, Automobiles, Boats, Spirits

I’m a granny not an economist, but this makes perfect sense to me. (Forbes made me fill out a form, and a whole new world opened before me. I have absolutely no interest in acquiring any of these things. Checked “Spirits” just for fun.)

Map

Woodland pool

Hedgerow

Bluebell Woods

Woodland Walk North Gloucestershire 24/4/25
#nature

A young apple tree blown down in a winter storm, sends out a living shoot that is in full bloom.

I went for a walk this morning. In this octave of Easter, I revel in the joy of the resurrection - tempered with sadness at. Pope Francis’death.

Walking through orchards I saw this. Death, resurrection and hope in one shot:

Why Some People Follow Authoritarian Leaders—And The Key to Stopping It To protect democracy and counteract the allure of authoritarianism, reduce people's sense of fear and insecurity, psychology research says

Can’t think why this is relevant …

www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-...

The Heard and McDonald Islands Are a Pristine Biological Wonderland Trump’s tariffs put a spotlight on the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands, which comprise a remote volcanic refuge for penguins and seals and a UNESCO World Heritage site

I don’t think anyone knew they existed until they were tariffed.
(A “waddle “ of penguins. Exquisite … )
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

Google, X and Facebook Are Modern-Day Tobacco Companies Just as tobacco companies knew they were poisoning people, today’s social media titans knowingly poison our politics, peddling lies and stoking angry divides for profit

Which is why I’m here - not there …’

www.scientificamerican.com/article/goog...

I catch up on @lbc.co.uk The only presenter to give airtime to the inhumane Palestinian situation is @mrjamesob.bsky.social to talk to the father of British aid worker James Kirby, who was murdered by an Israeli drone

We are lost. Tip toeing around genocide & ethnic cleansing is NEVER acceptable.

It wasn’t in the Cornell App database for Pretoria, I needed to download the West Africa database to identify this bird.

YouTube video by POTP The Power of the Pound

Two of my three daughters are likely to lose their jobs thanks to Labour’s Chainsaw Economics. Tens of thousands of households will be affected. Property speculators don’t have to build, they’ll just hang around to pick up the defaults.

We COULD have this instead⬇️

youtu.be/IHxloLkMXeU?...

a sign that says congratulations way to go with stars Alt: a sign that says congratulations way to go with stars …

So you’all going to fund tax cuts with debt? At least you can say you voted for it America

The pattern emerges, its culmination now only a matter of time. What was once conjecture⬇️ takes shape before our eyes, as the machinery moves inexorably toward its intended outcome. We are witnessing the fruition of foresight—an inevitability orchestrated by design.
#trump #oligarchy #wealthpump

FASCISM "BENITO MUSSOLINI CREATED THE WORD 'FASCISM.' HE DEFINED IT AS 'THE MERGING OF THE STATE AND THE CORPORATION.' HE ALSO SAID A MORE ACCURATE WORD WOULD BE 'CORPORATISM.' THIS WAS THE DEFINITION IN WEBSTER'S UP UNTIL 1987 WHEN A CORPORATION BOUGHT WEBSTER'S AND CHANGED IT TO EXCLUDE ANY MENTION OF CORPORATIONS."

I bowed out of the psycho-drama of politics when it became evident we’re caught in a spiral of decline orchestrated by fascism.

Not the nasty kind with uniforms and guns, yet, but this⬇️

Brexit and the SEZ’s supported by Tories and Labour are textbook fascist takeovers.

I post #birds now.

✅

Voyager, for sure.

Small coucal with a black cap and buffy underparts. There is a Found in a variety of habitats with a thick understory, including tall grassland, scrub, thickets within savanna, and forest edge.

Just spotted this bird on the allencam feeder in Pretoria, Gautang. Merlin couldn’t identify it, but Google lens suggested Senegal Coucal. Seems out of place … any other suggestions?

#birds

Trump seems to think America needs a recession. Some people are still recovering from the last one | CNN Business The odds of a recession in the US may be creeping higher — but those rising risks do not mean a deep economic downturn is a foregone conclusion.

Contributed to a piece on CNN (me near the start and at the end) about Trump's impending recession. There ain't no silver lining, it just sucks.

www.cnn.com/2025/03/21/e...

Blue Tit Blackcap Magpie

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Carrion Crow Robin SongThrush Coal Tit

Great Tit Wren Chiffchaff Dunnock Woodpigeon Blackbird

A cacophony of birdsong at 9am today. Newent Gloucestershire.

(Cornell Bird App Sound Identifier)

#birds