Anne 🍅🥦🐰🥑🦻🏻☕️ 🐸

Can anyone advise?

@WriterHannahBT About 20 over my garden every day. Worcestershire.

Right. Who’s got them, screaming overhead? #swifts

Birmingham, the night of the count. Labour’s Jess Phillips is announced the winner on stage for Yardley. In an attempt to get a photo of the candidates on stage, am standing among a throng of men on the counting hall floor supporting the workers party candidate. They boo Jess, cat-call and chant the candidate’s name over and over as if it is a boxing match. They try to drown out her voice. It is ugly and it is shameful. As I extricate myself from the pack I shake my head in anger. There is nothing elegant in this brazen show of misogyny and bullishness. Shabana Mahmood gets the same treatment. Both women show defiance yet overall, it is an unpleasant, unnecessary and degrading experience. Elsewhere in Britain, post-election speeches were demonstrations of grace in defeat, and humility in success. As it should be. We aren’t tribal like America. We aren’t quick to protest like France. Sometimes we might admire the more direct approach of other countries. Yet I love our restraint. The passion is there. Reservoirs of it. But the speeches often follow unwritten protocols that show honour and valour almost to the point that the victor becomes indiscernible. Democracy is something to value and treasure. As Brits, I think we value it, although the disappointing turnout gives cause for concern. Isn’t it a prize that our individual vote counts every bit as much as the Prime Minister? Isn’t that fantastic? The workers party claimed to stand for Palestine. A cause I sympathise with, and one that deserves the attentions of the media. Hyped up and militant at 5am, it was clear that the main aim of the male group was to disabuse others of a respectful election. Particularly the female candidates. Jess shook hands with all candidates after the announcement. All except one. The workers party candidate refused her, which was received with cheers for him and jeers for Jess from his swarm of supporters. Surely a candidate standing on a single-issue platform, to improve conditions for Palestinian people, would appreciate the opportunity to build a bridge with his local MP. He could have used that opportunity to progress the cause. Suffragists fought hard for voting rights just over a hundred years ago. Anyone who values women’s rights should be concerned by activities that seek to block their access to democratic choice. There was overt and covert misogyny in this election. It needs investigating and fixing. If women don’t have voting rights, then we don’t have a democracy. @jessphillips @JaneRockHouse @5050Parliament @fawcettsociety @ShabanaMahmood @birminghamlive

@sallydwrites We’re due a catch up I reckon

@methreeandmore I’m good thanks. How about you?

A quick 16 minutes this morning.

Today sees the release of ‘Let There Be Light’ - a documentary exploring the pattern of harmful behaviours experienced under the leadership of Mike Pilavachi, a prominent figure in the UK Church. Our hope is for this film to be something of a care-package for the hurting, at the same time asking how we might become a healthier Church in the future. We know it won’t serve everyone, but we pray it will help some. We tell our story to shine light and help validate other’s experiences. It would have been much easier to say nothing - but a culture of silence up until now has been a significant force. Other voices speaking into this documentary are Dr Diane Langberg (recognised for her 50 years of clinical work with trauma victims), Dr Chi-Chi Obuaya (a respected London Harley Street consultant psychiatrist) and Dr Amy Orr-Ewing (a regarded UK theologian with a passion to advocate for survivors of abuse.) The film also points to some key organisations who provide support in this area and also safeguarding resources for churches. While speaking on a painful subject it’s also important to acknowledge all of the pastors out there faithfully loving those that God has entrusted to them. This is a story Beth and I chose to tell. Our prayer is for the healing of yesterday’s wounds and a brighter, safer Church tomorrow. Let there be Light. youtube.com/watch?v=YVZkgd…

@jessphillips Thank you

On about the fifth name you can see that I look up and I choke as I go on to read the next name because what I saw when I looked up was the families of killed women standing up in the gallery as a mark of respect. It took everything I had to not just break down in tears.

Parcel delivery firm DPD have replaced their customer service chat with an AI robot thing. It’s utterly useless at answering any queries, and when asked, it happily produced a poem about how terrible they are as a company. It also swore at me. 😂

@MrAlCoates So true

Love a good stoic. Seems apt for X especially the adoption corner.

Slight tweak to my handle to reflect where I’m at these days. Spot the difference!!

Yes! This is what we need. Celebrities getting off their arses and fighting for us all. There is strength in numbers! #ClimateCrisis Thank you Olivia Coleman! Thank you Richard Curtis! #ObliviaCoalmine Follow @MMMoneyMatter

@glitternails2 😢

Detached retina, the gift that just keeps giving. Sent to a&e by GP as I have an ulcer on my eye and he wanted it checked What a way to spend my annual leave. NHS continue to be brilliant

@MrAlCoates @armstrongaudio1 🤣

Friday morning London run to @armstrongaudio1

Just binged whole of S2 on iPlayer. Brilliant and raw.

Matthew Perry. 💔 Thank you for helping others.

Hello! I'm doing a project with parents of children who have experienced exclusion from school (or lack of inclusion). We're making 1533 crochet squares 10 x 10cm, one to represent each of the 1533 children excluded each school day in 2022. Would anyone like to help? Please share

@tris2506 @AerLingus @HeathrowAirport @ShannonAirport Big congratulations 🩷 prepare to love like you’ve never loved before

Good morning from the @AerLingus Lounge in T2 at @HeathrowAirport My flight homeward bound to @ShannonAirport after visiting to meet my new Grand daughter, April Grace, who was born on 12th October.

@MrAlCoates Did you scatter the good seed on the ground?

Walking the dogs, the field was ploughed.

So good to see this happening today. Makes me all the more determined to keep learning how my garden can help keep providing a home for the 🐛 🐞 🐝 🐸 🦋 🦅 🕷️ 🐌 🦟🦗🪲🕸️🪺🦇I have already seen since moving in in January. #RestoreNatureNow