:): Ramblings of me, myself and mind

The loss of my girl hasn’t become any easier, even with time. But - every day, I think about her with so much love and our fond memories. Like her bark-whine when launching after a tennis ball, cuddles, love, devotion, courage and countless others. I know she’s with me. 🐶❤️🐾🕊️

Pakistan have led to hundreds of children becoming infected with HIV. bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod… via @BBCiPlayer #BBCGlobalEye #GlobalEye #Pakistan #iranamericawar #AmericaIranCeasefire #HIV 2/2.

‘Global Eye - How Pakistan positioned itself as a peace broker’ @BBCTwo [first shown 13/04/2026] | In this week’s programme, correspondent @FarhatJavedR reports on Pakistan's role in the US-Iran ceasefire, and we hear how routine visits for medical treatment in (cont’d) 1/2

The Cul-de-Sac That Used to Be Her Home. A female badger stands at the edge of a fresh tarmac driveway in the April twilight, her paws caked in the clay of a leveled hillside. "I have raised six generations in the dark earth beneath this spot," she grunts, her scent-marking glands working fruitlessly against a concrete kerb. "I know the exact root where the bluebells first break and the slope where the oak mast falls. Now, there is only a fence where my front door used to be. I am not lost—the world is." We often assume that wildlife can simply "move next door" when we build new housing estates, viewing animals as flexible commuters. In reality, badgers are deeply site-faithful. A social group may use the same sett for over a century. Right now in mid-April, sows are weaning cubs and require immense caloric intake. When a development goes up in months, it destroys 15 years of topographical memory. Displacement leads to "road-kill" spikes as confused animals attempt to navigate old paths that are now motorways. Practical Actions: Support Wildlife Corridors: Advocate for "badger gates" in new housing fences to allow ancestral passage. Report Sett Damage: If you see active digging near construction, ensure a license is in place. She isn't a "nuisance" in your garden; she is a refugee standing in her own living room.

Nigel Farage is a misogynist. He is rude, patronising and often aggressive to female journalists in a way he never is to male journalists. He really is a vile individual. #politicslive #pmqs

NHS SPENT £857K PROVING THEY WERE WRONG Dr Kevin Beatt @drbeatt built Croydon University Hospital's @croydonhealth cardiology unit from nothing. Then he did something the NHS apparently cannot tolerate. He told the truth. He warned about dangerous equipment, nursing shortages, and bullying. Nobody acted. In June 2011, a senior nurse was suspended mid-procedure without his knowledge. A 63-year-old man, Gerald Storey, died on the table. The coroner confirmed the suspension contributed to his death. Beatt raised the alarm formally and repeatedly. The Trust sacked him for gross misconduct. Reported him to the GMC. Issued a press statement the tribunal later found was deliberately designed to destroy his reputation. Then they spent public money trying to make it stick. The Employment Tribunal ruled against them. Landmark judgment. No misconduct. No ulterior motive. Unfairly dismissed for whistleblowing. The Trust appealed. Lost. Appealed again. Lost. Tried the Supreme Court. Refused. Final bill to taxpayers: £857,110 in compensation. Plus years of legal costs. Jeremy Hunt @Jeremy_Hunt, Health Secretary at the time, called it a matter for the trust's board and walked away. The managers responsible faced zero consequences. This is the template. @NHS trusts have learned that burying a whistleblower in legal processes, exhausting their finances, and waiting long enough means most people give up. Dr Beatt did not give up. He won. And it cost him everything anyway. If institutions will not protect the people who protect patients, we have to. Share this. Because somewhere right now a doctor is deciding whether it is worth the risk to speak up. Sources: Employment Tribunal: Beatt v Croydon Health Services NHS Trust [2014] Court of Appeal: [2017] EWCA Civ 401 The Guardian / Croydon Guardian / ITV News

NEWS! The govt has just announced its changing the Council Tax Debt Collection rules on the back of @mmhpi recommendations. Here's my official quote ----- Council Tax debt collection is so aggressive it’d make banks blush. It’s the most vicious and damaging form of legal debt collection out there - causing counterproductive misery for millions. We’ve spent the last 18 months campaigning hard to change this hideous system, and having seen so much pain caused by it, I’m genuinely moved by this huge first step towards making things better. Currently, in England, if you miss a monthly payment, many councils, within usually 3 weeks, demand payment for the entire year. How people who can’t find a month’s money are expected to find a year’s I don’t know. Yet if they can’t pay, within just three more weeks, they are often taken to court, have ‘admin costs’ added, and soon see bailiffs sent in. No commercial firm would be allowed to do anything close - constituents are treated worse than customers. The new rule from next April means councils must wait two months, not 3 weeks, to ask for a year’s money, and the ‘admin costs’ will be capped at £100. In a perfect world, it would be even longer and the lower cap would apply, but this is still a hugely welcome change to a 33-year-old process. For councils too, it is worth remembering that this grotesque system is often catastrophic for people’s finances and wellbeing, leaving many needing more help and support, and ultimately the same council having to pick up the pieces.

If you voted Conservative between 2010 and 2024, then you don't really have a right to complain about the sluggish growth, the gutting of our armed forces, the ballooning welfare bill, the shit in our rivers and sea, or the open borders.

@sophiebip1982 And you lovely x

@sophiebip1982 Sorry to hear this Sophie. Since Saturday my mood has just plummeted, reduced concentration, change in appetite, tearful, pushing through is taking all of my energy. It always happens when the clocks change! Not sure if you experience this?

I have been really quiet on social media because I feel meh. I am not clinically depressed and for that I am thankful. But my mood has dropped and I am struggling to get shit done. But it is hard to acknowledge this because I want to be living life to the fullest.

@livingwithdan It’s hard to but others’ doubts and assumptions can ignite our superpowers. Way to go! 🎯

Some said I was CRAP at darts... 😢 Just won 3 games on the trot!🎯 🎉 All thanks to my HYPERFOCUS! 😱 #autism #disability #nevergiveup

@Telegraph Do you ever go more than a few days without crapping on people who need benefits or other support? You could actually educate your readers about issues facing disabled people + carers instead you mislead people, leave out context, ignore issues + use as distraction and target

Extroverts after hanging out: that was so fun, let’s hang out again tomorrow! Introverts after hanging out: ok now I need 2 weeks of silence to recover

Introverts are easy to please. We value quiet time, simplicity, genuine friendships, and calm spaces where our souls feel safe. We're not high maintenance, just low-key people trying to stay true to ourselves in a world that keeps pushing us to be someone else

‘Stress Awareness Month’ @mindapples | Stress Awareness Month shines a spotlight on stress, what it is and how it affects us in everyday life. When it comes to stress, a useful starting place is to take a closer look at what we mean when using the word. mindapples.org/2026/04/13/str…

Our life expectancy has increased by 13 years since 1976. But Carer’s Allowance has barely changed since being rolled out 50 years ago. That’s why we’re calling on the Government to give it a complete overhaul and make it fit for purpose.

minds work, to recognise what we’re feeling and what helps us to cope when things get hard, was often left to chance. For many of us, we only notice we’re missing something when things start to feel difficult. But it doesn’t have to be like that. mindapples.org/2026/04/13/men… 2/2.

‘What Does Mental Health Education Look Like in Practice?’ @mindapples | Many of us were never specifically taught how to look after our minds. We might have learned about our bodies in biology, studied maths, and were taught how to cross the road safely. But how our (cont’d) 1/2

Thousands are calling for the Grand National to be ended after more horses died at Aintree. “Every year, horses are pushed to their physical limits over extreme distances and dangerous obstacles," says Kim Macdonald, who has started a petition calling on organisers to rethink the risks horses face at Aintree, and to prioritise their welfare. "Despite safety improvements, injuries and fatalities still occur. These animals do not choose to participate, yet they bear the risks for the sake of entertainment and profit.” Petition link 👉 c.org/7x79Z7kt