Tim Melling – Wryneck

Tim writes: Wrynecks used to breed in Britain and in Victorian times were found in every county in England and Wales south of the Humber. But they had dwindled to extinction by the 1970s while a small population temporarily colonised Scotland, which was way outside its original range.  But I don’t think it has bred…

Brexit deal: ten words that spell environmental damage

As you flick through the 1246 pages of ‘our’ Brexit deal you will hardly have got your eye in when you reach p179, and ‘Title XI, Article 1.1 LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR OPEN AND FAIR COMPETITION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT‘; So, already, we see that environmental protection is subsumed within the apparently bigger matters of trade….

Happy Christmas – back on Sunday 27 December

I hope that all readers of this blog, whatever their views on life, have a safe and happy Christmas. That’s what I am planning too. This blog will be back with new content on Sunday 27 December – some guest blogs, several book reviews, poems, photographs, reviews of the year on this blog and thoughts…

The new Dom (not Cummings)?

Dominic Dyer stepped down from his part-time role as boss of the Badger Trust a few weeks ago and the Daily Fail may have the reason why – click here. An anonymous prominent farmer is reported as saying his only qualification is that he is a friend of Carrie Symonds. That was brave of the…

Floods, pestilence but a Brexit deal?

When I queued with my mask on, to pick up our turkey (that’s now our Easter turkey), at 09:30 it had rained overnight but was just a bit drizzly but by the time I get home it was tipping down. The sky darkened and by mid afternoon there were floods all around us very locally…