Margaret Nelson 🌦
@flashmaggie.bsky.social
Old, knackered. Cloud-spotter and dendrophile. Suffolk UK.
"The cure for boredom is curiousity. There is no cure for curiousity."
- Dorothy Parker.
"The cure for boredom is curiousity. There is no cure for curiousity."
- Dorothy Parker.
Was aboit to go to bed, when I read this.
Devon midwives have been flabbergasted by being expected to use software imported from America by the NHS that prompts them to record a newborn baby's gender identity and sexual orientation!
It
Beyond ridiculous!
Devon midwives have been flabbergasted by being expected to use software imported from America by the NHS that prompts them to record a newborn baby's gender identity and sexual orientation!
It
Beyond ridiculous!
Midwives told to fill in forms with no option to record biological sex
Midwives are being asked to fill out 'farcical' electronic forms which record newborns' gender identity and sexual orientation as part of a software upgrade across the NHS.
www.dailymail.co.uk
January 31, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Was aboit to go to bed, when I read this.
Devon midwives have been flabbergasted by being expected to use software imported from America by the NHS that prompts them to record a newborn baby's gender identity and sexual orientation!
It
Beyond ridiculous!
Devon midwives have been flabbergasted by being expected to use software imported from America by the NHS that prompts them to record a newborn baby's gender identity and sexual orientation!
It
Beyond ridiculous!
Anyway, I need to eat and sleep, so goodnight all.
Thinking is an underrated activity. If only more people practiced it.
Thinking is an underrated activity. If only more people practiced it.
January 31, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Anyway, I need to eat and sleep, so goodnight all.
Thinking is an underrated activity. If only more people practiced it.
Thinking is an underrated activity. If only more people practiced it.
Have you noticed how rich people value things according to the price tag, not their quality?
It explains how the art market works. If you're lucky you can sell any old "art" to gullible idiots.
And how stupid people will pay huge fees to hear Johnson and Farage giving speeches?
It explains how the art market works. If you're lucky you can sell any old "art" to gullible idiots.
And how stupid people will pay huge fees to hear Johnson and Farage giving speeches?
January 31, 2026 at 9:38 PM
Have you noticed how rich people value things according to the price tag, not their quality?
It explains how the art market works. If you're lucky you can sell any old "art" to gullible idiots.
And how stupid people will pay huge fees to hear Johnson and Farage giving speeches?
It explains how the art market works. If you're lucky you can sell any old "art" to gullible idiots.
And how stupid people will pay huge fees to hear Johnson and Farage giving speeches?
What's puzzled me about the Epstein files is Virginia Giuffre's role in the saga.
From what I read of her account, she could have walked away at any time, but obediently did as Maxwell told her.
Unlike young UK girls and trafficked women, she seemed to have had multiple opportunities to escape.
From what I read of her account, she could have walked away at any time, but obediently did as Maxwell told her.
Unlike young UK girls and trafficked women, she seemed to have had multiple opportunities to escape.
January 31, 2026 at 9:05 PM
What's puzzled me about the Epstein files is Virginia Giuffre's role in the saga.
From what I read of her account, she could have walked away at any time, but obediently did as Maxwell told her.
Unlike young UK girls and trafficked women, she seemed to have had multiple opportunities to escape.
From what I read of her account, she could have walked away at any time, but obediently did as Maxwell told her.
Unlike young UK girls and trafficked women, she seemed to have had multiple opportunities to escape.
It makes a change to have a man being discriminated against for refusing to play the gender game. Women shouldn't have to do it all themselves.
Trans pronouns are ‘lies’, said prison officer sacked for refusing to use them
Army veteran David Toshack claims he was unlawfully discriminated against by security company
www.telegraph.co.uk
January 31, 2026 at 8:41 PM
It makes a change to have a man being discriminated against for refusing to play the gender game. Women shouldn't have to do it all themselves.
Ah, those were the days!
January 31, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Ah, those were the days!
Reposted by Margaret Nelson 🌦
More people in the UK need to aware of China's crackdown on Hong Kong, in breach of the Sino-British treaty, and the imprisonment of Jimmy Lai, at the bare minimum. It will put Starmer's pathetic gesturing in Beijing into so much more clarity.
January 31, 2026 at 12:39 PM
More people in the UK need to aware of China's crackdown on Hong Kong, in breach of the Sino-British treaty, and the imprisonment of Jimmy Lai, at the bare minimum. It will put Starmer's pathetic gesturing in Beijing into so much more clarity.
The Shed, by J. A. HAZELEY, N.S.F.W. and J. P. MORRIS, O.M.G. (Authors of 'Teach Your Dog Darts') is from The Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups series, but this, the first illustration, is safe for children to see.
My dad wore a bowler hat like that when he went to work.
My dad wore a bowler hat like that when he went to work.
January 31, 2026 at 3:06 PM
The Shed, by J. A. HAZELEY, N.S.F.W. and J. P. MORRIS, O.M.G. (Authors of 'Teach Your Dog Darts') is from The Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups series, but this, the first illustration, is safe for children to see.
My dad wore a bowler hat like that when he went to work.
My dad wore a bowler hat like that when he went to work.
Woke up this morning thinking, what shall I have for breakfast? That was easy. Had it slathered with Cooper's Oxford Marmalade and a big mug of strong tea.
Streetband - Toast
YouTube video by thecatkeaton
youtu.be
January 31, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Woke up this morning thinking, what shall I have for breakfast? That was easy. Had it slathered with Cooper's Oxford Marmalade and a big mug of strong tea.
Reposted by Margaret Nelson 🌦
Other work by the Ladybird artists.
‘Cat among ferns’
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
‘Cat among ferns’
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
January 31, 2026 at 8:19 AM
Other work by the Ladybird artists.
‘Cat among ferns’
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
‘Cat among ferns’
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
Still politically active at 88. Wish I had her energy.
JANE FONDA: “I know Don Lemon. My husband created CNN. And I will fight for their right to speak… they arrested the wrong Don. This is how autocrats act. We can’t fall for it.”
January 31, 2026 at 12:22 PM
Still politically active at 88. Wish I had her energy.
Found on Facebook today.
From a Ladybird book.
“Starlings are flying in converging flocks towards their roosting place”
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
(What to Look for in Winter, 1959).
Painter and illustrator Charles Tunnicliffe (1901-1979) had a prodigious output, and all high quality.
From a Ladybird book.
“Starlings are flying in converging flocks towards their roosting place”
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
(What to Look for in Winter, 1959).
Painter and illustrator Charles Tunnicliffe (1901-1979) had a prodigious output, and all high quality.
January 30, 2026 at 10:13 PM
Found on Facebook today.
From a Ladybird book.
“Starlings are flying in converging flocks towards their roosting place”
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
(What to Look for in Winter, 1959).
Painter and illustrator Charles Tunnicliffe (1901-1979) had a prodigious output, and all high quality.
From a Ladybird book.
“Starlings are flying in converging flocks towards their roosting place”
Artist: CF Tunnicliffe
(What to Look for in Winter, 1959).
Painter and illustrator Charles Tunnicliffe (1901-1979) had a prodigious output, and all high quality.
Reposted by Margaret Nelson 🌦
Sometimes all you need to do for species to bounce back is nothing. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Rare butterflies bounce back after landowners in Wales cut back on flailing hedges
More than 300 brown hairstreak butterfly eggs were recorded in hedgerows near Llandeilo this winter after decade of decline
www.theguardian.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:32 AM
Sometimes all you need to do for species to bounce back is nothing. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
1/2 Starmer seems quite pleased with himself after leading a delegation to China, where amongst other things he says he persuaded Xi to remove sanctions from a group of our politicians. One of them, Tom Tugenghat MP, wasn't impressed (listen from 24.4 minutes in).
Jimmy Lai is still in prison, ...
Jimmy Lai is still in prison, ...
World at One - Iran's foreign minister warns US against military intervention - BBC Sounds
Could the US be about to strike? We'll assess what military action could look like.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 30, 2026 at 9:34 PM
1/2 Starmer seems quite pleased with himself after leading a delegation to China, where amongst other things he says he persuaded Xi to remove sanctions from a group of our politicians. One of them, Tom Tugenghat MP, wasn't impressed (listen from 24.4 minutes in).
Jimmy Lai is still in prison, ...
Jimmy Lai is still in prison, ...
The view from my bedroom window this morning, lesser spotted Orange Tree Surgeons wrestling with my ash tree. Now that it's been repollarded the garden will be lighter, but I'll miss all that green.
January 30, 2026 at 6:35 PM
The view from my bedroom window this morning, lesser spotted Orange Tree Surgeons wrestling with my ash tree. Now that it's been repollarded the garden will be lighter, but I'll miss all that green.
Reposted by Margaret Nelson 🌦
"the Department of Homeland Security has created a permissive institutional culture in which its agencies feel empowered to use violence with little fear of accountability."
thehill.com/opinion/cong...
thehill.com/opinion/cong...
thehill.com
January 29, 2026 at 9:27 PM
"the Department of Homeland Security has created a permissive institutional culture in which its agencies feel empowered to use violence with little fear of accountability."
thehill.com/opinion/cong...
thehill.com/opinion/cong...
It must be cake o'clock.
January 29, 2026 at 4:05 PM
It must be cake o'clock.
Considering that here I am, communicating with you through the ether via my mobile phone, I shouldn't be surprised to learn that my CPAP (continuous positive airwayay pressure) machine can send a record of my sleep apnea to the hospital clinic without me having to do anything. Isn't that clever?
January 29, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Considering that here I am, communicating with you through the ether via my mobile phone, I shouldn't be surprised to learn that my CPAP (continuous positive airwayay pressure) machine can send a record of my sleep apnea to the hospital clinic without me having to do anything. Isn't that clever?
It's ridiculous that women are still having to defend their single-sex spaces from intrusion by men who claim the impossible; that they're women.
sex-matters.org/posts/update...
sex-matters.org/posts/update...
The fight for single-sex spaces continues
Sex Matters is disappointed that our application for permission for a judicial review of the City of London’s decision to allow men into the women’s
sex-matters.org
January 29, 2026 at 3:12 PM
It's ridiculous that women are still having to defend their single-sex spaces from intrusion by men who claim the impossible; that they're women.
sex-matters.org/posts/update...
sex-matters.org/posts/update...
UK people, a message from my local volunteer fire crew:
"Please please get the What 3 words app on your phones. This app places your position in a 3 meter square anywhere. If you pass the three words to our control we can find you as quickly as possible."
what3words.com/fluid.essent...
"Please please get the What 3 words app on your phones. This app places your position in a 3 meter square anywhere. If you pass the three words to our control we can find you as quickly as possible."
what3words.com/fluid.essent...
///fluid.essential.drift
This is the what3words address for a 3 metre square location near Hadleigh, Suffolk.
what3words.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:00 PM
UK people, a message from my local volunteer fire crew:
"Please please get the What 3 words app on your phones. This app places your position in a 3 meter square anywhere. If you pass the three words to our control we can find you as quickly as possible."
what3words.com/fluid.essent...
"Please please get the What 3 words app on your phones. This app places your position in a 3 meter square anywhere. If you pass the three words to our control we can find you as quickly as possible."
what3words.com/fluid.essent...
Reposted by Margaret Nelson 🌦
Corporate power in the food system (graphic: @jennifer-clapp.bsky.social) #FoodStudies
January 28, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Corporate power in the food system (graphic: @jennifer-clapp.bsky.social) #FoodStudies
My cleaner saw Elsa Lanchester as the Bride of Frankenstein on my wall and asked if it was me! I should be flattered I suppose.
The horror film 'Bride of Frankenstein' was made in 1935. She was meant to be the bride of Frankenstein's monster, but didn't take to him at all, which was rather sad.
The horror film 'Bride of Frankenstein' was made in 1935. She was meant to be the bride of Frankenstein's monster, but didn't take to him at all, which was rather sad.
January 28, 2026 at 1:27 PM
My cleaner saw Elsa Lanchester as the Bride of Frankenstein on my wall and asked if it was me! I should be flattered I suppose.
The horror film 'Bride of Frankenstein' was made in 1935. She was meant to be the bride of Frankenstein's monster, but didn't take to him at all, which was rather sad.
The horror film 'Bride of Frankenstein' was made in 1935. She was meant to be the bride of Frankenstein's monster, but didn't take to him at all, which was rather sad.
I was a Mensa member, years ago. The local group was male dominated and I got rather bored with it. The test measures your IQ, not your social skills. So I'll watch the programme and hope the sexes are balanced, roughly 50/50.
mensa.org.uk/secret-geniu...
mensa.org.uk/secret-geniu...
Secret Genius launches on Channel 4 – Mensa
mensa.org.uk
January 28, 2026 at 1:04 AM
I was a Mensa member, years ago. The local group was male dominated and I got rather bored with it. The test measures your IQ, not your social skills. So I'll watch the programme and hope the sexes are balanced, roughly 50/50.
mensa.org.uk/secret-geniu...
mensa.org.uk/secret-geniu...
Reform UK has increased its membership, including with former Tory MPs, but when it comes to finding local authority or parliamentary candidates it seems they'll propose anybody, however nasty or stupid.
Their by-election candidate could lower the collective IQ of The House even more.
Their by-election candidate could lower the collective IQ of The House even more.
Reform’s Matt Goodwin is sure he’s the right man for Gorton and Denton. He just doesn’t know why… | John Crace
Introduced by an unsupervised Lee Anderson, the byelection candidate was out of his depth immediately
www.theguardian.com
January 28, 2026 at 12:37 AM
Reform UK has increased its membership, including with former Tory MPs, but when it comes to finding local authority or parliamentary candidates it seems they'll propose anybody, however nasty or stupid.
Their by-election candidate could lower the collective IQ of The House even more.
Their by-election candidate could lower the collective IQ of The House even more.
Reposted by Margaret Nelson 🌦
Edith Clarke, the first female electrical engineer in the US, invented a calculator (the Clarke calculator) to solve electric power transmission problems, a precursor to modern smart grid technology. It was patented in 1925. #WomenInSTEM
It's International Day of #CleanEnergy!
It's International Day of #CleanEnergy!
January 27, 2026 at 12:16 AM
Edith Clarke, the first female electrical engineer in the US, invented a calculator (the Clarke calculator) to solve electric power transmission problems, a precursor to modern smart grid technology. It was patented in 1925. #WomenInSTEM
It's International Day of #CleanEnergy!
It's International Day of #CleanEnergy!