Lizzie Ballantyne 🖋️
@lizziebally.bsky.social
The edible garden, books, food, wine, politics, fountain pens, hens. Lefty Humanist European living in the Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc, France. Gregarious hermit. Married to a fine woman. No DMs unless I have met you in real life.
This is well worth reading.
When I was a teenager there was a bus direct from my hometown in Germany to London - we had a British army base, and this direct bus connection was one of the benefits of that. One summer I went on that bus to go volunteer in an old people's home in Southend-on-Sea. I had just turned 18 and was... 🧵
September 30, 2025 at 7:25 AM
This is well worth reading.
Carla Bruni looks delighted that Sarkozy is going into clink.
September 26, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Carla Bruni looks delighted that Sarkozy is going into clink.
This pleases me enormously.
September 13, 2025 at 7:32 AM
This pleases me enormously.
Thank heavens I grow them in the heat of the south of France. Never-ending blight would probably stop me gardening altogether.
observer.co.uk/style/garden...
observer.co.uk/style/garden...
Tomatoes are sexy, difficult plants. But I love them
Our columnist is wooed by the joy of growing tomatoes, the more challenging the variety, the better
observer.co.uk
June 18, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Thank heavens I grow them in the heat of the south of France. Never-ending blight would probably stop me gardening altogether.
observer.co.uk/style/garden...
observer.co.uk/style/garden...
If you’re about to say simplistic, you probably mean simple.
May 29, 2025 at 11:26 AM
If you’re about to say simplistic, you probably mean simple.
They might have phrased this better.
May 28, 2025 at 6:02 AM
They might have phrased this better.
Frankly I’m ashamed to be British. What has the UK come to?
Highlighting the ReFUK councillors in East & West Midlands Regions for you today and check out these lovely folk
1. Alan Amos - Cllr for Bedwardine - Whilst a Tory councillor in 2016 he claimed that rape was "easy to report" and should not be recorded as an offence /1
www.itv.com/news/2016-09...
1. Alan Amos - Cllr for Bedwardine - Whilst a Tory councillor in 2016 he claimed that rape was "easy to report" and should not be recorded as an offence /1
www.itv.com/news/2016-09...
www.itv.com
May 27, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Frankly I’m ashamed to be British. What has the UK come to?
Three days of beautiful sunshine and the wasps have to turn up causing trouble. Feckers.
May 18, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Three days of beautiful sunshine and the wasps have to turn up causing trouble. Feckers.
This little willow warbler flew into our terrace window and landed on its back. It was stunned so I picked it up and it refused to let go of my finger for quite a while. What a little sweetie.
May 14, 2025 at 6:28 PM
This little willow warbler flew into our terrace window and landed on its back. It was stunned so I picked it up and it refused to let go of my finger for quite a while. What a little sweetie.
How can a lone French frog make so much noise? Sound on.
May 14, 2025 at 11:26 AM
How can a lone French frog make so much noise? Sound on.
Well, look who I found in my shed. It’s a very young couleuvre de Montpellier I think. This one looks fairly long but I’ve seen sunbathing adults that stretch right across a single track road. The round eyes tell you it’s not one to be frightened of. cont’d….
May 8, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Well, look who I found in my shed. It’s a very young couleuvre de Montpellier I think. This one looks fairly long but I’ve seen sunbathing adults that stretch right across a single track road. The round eyes tell you it’s not one to be frightened of. cont’d….
I parked & glanced down. What are the odds?
May 8, 2025 at 8:13 AM
I parked & glanced down. What are the odds?
Reposted by Lizzie Ballantyne 🖋️
TANK vs TESLA
"We've crushed fascism before and we'll crush it again"
- WW2 veteran Ken, 98, in the tank
"We've crushed fascism before and we'll crush it again"
- WW2 veteran Ken, 98, in the tank
May 7, 2025 at 4:46 PM
TANK vs TESLA
"We've crushed fascism before and we'll crush it again"
- WW2 veteran Ken, 98, in the tank
"We've crushed fascism before and we'll crush it again"
- WW2 veteran Ken, 98, in the tank
I love it when the garden starts coming back to life after the winter. South of France. Herault. Parc naturel du Haut Languedoc. Home.
April 24, 2025 at 11:48 AM
I love it when the garden starts coming back to life after the winter. South of France. Herault. Parc naturel du Haut Languedoc. Home.
This is why I spend my life putting toilet lids down. Yuk.
theconversation.com/toilets-spew...
theconversation.com/toilets-spew...
Toilets spew invisible aerosol plumes with every flush – here’s the proof, captured by high-powered lasers
Toilets eject aerosol droplets that may carry disease-causing pathogens. Learning about how these particles move could help reduce exposure in public restrooms.
theconversation.com
April 14, 2025 at 2:24 PM
This is why I spend my life putting toilet lids down. Yuk.
theconversation.com/toilets-spew...
theconversation.com/toilets-spew...
Reposted by Lizzie Ballantyne 🖋️
Send a letter on 6th May to celebrate the penny black stamp!
Dear People of the World, Please will you help us with this simple idea to celebrate the 185th anniversary of #PennyBlackDay on 6th May 2025? If you can share this too, that would be amazing! Yours in letter writing and stamps, Dinah 🥳✍️✉️📮
thehandwrittenletterappreciationsociety.org/help-celebra...
thehandwrittenletterappreciationsociety.org/help-celebra...
April 12, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Send a letter on 6th May to celebrate the penny black stamp!
I can think of a small dog in this house who would love this.
How academics imagine their lives would look like if they decide to work in tech
April 12, 2025 at 6:50 AM
I can think of a small dog in this house who would love this.
Thank you #chronopost for telling me that a delivery was attempted today at 10:22 and now you need more info. It’s currently 9:00 so how do you work that one out?
April 10, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Thank you #chronopost for telling me that a delivery was attempted today at 10:22 and now you need more info. It’s currently 9:00 so how do you work that one out?
A round of applause please for Neroli the Leghorn Argentée, who laid her very first egg today. It took and hour and a half of concentration. Her egg is on the left. Small, but perfectly formed. #blueskyhens #leghorn
April 7, 2025 at 3:03 PM
A round of applause please for Neroli the Leghorn Argentée, who laid her very first egg today. It took and hour and a half of concentration. Her egg is on the left. Small, but perfectly formed. #blueskyhens #leghorn
These people are lethal.
The president’s son Eric Trump posted this. Chilling.
He deleted it - but here it is
He deleted it - but here it is
April 6, 2025 at 7:47 AM
These people are lethal.
Reposted by Lizzie Ballantyne 🖋️
Honestly, who are these fruit loops? www.politico.eu/article/le-p...
‘Jesus Christ also was found guilty and he was innocent,’ Le Pen codefendant says
Le Pen’s allies are not pulling their punches after Monday’s ruling.
www.politico.eu
April 1, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Honestly, who are these fruit loops? www.politico.eu/article/le-p...