You never know where the danger's coming from next though. Today I heard that a mink can take down an adult swan, through sheer gutsy determination (it dragged the bird out of the water by the neck). Mind you, I wouldn't tangle with either

Sad, sad, people. Possessive too. Tellingly the sign doesn't mention fishing ... (I have lovely friends who fish, but we don't agree on sharing river access)

A local farmer, who's probably been put up to this by the anglers who fish here - it is telling that neither puts their name to the notice.

All down the upper Medway Keep Out signs banish us from the river - the miles I paddled quite legally in the 80s are forbidden to us now, and all the swimming spots are plastered in No Swimming notices. I’m outraged and grieving our loss

Right to Roam campaigners call for access to all England’s rivers

Our local groups are organising 9 river trespasses in November to highlight how inadequate & unworkable the government’s pledge of a mere 9 river walks is:

www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

Today I found an Ent

I’m over in Wealden (in East Sussex) - Greens are doing amazing work all over the country!

The @whitehouse-47.bsky.social account has so far only been blocked 57,000 times. I'm sure we can do better than that.

Welcome! You’ve found a hopeful, practical home - our local council is co-led by Greens and the whole ethos is about finding good solutions and making everyone’s lives better. And I think it’s working!

And if you’re wondering who Labour is listening to? “Reeves boasted she hatched plan to rip down our nature protections over a “smoked salmon & scrambled eggs breakfast” with corporate lobbyists”. While Starmer’s resolve to kick down planning rules are result of his “conversations with leading CEOs”

After a long pause, I've just done another England Covid & NHS update as we head into the autumn/winter season.

TLDR: we're in a significant Covid wave now, the NHS is stretched, get boosted if you're eligible.

christinapagel.substack.com/p/england-is...

If a news organisation is making -200% margin after five years, it is not a commercial operation and should be assumed to have a different purpose.

Just written a Banned Books Week post about this that says exactly the same thing.

On reports the Home Secretary plans to grant police more powers to prevent ‘repeated protests’, Greenpeace UK:

“Protest works because it is repetitive. If police had told the Suffragettes or civil rights activists ‘you’ve made your point,’ they would never have won the victories we all enjoy today"

Men in balaclavas set fire to a mosque in East Sussex last night. It's only appearing on the BBC's local coverage, rather than its main national headlines, despite coming just a week after the (also under-reported) firebombing of an asylum hotel in London last week
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Farage plays the everyman, but he’s not harmless, he’s not honest, and he’s not on your side. ❌

UK govt faces court for conservation area dumping licence. Sussex Wildlife Trust has launched legal action over govt's decision to allow the dumping of 100,000 tonnes of dredged sediment directly into a locally protected marine conservation zone..

oceanographicmagazine.com/news/uk-gove...

Violet Hunt and her amazing cat. #caturday

The Green Community Grants Programme,will offer grants of up to £25,000 to small charities and not for profit groups contributing towards nature recovery and the climate emergency,also for proposals to improve places for nature and people’s access to them . www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/new-fun...

Fellow mudlark & friend Jason Sandy is giving a talk & exhibiting some of his fantastic mudlarking finds this evening, Weds 17th Sept, 7pm, at historic St Mary’s Church, Battersea, as part of Open House Festival. Free entry, no need to book. Do come!

NOTHING will prepare you for this 45-second story arc. From "I'm just doing this because I love the flag, it's totally grassroots, and I'm not part of anything political"... to who actually gave him the flags the night before.

Anyone who believes it is an innocent movement needs to see this.

On Sunday the main sewer burst again in our village, swamping the river and killing every fish. The good thing? Local people called our citizen science team and we raised the alarm. Southern Water fixed the breach. But it KEEPS HAPPENING.
#RippleEffect #CitizenScience #PollutionWatch #SouthernWater

I am SO delighted with our new leadership team - huge congratulations! Such exciting times!

As one who has also demonstrably not been cured by being in, loving and writing about nature, and who today is slumped unable to work or walk, I needed this.