The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/childrens-wellbeing-and-schools-bill-the-15-key-policies/

But the pigeons will love it.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/nothing-is-off-the-table-when-it-comes-to-new-46m-tribute-statue-to-late-queen/ar-AA1wVXcx?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=8656af3655074cd08f47c8c58a01d271&ei=71

https://x.com/Otto_English/status/1874791992192065639?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1874791992192065639%7Ctwgr%5E846b2b34c653b92989596df8983f2c0f233fe7a5%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thenational.scot%2Fnews%2F24828974.suella-braverman-bonkers-italy-turkey-border-gaffe-lbc%2F

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGdBFhBKm/

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/02/live-ones-go-in-paper-bags-dead-ones-in-the-freezer-the-volunteers-saving-birds-that-fly-into-windows

Besides declining Trump’s humble offer to bring Canada into the United States, Elizabeth May, an MP for British Columbia, offered her own deal instead to neighbours south of the border.

“You think we want to be the 51st state?
Nah, but maybe California would like to be the 11th province,” she said.

“How ‘bout it, California? Oregon? Washington? We’ve got geography in common,” said May, adding that British Columbians are already comfortable with our southern neighbours in the Cascadia region.

“This is what we’ve got for you: Free healthcare, universal, free healthcare...safer streets here, we have strict gun laws, and women have the right to an abortion under the universal healthcare system.

She added an appeal to Trump himself, saying that by Canada taking on those three states, it would “get rid of all these states that always vote democrat.”

A great idea wasted on a man with no sense of humour?

Hope for 2025

https://youtu.be/2KyAUSqqmZY?si=L4EVKdEIqnqQ-00b

https://youtube.com/shorts/6HWv_4WaLwo?si=-yGMm6iD3FGXp595

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/why-labour-can-t-afford-to-lose-more-muslim-votes/ar-AA1wVkmU?ocid=msedgntphdr&cvid=642c4bc0f71b47da8b9b0c5e5999b851&ei=22

Judge sets date for Donald Trump's sentencing in hush money case, but signals no jail time

Judge Merchan signalled that he would sentence Trump to what is known as a conditional discharge, in which a case gets dismissed if a defendant avoids re-arrest.

But he's done NOTHING WRONG!

Your Thoughts?

I'm not starting a quiz here. I actually can't find the answer.
On a whisky bottle, what does MBa stand for?

World chess number one Magnus Carlsen has quit a major tournament after being told he could not carry on playing while wearing jeans.

The grandmaster said he had offered to change his trousers for the next day, but was fined and told he needed to change immediately.

He said he had been wearing jeans for a lunch meeting, and "didn't even think about" swapping them for a different pair of trousers when heading to the tournament.

He turned up wearing a shirt, blazer, dark jeans and dress shoes and played a few rounds before being asked to change.

In a statement, FIDE confirmed the 34-year-old was fined $200 (£159), and said its rules were applied "impartially".

They cited a case where another player was fined on the same day before changing his shoes...

https://youtu.be/vcWmrDZOWBQ?si=noUkbmGuI2PBoZsR

“Do you know what” 😂

https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/hundreds-of-different-dinosaur-footprints-discovered-in-uks-oxfordshire/cid/2075042

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14242739/Russia-fines-nightclub-revellers-looking-gay.html

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H-NO23TPIA

But not seriously hurt 😢

https://www.itv.com/news/2025-01-03/father-of-murdered-schoolgirl-sara-sharif-attacked-in-prison

For those who are interested in avoiding the economic disaster that is being inflicted upon us, there was a well crafted article in Last Saturday's Daily Mail by John Redman.
It is in the form of a letter to Rachel Reeves in which he explains what is wrong and why(supported by fact) and giving sound advice (again supported by fact) indicating how it can be rectified. Well worth reading and I would post a link if I knew how, sorry.

May I wish every member of this group a Happy and Prosperous New Year may all your wishes come true.
May I also suggest that you are prudent in what you wish for as you you may get it.

Women's Lib ? How's this for a game of soldiers ! Worse than the Stone Age.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/taliban-bans-windows-to-stop-women-from-being-seen-at-home/ar-AA1wL7vX?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=0b9959c891294c7f85927fa07870a233&ei=58

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1995352/elon-musk-jess-phillips-oldham

Funny too how those who were in control for fourteen years and did nothing now criticise those new in power for not doing what they did not do themselves

You couldn’t make it up

Seriously though Kia is recalling thousands of its electric cars

https://www.uniladtech.com/vehicles/car-news/kia-forced-recall-23000-cars-forgotten-bolt-seats-120136-20250102

Having forgetful workers isn’t a great advert 🙂

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/agnes-keleti-holocaust-survivor-and-oldest-living-olympic-gold-medallist-dies-at-103/ar-AA1wQO08?ocid=msedgntphdr&cvid=e1ff91fbb3ca4a31ec8c02a0146ab082&ei=91

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/romney-marsh/news/farage-to-flatten-tired-house-on-kent-coast-for-swanky-new-b-318008/

click on pic

The author Jaqueline Wilson gets the highest honour for her contribution to literature and Stephen Fry gets an award for his work with mental health

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-celebrates-unsung-heroes-and-community-champions-in-hm-the-kings-new-year-honours-list

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1995280/bashar-al-assad-poisoning-attempt-russia

The Met Office has issued a number of weather warnings for rain and wind across the UK and several New Year's Eve events including London fireworks including part of Edinburgh's Hogmanay activities have been cancelled.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/uk-ireland/new-years-eve-events-cancelled-34399557

It’s not an escaped canary

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14235737/Kent-village-extremely-rare-sighting-American-bird.html

https://theintercept.com/2024/12/28/trump-irs-billionaire-tax-returns-leak-charles-littlejohn/

https://liberalhistory.org.uk/events/whatever-happened-to-orpington-man/

Has Orpington Man moved to Clacton-on-Sea?

Your thoughts...

https://youtube.com/shorts/0QewqwJPDb0?si=vUvR67MEnl5PC73n

A nice article here by Gordon Brown - what a contrast between Carter and the greedy, dishonest nightmare that is Trump. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/dec/30/friend-jimmy-carter-remembered-statesmanship-public-service

"Dublin Airport's cafes served up more than 2.5 million cups of tea and coffee during 2024 to passengers - equating to a cup of tea or coffee being poured at the airport every 12 seconds.

New figures from airport operator daa also reveal that the bars in Dublin Airport sold more than 1.5 million pints of Guinness this year to passengers.

Meanwhile, Dublin Airport passengers ate a full Irish breakfast every minute on average during the year daa.

The top-selling crisp sold in the airport this year was Tayto, with more than 500,000 packets sold over the past 12 months.

When it comes to chocolate, Toblerone is the favourite of passengers, with a total of 72 tonnes of Toblerone sold this year - the equivalent of 72 family cars.

A total of 1.4 million passengers were set to travel through Dublin Airport this Christmas.

A total of 550 wedding and engagement rings were also handed in to the airport's lost and found department this year. More than 100 of those rings remain unclaimed, including many engagement rings, daa said."

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14236271/baby-boy-accidentally-suffocates-breast-feeding-sling.html?ico=related-replace

"House prices are not just a popular conservation topic, but a British obsession.

While it is easy to take the view that prices will keep rising in the long run, short-term sluggishness can still have a big impact on those with a pressing need to buy or sell.

Over the last 50 years, the average UK property price has risen from £9,139 in October 1974 to £292,059 as of October 2024, based on the latest Land Registry figures. That represents an average increase of more than 3,095 per cent.

If history were to repeat itself and house prices grew by the same levels over the next 50 years, that would mean the average UK home could cost over £9million in 2074."

Your thoughts?

We may get an additional bank holiday in 2025 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/extra-uk-bank-holiday-and-new-4-day-weekend-in-major-2025-shake-up/ar-AA1wDX4m?ocid=msedgntphdr&cvid=c0f1e7e0aee74462b607a0a9be9b9b73&ei=122

Sometimes I wonder !

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/southport-riots-police-missed-warning-signs/

A story purporting to have just happened popped up on my screen today and I thought it seemed familiar but not quite correct so I did some research - it came from 2009

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196479/Pictured-The-battered-bruised-face-burglar-got-wrong-72-year-old-boxer.html

As we were a little while ago I looked at this rehoming site, who claim to rehome half of those that need new homes

https://www.greyhoundtrust.org.uk/

Interesting to see their rehoming fee is a minimum of £190

Jimmy Carter passes away

https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2024/dec/29/jimmy-carter-death-president-reactions-latest-updates

When his own relationships are as messed up

https://youtube.com/shorts/yO1FYY0Gqgs?si=fFuzK1Qm8ZqczpEy

Musk, the perfect man? 😂

https://amp.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/17/pollution-exposure-linked-to-mental-health-hospital-admissions-says-study

But, like the teacher, would you know who he is?

https://youtube.com/shorts/Ba8RTFsMAQs?si=AcmYL5D6mF7JC37D

Another piece of trash stopped from scrounging health treatment here.
Let her get it in Russia where her despot husband is skulking with his stolen fortune.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/bashar-al-assad-s-wife-asma-barred-from-uk-for-potentially-lifesaving-cancer-treatment/ar-AA1wEW9H?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=e343573f7b354e7aada9f0f221e4f8fc&ei=36

A very interesting read

Is everything so ‘sneaky’ nowadays

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/nov/16/revealed-grassroots-campaigns-opposed-to-assisted-dying-financed-by-conservative-christian-pressure-groups

https://youtu.be/0-sV7U1KuGI?si=DC_LFfb1eDZ147L5

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=kinver+edge+cave+houses

As a child my Dad often said

"living in a jungle, living in a tent,
better than a pre-fab, pay no rent!"

Will you share memories of childhood housing?

He was chivvying me in the darkness before dawn as I put the rubbish out for collection earlier.

I'm using my coffee grinder to grate peanuts down to grain-size so he has several small personal feeding places away from the competition.

Also he'll still be feeding about now as dusk approaches, and often pops in for supper on a wall near the kitchen window.