Barry Centricsubdivision

Close photograph of a bright green liverwort bryophyte, Crescent-cup Liverwort (Lunularia cruciata), growing in a small patch on damp bare soil beside a woodland path. The plant forms flat rounded plates called a thallus rather than stems and leaves. Several of these plates overlap on the soil surface. On top of it sit distinctive crescent-shaped cups (gemma cups) with raised rims. Inside the cups are clusters of tiny green discs called gemmae, these are small clones of the parent plant. When rain falls into the cups it splashes the gemmae out onto nearby soil where they grow into new plants. The thallus surface appears smooth and slightly glossy, with a faint speckled pattern from tiny air pores. The liverwort grows among small moss shoots and damp soil particles on the shaded woodland floor.

Crescent-cup Liverwort (Lunularia cruciata) was vibrant in the woods yesterday.

The crescent cups with their raised rims hold tiny plant clones called gemmae. Rain splashes them onto the soil where they grow into new plants.

tinyurl.com/mr3f8e93

#bryophyte #liverwort

Screenshot of BBC headline "Failed asylum seeker families to be offered up to £40k to leave UK" - 5 March 2026

Screenshot of the Guardian headline "BNP would offer non-white Britons £50,000 to leave UK, says Nick Griffin" - 2010

"Families of failed asylum seekers will be offered up to £40,000 to leave the UK under a trial scheme announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood"

Sounds familiar

"BNP would offer non-white Britons £50,000 to leave UK, says Nick Griffin" - 2010

“The historic function of fascism is to smash the working class, destroy its organizations, and stifle political liberties when the capitalists find themselves unable to govern and dominate with the help of democratic machinery.”

– Leon Trotsky, ‘Fascism, what it is and how to fight it’

We know folk helping with immediate mutual aid for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. It’s a really dire and scary situation, massively appreciate any donations.

us22.campaign-archive.com?u=68b1477765...

paypal.me/lanabarake

A tiny circular yellow-green plant growing out of a grey rocky medium. The plant has a dotted colouration, and an oval hole in the middle through which a new pair of leaves is visible.

A tiny circular yellow-green plant growing out of a grey rocky medium. The plant has a dotted colouration, and an oval hole in the middle through which a new pair of leaves is visible.

Sown two years ago on the 8th March 2024, Lithops lesliei f. albinica is now 10 mm across and forming a new pair of leaves. #Lithops

Top tip: if you're in the market for a new vacuum cleaner, don't get a Dyson — get a Shark instead. The build quality is better, they're significantly less expensive, and best of all, you're not putting any money in James Dyson's pocket.

You're right about Dyson (the man and the machine). The build quality is shocking (nasty brittle components), and all too soon the device only sucks in the pejorative sense. Went for a Numatic - robust and reliable.

Lovely shot!
Keep meaning to climb Yewbarrow some day, but it's not easy to reach via public transport 🙄.

To Wasdale

The man is in dire need of a heroic dose of mushrooms in order to restore contact with reality. However, he is exceedingly unlikely to do anything heroic.

I predict a Green wave in the local elections. Anyone who thinks our byelection win was an outlier is mistaken | Zack Polanski Since the Gorton and Denton victory, I have travelled the UK and seen the energy that result unleashed. More will follow, says Zack Polanski, leader of the Green party

"We saw that change in Gorton and Denton – and that result unlocked a new level of confidence for potential Green voters that they can truly vote for what they want and get it."

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

It's an unfamiliar scenario - having something to vote *for* rather than against. Bucking the rule that we're only permitted to choose from the worst that humanity has to offer.

•Schubert's lieder (all of them - they just set my teeth on edge).
•One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez ("magical realism" annoys the hell out of me).
•The paintings of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who spent a lifetime flogging his lone idea.

I predict a Green wave in the local elections. Anyone who thinks our byelection win was an outlier is mistaken | Zack Polanski Since the Gorton and Denton victory, I have travelled the UK and seen the energy that result unleashed. More will follow, says Zack Polanski, leader of the Green party

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Indeed - quite hypnotic, if one is in the right frame of mind. Inconsequential celebrity anecdote - my other half proudly asserts that Steve Davis once dropped a loaf of bread onto her head.

There is “no evidence that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is overdiagnosed in the UK” and the condition could even be “underdiagnosed”, a team of experts has said

www.itv.com/news/2026-03...

Bookshop, sun on fells beyond, blue sky above

Weekend bookshop sunshine in Grasmere and new books flooding onto the bookshelves.

Seeing mention of the Hays Code and talk of film censorship in my feed brought to mind one of my favorite Fred Allen quips:

"The British Board of Censors will not pass any seduction scene unless the seducer has one foot on the floor. Apparently sex in England is something like snooker."

Very much like snooker, especially at my age. I frequently need a rest (but tend to eschew waistcoats).

Lovely leucojums! I'm in full agreement on the restorative power of just getting out of the house and contemplating nature. Nothing to beat it (when the weather is kind!).

I love taking photos of nature. I’m not necessarily very good at it but it gives me joy. Just the act of stoping and taking the time to take the photo makes a difference to my day. That pause to enjoy beauty and appreciate the opportunity to witness it, especially during tough times.

American B-1 bombers are landing on British soil before flying off to bomb Iran, yet Keir Starmer gaslights the nation by claiming the UK isn’t at war.

These aircraft are dropping 2,000lb bombs on schools, hospitals and homes in Iran, where the death toll has already surpassed 1,300.

Labour urged to listen to progressive voters or face ‘political earthquake’ in London Exclusive: Senior party figures share data suggesting Green surge could put Labour in fourth place in capital in May

They won't. They are going to get shafted. They are going to deserve it. And it's going to be hilarious.

I sincerely hope that they remain unmoved by progressive points of view, as I can't bear the thought of them continuing their reign of cruelty and spite.

It's tough to think of anyone for whom both of these conditions hold:
a) They would do the job well and improve the lives of the many
b) I dislike them enough to wish the job upon them

How to Slay a Demon in 7 Easy Steps! Beginning an article with an apology is arguably poor style - so here it is. I'm sorry about the obvious clickbait title, and for the fact that it is misleading in several respects: The content is not...

Like you, I have been plagued by depression since my teens. I'm so glad to hear that you have found effective help and relief from the torture.
I'm now > 60, and have belatedly found ways of coping. In case it's of interest, I wrote about it (sorry - LinkedIn!):
www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-sl...

Some people have asked me why I talk about something so personal. I'll tell you why. Crippling depression makes you feel like you are so damn alone. I don't want anyone else to feel that way. Men are especially conditioned to "suck it up"...don't talk about it.

That's a lie. TALK about it. Get help

Joseph Cotten.

A favorite co-star of Orson Welles and one of my favorite "under the radar" actors.

My art.

I've had some major bouts with depression in my life...becoming most acute in my mid teens. I've been fortunate enough to receive some excellent help when I needed it...from caring therapists and psychiatrists who found the best medication for me.

Get help if you need it. There is hope for us all.

The aurora two nights ago in Fairbanks, Alaska