The Daily Mail turned a Christian company’s dubious claims about Turkey’s Durupınar Formation into a wildly misleading story

Dr Jo with a Commoner’s Muck bookclub post, and we set out to follow our rivers.

Officials still investigating death of Tasia Fortune, a Black woman, a day after man’s arrest in relation to killing

The regime can’t stop losing

Alexandra Hall Hall examines how, in the race to make huge sums of money, US sports are becoming joyless, ruthless, and exploitative, crushing the spirits of many young players

Another quiet day in my life, which is perfect. Drama and me don’t mix. So here are some quirky photos of the sheep. All of them except for Dahlia, who wouldn’t come home, preferring to spend her evening/night with Fivla and Vitamin, my two ancient Shetland ponies. First there is Harrel the Barrel, who has grown up into a big boy. Equal thug and charmer when he wants something. He always wants something. ‘Ster, who is quite aged now – around 11 years old. He likes a quiet life, enjoys his extra breakfast and doesn’t want hassle. Madge (you remember, Edna’s daughter) – I am still determined to tame down. One of these days she will talk to me but that day has not occurred yet and Hell has not frozen over. I remain the optimist. My beloved ‘Bert. Another old gentleman. One of the original three with ‘Ster and Lambie. He is a dear boy and an old soul. Gussie has also grown up into a solid chap. He is my right hand man, quite literally, if he is around he is always next to my hand so I know he’s there. I like that. Dear little Maggie, Harrel’s mother and such a sweetie. She is always torn between being Dahlia’s best friend or Gussie’s girlfriend. She likes attention and food, in that order. And lastly, of course, there is a very long-in-the-tooth Lambie who has teeth like a pirate nowadays. But he is old and I forgive him everything. Much as I would love to say he is always next to me, he mostly isn’t as I threaten to hug him a lot. And whose your favourite? ❤️ ### Share this: * * * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp * Tweet * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * ### Like this: Like Loading… * * * ### Discover more from My Shetland Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe

It is always me, me, me with Monster. Never anyone else. He was on full annoying-cat mode yesterday afternoon while I was trying to work. He got in the way, he wanted attention, he wanted what I was working on and he wanted to take up as much space as possible and I wanted him to stop. “Am I in your way?” “Yes you are, mate!” So, realising he wasn’t going to stop or go away, I cleared a space at the end of my table (which is not easy) and encouraged Monster to go and look out of the window. He shuffled off grudgingly. And eventually Monster settled and I thought that was it and got on with my work, again. But Monster wasn’t going to enjoy himself, (as long as I knew) or settle. He had other plans for me. After a bit more annoying, and getting in the way, I evicted Monster from my work table telling him it was his basket or nothing now. I could take no more. Yes, I could’ve let him out but Pepper was itching to follow and run away. So, Monster grudgingly (again – he does a good grudge) chose the basket. It was a snug fit but at least he gave me some much needed peace and quiet. Next time I’m not opening the door to my shed. I am too nice. ### Share this: * * * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp * Tweet * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * ### Like this: Like Loading… * * * ### Discover more from My Shetland Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe

With the cub hunting season having recently started, one of the Warwickshire Hunts first cub hunting meets was the recent meet at Little Hill Farm in Wellesbourne, owned by the pro hunt Hutsby Family.

Oh, crikey, where to start. This morning , no Kolka appeared for her breakfast. Haakon and friends denied all knowledge (useless lot). So Floss and I set off with Kolka’s bucket and found her lying down, motionless tangled up miles away in the back fence. She had been there some time and was slowly giving up. We tried to untangle the fence, but it was no good – her hoof was stuck tightly in the wire. I told Floss to go back and get some fence-wire cutters. It was a long wait – it’s a long way, and I stayed with Kolka telling her we would do this and she must keep going and live. (Flossie sensibly asked OH for the right wire-cutters and brought them back to me.) Once we had cut all the wire around and free’ed Kolka’s back hooves, Floss and I tried to get her up but she couldn’t. She had dug a hole with the fronts, was exhausted and now starting to leave us – shaking and her eyes were dull. Floss went back (and it’s a very long walk) to get some rope and OH. While Floss was gone, I moved Kolka’s back legs to prove to her that they were free and then I had an idea – to put Kolka’s bucket in front of her for inspiration. That did it and after many, many attempts she weakly stood up. Her last bit of effort. I held Kolka’s bucket and she ate unsteadily while the Cavalry (OH and Floss) arrived. We let Kolka get her bearings, settle and think. She was still very unsteady but she had a determination I knew was still in there. We walked slowly over the hill, through the back gate and into the field. The long walk actually did Kolka good and she got used to her legs working. She also did two poo’s which was encouraging. The others came to meet her. Useless lot, I told them, again. Once home, painkillers, anti-inflammatories, another bucket and I washed Kolka’s legs, examined them and sprayed with antibiotic spray. I also put a rug on her as she was still shaking. She spent her morning around the house, resting and eating with Haakon and Iacs for company. Monika from Sandness Equine Services kindly visited for Jin Shin Jyutsu healing (a huge thank you). This afternoon, I dithered, worried and decided to put the horses in the shed – it was raining sporadically. I wanted Kolka to rest as much as possible. The boys had to go too, for company. I had been to the vet and got antibiotic injections too and more painkillers. He is very aware of the situation. The haynets are not really being touched, but I am giving the horses fibre-block every 2 hours to keep their guts going and Kolka will get another painkiller and a probiotic tonight too. The next few days will be worrying. Kolka is stiff, sore and really feeling it. The possibility of colic is not ruled out either so thoughts and prayers for Kolka, please. Everything you’ve got. (The nursing staff are also on-call – ready and waiting.) ### Share this: * * * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp * Tweet * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * ### Like this: Like Loading… * * * ### Discover more from My Shetland Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe

Students won. Trump lost again. Ohio got its vote. Five more wins inside.

Shift the Atmosphere ignored repeated warnings about consent and privacy before accusing Burning Man of targeting Christians

The agency said on Friday that Tate and his brother coerced a victim by pretending to be in a loving relationship and then forcing her to produce pornographic material for an online webcam business.

Disposal of live waste on a ‘game farm’

Kate Koval departed the program “to remain true to myself, my values and my country.”

The UK Government is poised to open a public consultation on the welfare implications of the mass breeding of gamebirds, according to an article published by _The Guardian_ this afternoon (see here). This consultation has been anticipated, after the Labour Government included it in its Animal Welfare Strategy which was published in December 2025 (see here). What isn’t clear, to me anyway, is whether this consultation also includes evidence-gathering for the option of licensing gamebird shooting and releases, which was promised separately in the Government’s Land Use Framework for England, published in March this year (see here). Today’s article in _The Guardian_ jumps seamlessly between the two issues and gives the impression of a single consultation covering both issues, rather than two separate consultations. I couldn’t find any notice of a consultation on Defra’s website, so I guess the announcement is imminent and we’ll find out the extent of it when it’s actually published. I was invited to provide a comment for _The Guardian_ ‘s piece today. I told the journalist that yes, there is plenty of evidence documenting the failure of animal welfare considerations for the mass breeding and rearing of gamebirds and it is definitely worthy of attention for the benefit of those individual birds. However, I also pointed out that addressing those welfare concerns was a bit like treating the symptoms but not the cause. Putting an end to the rearing and annual release in to the countryside of an estimated 60 million non-native game birds for shooting should be the government’s focus. If they stopped that, then the associated welfare issues, as well as the many environmental issues and wildlife crimes associated with the gamebird shooting industry would also be sorted. _The Guardian_ article can be read here. ### Share this: * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky *

#13 Eye on the Wild

For the Byline Podcast, Siobhán Vipond, Executive Vice President of the Canadian Labour Congress, discusses the latest Trump tariffs and how Canadians are responding to economic aggression

As reported in our previous article former Warwickshire huntsman Will Goffe has been charged with Common Assault.

This morning started as it always does – feeding all the animals. In the distance, Flossie and I could hear some sharp barking, so assumed that Pepper and Ted had found someone to hassle that lived in the dry-stone walls surrounding the garden. It could be anything, I ignorantly told myself. When we had finished our outside chores, I called the dogs inside and it was then the smell came in with them. Dear God. The smell of polecat. The someone they had been shouting at had had revenge in the worst possible way and I now had two dogs that could not have stunk any worse. I wanted to move house, start again so I could leave the smell behind me. Into the bath Ted and then Pepper both went and Floss and I thoroughly washed them. Hopefully the smell has gone. I keep sniffing around the house, just in case we didn’t get it all off because you just never know. And now we have two hopefully fragrant, wee dugs, if slightly damp. Neither are sorry about this. Not even slight remorse. I have to stop letting them outside together in case they go back for Round 2. And Monster slept through it all. He did not involve himself in such revolting and earthy pursuits. That’s for lesser mortals. Meanwhile I was ranting that I hadn’t even had my breakfast! ### Share this: * * * Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email * Share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads * Print (Opens in new window) Print * Share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky * Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp * Tweet * Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * * Share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon * ### Like this: Like Loading… * * * ### Discover more from My Shetland Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email. Type your email… Subscribe