Sure, it’s worth talking about the effectiveness of particular measures in the face of climate change, but targeting a 10% net gain in biodiversity should mean just that, an overall gain. It will fail if we focus on the visibility of policy choices instead of measuring the results.

“If swift bricks … bat boxes or hedgehog highways [became] a tick box exercise [they might not] be added to the Biodiversity Net Gain metric” = we’re not going to act to slow plummeting biodiversity because we might not get any credit for whatever impact these measures have. Very poor thinking …

Eek! Have you noticed many chemtrails over your house recently? (*)

Hope you’re starting to get back to normal now.

(*) Note to other respondents: please don’t take this comment seriously; I’m well aware that contrails are actually the breath of angels exhaling in wonder at human ingenuity.

Why, thank you!

Ex-prince Andrew,
Now a common man, drew
Unfortunate attention
To himself in a TV interview, which made us all question why he wasn’t in detention.

I don't think any of them have managed to sneak past me into the darkened house, but one or two have got close, and I can't quite shake the suspicion that I may come across a small living glow-in-the-dark skeleton somewhere in the house later tonight.

So, at least 90 underage ghouls treated so far in 20 groups (it's hard to know exactly how many of them there are when it's dark and all you can see is what's in front of your beak.

Everyone should have a black gown in their wardrobe. Mine's been there for 45 years.

No children have been harmed in the making of this Hallowe'en. Yet.

I like to think so. Welcome to the lair of THE LORD PENGUIN !!

… and so, darkness falls …

Yes, ready …

I think we’re ready for the trick-or-treaters … The pale round things are potatoes. With spiders.

This is not a reply

but I note that tickets are still available
for the performance in Brighton
next Thursday,

which is puzzling,

and I may have to check my diary
to see whether I can help to rectify that.

“Select all squares containing authors appearing in the Hay Festival” - CAPTCHA in the Wye

They’ve reached the stage of play where banished players no longer reveal what they did during the game.

… which is exactly what I was about to say.

Ah, you mean 16:40. Getting fractious at teatime.

Why, thank you, Mr U!