Denise R 💙

Theatre and concert goer, book lover and dog walker. Worked at CPRC and BWPI on global development

[Sama Hoole @SamaHoole]

Hector went down with colic on Thursday night, and Nelson, who has never hurried in his life, walked the yard with him for an hour and a half.

The farmer found him at ten, pawing, looking round at his own flank, dropping down and getting up again, which in a horse means his gut has stopped and you ring the vet and you walk him. You walk him so he does not roll, because a horse that rolls with a twisted gut can finish himself, and you walk him because walking sometimes shifts it, and you walk him because it is the only thing you can do and standing there is worse. The vet was forty minutes away.

So the farmer put a headcollar on seventeen hands of trembling Cavalry Black and led him out of the shelter, round the yard, under the light, and the horse, who has walked in step beside a man for seventeen years, walked in step beside a man, with sweat coming through the thick new coat and his eye white at the corner.

Nelson came out of the shelter behind them.

A donkey walks when there is a reason to walk, and the reason is usually grass. He had been in his dry corner, in the straw, with the night exactly as he likes it, and he came out into the yard without being called, fell in on the horse's off side, and walked.

The farmer did one lap. The donkey did one lap. The farmer did twenty laps and the donkey did twenty laps, at the horse's pace, two feet from his shoulder, and did not stop, and did not graze, and did not once look at the gate. When Hector tried to go down, the donkey was in the way. Not pushing. Standing where the horse wanted to drop, so the horse had to stay up.

The vet came at twenty to eleven. He put a needle in the neck and the thing eased inside half an hour, which it usually does when it is going to, and Hector passed a load in the corner of the yard that the farmer said was the finest thing he had ever seen a horse do.

The vet asked how long the donkey had been walking.

The farmer said since ten.

The vet said in twenty years he had seen a lot of people walk a colic and had never once seen anything else do it.

By midnight Hector was eating hay, carefully, with Nelson next to him. The donkey had walked further in ninety minutes than he walks in a week, and he went back into the straw and lay down without looking at anybody.

The farmer went in and sat at the kitchen table in his coat for a while. He is not a man who sits at the kitchen table in his coat.

A horse has never asked that donkey for anything. The donkey has never been given an order. Somewhere in there they have come to an arrangement, and on Thursday night it was walking.

[Malcolm & Baby Dog @Malcolm_theCat]

Friends! We’ve all made it to Friday, so how about a #MalcysMindfulMoments to finish off the week? Our Cherry Tree bloomed overnight and it looks beautiful. Baby Dog and I went out into the Garden to enjoy it. Turn your sound up high!
Oh, and please share for us - we are being hammered by the algorithm at the moment and people aren’t seeing us - thank you ❤️ #cats #dogs

[Denise R 💙 @DeeRedston]

@ThatEricAlper Astral Weeks

[Paul Bronks @SlenderSherbet]

"Well this is coming down"

📷: Lily and Holmes, owners of Kristy Everington

[Larry the Cat @Number10cat]

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree. Ate it.

[Malcolm & Baby Dog @Malcolm_theCat]

Friends! Happy 1st December! We were all up early to open our Advent Calendars - sent to us by our gorgeous friend Jasper @suzdavies13 It’s so exciting! I am the absolute pro at opening Advent Calendars (and even knew which one was mine) so Mum has to keep them out of my reach during the day! 🎅🏻
Friends, if you see this post today (and every day) please hit SHARE for us. So many are no longer seeing our posts and we really need your help - thank you ❤️

[Malcolm & Baby Dog @Malcolm_theCat]

Friends! We have been having some problems with our account over the last few days with our content being restricted. Yesterday the lowest number of people in years saw our post. It’s very sad for us. So if you enjoy our content, please could we ask you to help us today by reposting, commenting (you can just say hello) and liking this photo? Ron has his paws crossed. Thank you! 🧡

[O2 Apollo Manchester @O2ApolloManc]

NEW 🙌 @realdarylhall is a modern-day renaissance man, an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the star of his very own award-winning web series, ‘Live from Daryl’s House’.

Here on Fri 23 May, priority tickets available from Wed 22 Jan 10am; https://t.co/2JmzHgDPWh

[Denise R 💙 @DeeRedston]

@TiggyWalker @BBCRadio2 We did raise a glass. Johnnie’s listeners thought of him as a friend and were lucky to have him in our lives, from the pirate days to his last broadcast. Will be very much missed. So sorry for your loss.

[Carl Bovis @CarlBovisNature]

Goldfinch and cherry Blossom 😍😀
It's Friday... please do what you do! 🙏😉🐦

[UNDP Bangladesh @UNDP_BD]

Nishat Majumder, the first Bangladeshi woman to conquer #MountEverest, set an inspiring example of courage & determination. As part of the #16DaysOfActivism campaign, we begin with her story to inspire others. Listen, share, and be motivated.
#NoExcuse

[Carl Bovis @CarlBovisNature]

Great Tit and berries! 😍
It's Friday... you know what to do! 😉🙏😀🐦♥️

[Put The Telly On @putthetellyon]

“Walk into the future with our heads held high…. God bless you.”

And with that into Amazing Grace, legendary DJ Peter Waters Dingley aka Johnnie Walker bows out after 58 years.

Great to have safe hands in Bob Harris taking over.

#soundsofthe70s #JohnnieWalker #Radio2

[Andy Walmsley @Radiojottings]

"Take good care of yourself, and those you love. And maybe walk into the future with our heads held high and happiness in our hearts". #JohnnieWalker

[Denise R 💙 @DeeRedston]

@TiggyWalker @piratejw @WhisperingBob @BBCRadio2 Listening to Johnnie has been part of my life since his Radio Caroline days and ‘Warm and tender love’ goodnight spot. He will be greatly missed, had a tear in my eye today. I wish you both well x

[Carl Bovis @CarlBovisNature]

As it's Friday, I'm asking all my followers to please retweet (and comment) on this post if you see it, to help my bird account be seen! 🙏😀
To make it worth sharing, here's a Robin in song from Woolacombe in North Devon. 😍🐦
Thank you very much! 📷 😊♥️

[Carol Vorderman @carolvorders]

Boris Johnson, lying narcissist, faces ‘serious questions’ over new firm "Better Earth" with uranium boss after he FAILED to disclose he met a uranium lobbyist while PM.

Firm employs Charlotte Owen - plonked into Lords for no reason

Nothing to see here😡 https://t.co/fcgXg16ovC

[Public Libraries News @publiclibnews]

“I’ve seen these guys help people who don’t speak English print off a form for a visa ... Then they’ll patiently help someone who’s homeless. Then they’ll help me with my inquiry about a book, * they’ll know all about it. And they’re grossly underpaid.” https://t.co/qF6XWxQGEM

[Carl Bovis @CarlBovisNature]

As it's Friday, I'm asking all my followers to please retweet (and comment) on this post if you see it, to help my bird account be seen!🙏♥️
To make it worth sharing, here's a close encounter with a gorgeous female Kestrel on the cliffs at Brean Down!😍🐦
Thank you very much!😊

[Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy]

PCBs have been leaking from a former landfill site in Cheshire for 50 years.

Read this absolute catalogue of failure from the authorities to take effective action to stop it. There was even an ITV documentary exposing it... in 1989!!

https://t.co/QoOMKlr4Nm