Barbara Witkowski 💙🐇🌷🌱🦡

Fascinated by nature & happiest when outside surrounded by wildlife. Supporter of all living creatures & their right to live peacefully and unharmed. PA to a 🐈

[Barbara Witkowski 💙🐇🌷🌱🦡 @OntheR1se]

Setting up the @OxonBadgers stall at the @OxonWildRescue Winter Fayre in Benson Village Hall today. We're here from 10- 4 pm, come & say hello & support excellent #SmallBusiness Saturday stalls 🎄🦡#lovebadgers

[Barbara Witkowski 💙🐇🌷🌱🦡 @OntheR1se]

A little thing: so I think I'm hopping away from the grim of ruined Twitter with it's endless ads & now hard -to-find friends, to the beautiful blue butterfly. Where it's already lovely to find some of those friends & hopefully more will come over 🐦👋 https://t.co/wrww0jIXyF

[Firework Campaign @fireworkreform]

Excuse the swearing in this post but you’ll understand why I’m sure. This is a graphic demonstration of the damage fireworks can do to a dog. Thank goodness the poor thing recovered ok. @Keir_Starmer the evidence is clear, end the suffering and initiate #fireworklawchange

[OxTweets @OxTweets]

"@SunshineCatResc" Our Christmas Bazaar is this Sat 9 Nov at Milton-under-Wychwood Village Hall. Fab Christmas kitty bundles available, with a lovely bed and toy from @omlet Great stalls for gift shopping, refreshments (including cake!) available.
Hope to see you there!
…

[Sunshine Cat Rescue @SunshineCatResc]

Our Christmas Bazaar is this Sat 9 Nov at Milton-under-Wychwood Village Hall. Fab Christmas kitty bundles available, with a lovely bed and toy from @omlet Great stalls for gift shopping, refreshments (including cake!) available.
Hope to see you there!
#sunshinecats #oxfordshire

[Anne Louise Avery @AnneLouiseAvery]

Old Fox's Ghost Stories. Number Six: The Bear in the Chimney-pot Hat.
It was a gloomy, overcast day, lifted by the constant fall of dun-brown and golden and scarlet leaves and the flitting of little birds in the garden and along the lane - clouds of goldcrests and firecrests with feathers as bright as the turning trees. In Old Fox's cottage, all was calm and safe and snug. At teatime, he lit a great fire in the enormous stone hearth in the drawing room, and everyone settled in for the evening.
Sitting under a pile of eiderdowns, a plate of Bath buns and chocolate cake to paw, Wolf was telling ghost stories, tales of the "Village Haunters", as he called them. After a series of very gory and very frightening vignettes of sinister devils and headless highwayman and white ladies dripping in blood and pondweed, Wolf suddenly said, "Do you want to hear of a nice ghost, there are some you know. Not many, but one or two hereabouts." "Yes, please," said Babcia and Grandcub and Pine Marten and Old Fox in unison, for the high, turreted horror of Wolf's accounts was getting a bit much for them all, particularly Pine Martin.
"Back in the '50s, there was a Bear who lived in that big house next door but one to the Doctor's, the one by the street lamp. He was an extremely wealthy bear and he gave bags o' those riches to dozens upon dozens of charities, all kinds of charities – distressed sailors, impoverished widows, elderly mice, down-at-heel actors, discharged prisoners, confirmed invalids, almshouses and 'spitals and benevolent funds, all manner of the destitute and the hopeless and the poor.
"And it weren't just money with him, he was known as the kindest, most courteous bear of the county - a noble bear, a gentle bear, a bear of refinement. He was always very smart in his attire too, he said it was a mark of respect to others. Used to wear one of those tall black silk hats, the ones that engineer fellow wore, what are they called..."
"A Chimney-pot hat," said Old Fox.
"That's the one. Anyhow, when he died, he didn't stop being of help in a small way – no longer in his corporals, he had to improvise. About a month after his funeral, villagers suddenly found doors being opened when they were burdened with parcels, or a sudden push when they were stepping out in front of a cart without looking, or a bolt drawn shut at night, when they'd forgotten to lock up. Still happens today. Miss Rabbit said that she'd been getting the weekly shop last Thursday, and could hardly carry it all, and the door swung ajar before her. That heavy old door. For a brief moment, she saw the shadow of a large bear with a tall hat cast on the pavement, before it faded away."
"Now, that is precisely the sort of phantom we all need," said Old Fox, spreading some honey on his toast. "A good soul! A very good soul! A true Victorian gentle bear!"

[Barbara Witkowski 💙🐇🌷🌱🦡 @OntheR1se]

It's a balmy 16 C sunny autumn morning. Queen bumblebees are on the wing and there's a frog croaking in the parish pond overflow pipe.

[Sam Cannon Art @SamCannonArt]

If you enjoy seeing my pictures and could live with having 12 of my paintings on your wall next year, I have calendars! And a page dedicated to them on that place that's everything samcannonart (uk).

[Sam Cannon Art @SamCannonArt]

At this time of year, I paint little pictures that are ideal as gifts.
Though I could paint them onto watercolour paper, I like to make life difficult for myself and paint them onto hand made paper from Thailand.
It's bumpy. It bleeds. You can't rub out mistakes. I love it.

[Oxon Badgers @OxonBadgers]

Our badger group is run completely by volunteers. Check out what some of our amazing rescue team got up to in 2023.

#Brocktober

[Science Oxford @scienceoxford]

October's #NationalBadgerDay turned our Outdoor Learning & Estates Manager Roger's thoughts to #badgers. His latest blog talks about our badger residents, their vaccinations with @oxonbadgers & how they will benefit from recent news from government. https://t.co/bfgzUJoXlo

[Oxon Badgers @OxonBadgers]

Just a reminder that it’s our AGM this Saturday and we have the brilliant Luke Waclawek from @OxonWildRescue as a speaker.

All welcome but only members can vote.

https://t.co/1oJSNoAjY1

#Brocktober

[Barbara Witkowski 💙🐇🌷🌱🦡 @OntheR1se]

Blue skies, sunshine, warmth & a south-easterly breeze have combined to call swallows to migrate in quantity today. Another two groups have flown south overhead in the last hour. Go safely and bring Spring with you when you return.

[Barbara Witkowski 💙🐇🌷🌱🦡 @OntheR1se]

Six swallows flew over me and away due south. Early morning start to an epically long journey. Go safely little ones, you'll be so welcome back next year. Meanwhile a flock of blue tits is threading through the hedge grubbing out insects.

[Barbara Witkowski 💙🐇🌷🌱🦡 @OntheR1se]

@WriterHannahBT Yes! Four have just flown over me just west of Oxford and heading south. Good luck little souls🌞

[Oxon Badgers @OxonBadgers]

Great to support @BadgerTrust outside Parliament today calling on the Government to #endthecull now.

Not in 5 years as they have stated.

[“Mrs T” 🌳 🍃 Basil & Mia 😺😺 @Treespers42]

Which side are you on? Add your name to the petition calling on the UK government to ban the use of pesticides on the streets, parks and playgrounds of our villages, towns and cities. https://t.co/bihuXwizFL #GoPesticideFree

[Barbara Witkowski 💙🐇🌷🌱🦡 @OntheR1se]

@Hedgewatchers Oh thank you @Hedgewatchers HQ! Mollie's a keen conservationist (especially as she's a house cat ATM) and keeps a close eye on all the habitats around her 🤣

[Barbara Witkowski 💙🐇🌷🌱🦡 @OntheR1se]

Mollie isn't an official #Hedgewatch member yet, but she's learning the ropes from her sisfurs and has settled in for a long morning of supervising the summer clip & advising "Keep enough cover for the sparrows, their fledglings can't fly far yet!".

[Barbara Witkowski 💙🐇🌷🌱🦡 @OntheR1se]

@starbuckssue Thank mew very much 😺 I enjoy supawvising hedge maintenance and I can see the bird feeders now the hedge is out of the way 😸