Martin Blow

Helenium and phloxaholic, gardener, bee, bird and butterfly watcher.

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

@RichardBurgon Despite being a record low proportion in 2025, Trade Unions donated £2.56 million out of a total of £9.1million to Labour. Top 5 "Commerical magnates" donated £550K, £550K, £396K, £375K, £364K. Less than Reform but hardly squeaky clean.

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

@RachelReevesMP I thought Marcus Rashford was paying for this?

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

@theDemonGash @LeilaniDowding are you bonkers? Of course they pay tax

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

@StephenR97680 @Jenny_1884 @6117CH When I made NI "contributions" the government used it for general spending meaning somewhere along the line they didn't need to borrow for pay for that spending, effectively giving my contributions an investment value equivalent to the average 10yr bond rate over 40 years.

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

@TheAndyBullock @GuidoFawkes @patmcfaddenmp make that all MPs and I'll vote for that.

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

@StephenR97680 @Jenny_1884 @6117CH So if I've paid in £170,000 and government borrowing rates over that time averaged 5.1% then my contribution is around £536,000 giving you and your generation a free dividend of £374,000. This is assumes that my contributions helped the government borrow less

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

@goodfoodgal She actually says in her first sentence it's "reprioritisations" and "offsets". Meaning it's all being spent elsewhere and net savings equal zero she just doesn't want to say out loud she lied.

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

@louderry Nothing to do with the miners then?

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

@Artemisfornow Convicted fraudster in charge of the National Purse. Novel approach but hey why not cut out the middleman.

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

@richardcutting9 @StuartMaggs The evolutionary point of families is to protect children and preserve capital. The socialist idea that there's no such thing as the family is counterevolutionary.

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

@afneil But failed ministers need EU commission jobs and pensions

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

@LizWebsterSBF @AndyBurnhamGM @afneil The winnings were spent on the NHS money pit

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

Single or Double?

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

A pair of Shelduck. Regular visitors to a newish farmland pond on our daily constitutional.

[Plant Hunters Fairs @Plantfairs]

It's less than 5 weeks until the plant fair season starts at @SouthwMinster

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

For those worried about their gas bill, give a thought to rural households whose heating oil bills have tripled in the last year - that's a 200% increase and that's down the peak 300% increase earlier in the summer. We have no price protection and get no bailouts

[Plant Hunters Fairs @Plantfairs]

Here's the brilliant line up for
@Middleton_H_G #plantfair on Sunday 21 Aug incl
@ChickenStreet @CGFBrown @hooksgreenherbs @PottertonRob @primrosebank @shadyplantscom @helenium_uk
@thegobbett @TissingtonN
Tickets are going fast!

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

Leucanthemums are coming into their own now. I must admit to being a sucker for the pure white or pale yellow of their flowers. I don't like the newer dumpy short ones so much as the older tall varieties.

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

The variety "Charlotte" is supposed to be pinker, but any difference is difficult to discern. The white variety is rather grubby. The pink-flowered species Mongolensis is tall and unruly in good soil - treat it mean to get the best of out it.

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

Kalimeris incisa Blue Star
An unsung relative of Asters, (common name: Korean Aster), Kalimeris do a brilliant job of providing continuity in a planting over a long season from midsummer.

[Martin Blow @helenium_uk]

"Blue Star" isn't particularly blue, more bluish-pink or pinkish-blue depending on the light conditions but is an upright bushy plant that gets on with it without complaint.