@Matt_Pinner It’s a turnip and what my poor mum carved for us at Halloween when pumpkins weren’t a thing in Northern Ireland. A white household candle and some string and the smell of cooking turnip when lit I can still smell it
@theblackcatsays It’s the hardest thing to do but also the kindest. My heart breaks for you and your family and ngl I still shed a tear 4 yrs after letting our 14yo labradoodle sleep. Sending hugs xx
@WeeRascal Aw Del so so sorry for the loss of your dear mum now. No more suffering and now with your dad but doesn’t make the pain in loosing them both any easier. Sending much love to your family x
Dutch volleyball player Steven Van de Velde debuted at the Paris Olympics today.
Why does this matter?
Because he was convicted of repeatedly RAPING a 12-year-old girl he met online while he was an adult.
Van de Velde travelled to her home in England, plied her with alcohol, then raped her several times at home as well as in a nearby lake.
His victim would eventually go on to self-harm and once overdosed, while Van de Velde was sentenced to four years in prison for three counts of child rape.
Yet — because of a treaty between the Netherlands and UK — he was transferred home to serve his sentence.
Once back in the Netherlands, the government adjusted his conviction from rape to “fornication” in line with Dutch law, and released Van de Velde after just 13 months.
The Dutch Volleyball Association allowed him to resume his career as a beach volleyball player, and continues to support him and downplay his heinous crimes as he heads to Paris to compete in the 2024 Olympics.
Since his release, Van de Velde has shown a callous disregard for his child victim and a total lack of remorse for his crimes.
Indeed, he instead complained about "all the nonsense" reporting on his crime in the media and claimed that the term pedophile did not apply to him.
Meanwhile, the Dutch Volleyball Federation and Dutch Olympic Committee have expressed their full support for Van de Velde, ignoring the widespread criticism and backlash for their decision to include him in the Olympic squad.
The Dutch national team is touting a convicted pedophile as one of their country’s great sporting heroes.
This goes beyond competition.
This is about morality and justice.
A child rapist should be shunned by society, not placed on a pedestal and paraded around on the world’s largest stage.
Shame on Van de Velde.
Shame on the Netherlands.
Shame on the IOC.
Check out this cool footage of six-time World Champion and @PataYamahaWSBK rider @jonathanrea on board the new XSR900 GP at the North West 200!
#Yamaha#NW200#UKBikers
@thismorning I think the this morning team should not be promoting the high frequency at home tool as there are a lot of contraindications to using it. None of these were mentioned while it was being used this morning on Alison. Itv this morning you can do better than this