Notices by Heather (callunavulgaris@mastodon.scot)

Wanted: children to rear harvest mice at home for wild release in Devon | Wildlife | The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/oct/07/children-harvest-mice-wild-release-devon-uk

Hot on the heels of the cinnabar moth we saw recently, we now have a scarlet tiger moth in our garage. #moths #UKNature

Stolen from @Funktious as I thought it was such a great idea: a thread of all the books I read in a year.

Leonard and Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession, read for a #bookgroup that unanimously loved it. Set in modern day Ireland, it's a contemplative and gently humorous story of two men who in their own ways don't fit in to the world. It's lovely, and quite different in tone to the TV adaptation that treats them as a couple of kooky misfits. They are so much more than that. #books #bookstodon 🧵1

House of Splinters by Laura Purcell, a proof copy. I enjoyed this as I'm increasingly enjoying slightly spooky stories with a gentle supernatural element. It's set in the C18th and follows the events of a family moving into the family seat and facing up to the events of the past. I liked the protagonist Belinda and thought LP hit just the right note of 'is she imagining it or is there really something going on?'. Recommended if the tone and subject matter appeals to you. #books #bookstodon 🧵2

Moonlight Express, Around the World by Night Train, by Monisha Rajesh, another publisher's proof. This recounts MR's journeys by night train all over the world and is a window into the night train subculture. It was interesting but maybe a bit long and I was keen to finish it. #books #trains #travel 🧵3

Don't Tell the Patient by Bill Inman. This is a cheat really as I've been reading it on + off for ages but finished it today. BI set up the yellow card scheme monitoring adverse reactions to prescribed drugs and worked in drug safety for 30yrs. This is a fascinating history, if a little leaden in style, and a real eye opener about the politics and finances involved, as well as going into incentivising GPs to prescribe new drugs. We aren't told enough about this as patients #books #bookstodon 🧵4

The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller. Bought for a book group meeting that I had to bale on. I loved this! Set in the snow of early 1963, it follows two couples both expecting their first child. It's mainly about relationships of all sorts, where people come from and how realistic or not their expectations are. It's excellently written and although the ending is a little vague it's perfectly in keeping with the story. #books #bookstodon 🧵5

Archaeology is Rubbish by Tony Robinson & Prof Mick Aston. This well-written storified skip through the process of a commercial archaeology dig is a fun and interesting read. I picked it up on a whim in the library then bought my own copy to augment my medieval #archaeology degree which taught me no practical skills whatsoever 😄 If you love/d #TimeTeam or are just generally interested in archaeology I recommend it, though some techniques have really moved on since 2002 #books #bookstodon 🧵6

Sunday night vibe from these two #catsofmastodon

We all need cheering up atm so please have a couple of photos of our kitties #catsofmastodon

This tree stump has long driven me mad as it's right by a good car turning spot and we've all clipped it once or twice. These toadstools have just moved in and now I love it 😃🍄 #bloomscrolling #FunghiFriday

@paco @lafnlab @Flisty @stevewfolds @SteveClough @Walrus @telred17 @Ericthebeeover2 @Tooden @kibcol1049 I live near Worcester in the UK so I hear it said pretty often and I'd agree that's the best description of how we say it. Now try Leominster 😄

@scrummy @paco @lafnlab @Flisty @stevewfolds @SteveClough @Walrus @telred17 @Ericthebeeover2 @Tooden @kibcol1049 Nah, the one in Herefordshire, UK, as featured in Ben Aaronovitch's Foxglove Summer. We prn it Lemster but often hear it prn by non-locals as leo-minster, which isn't unreasonable.