#HeadlineTherapy Jodie Marsh granted new primate licence by council

Thanks to Mathew Critchell and BBC Online News for the Headline

Always had time for Jodie Marsh and her counterpart Katie Price(AKA Jordan). They made their careers in the Public Eye and though many who relied on their “looks” went by the wayside, these too icons have stood the test of time.

Jodie Marsh is obviously an animal lover and has built a rescue centre with her income from her other activities. Clever girl has taken the local Council to Court and won, she can keep 12 Marmosets that she rescued as she now has a Wild Animal Licence to keep her Marmosets. Apparently there is a new Primate Law being introduced and many people in the UK who have in the past kept pet monkeys will be unable to do so.

Not really that anyone should be keeping “Pet Monkeys”, but Jodie has committed to achieving a “Wild Animal Licence” and can now help other animals if necessary. I wish her success.

Three small marmosets clinging to branches inside metal mesh enclosures
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#HeadlineTherapy Record puffin count on small island for second year running.

Thanks to Angharad Thomas and BBC News Online for the Headline

Pleased to say the Puffins are doing well on Skomer and are busy nesting.

Atlantic puffin perched on mossy cliff with ocean and rugged coastline background
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I wish I hadn’t said.

Daily writing prompt
Write about a time when you didn’t take action but wish you had. What would you do differently?

I wish I hadn’t said ,

You’ve Made Your Bed!

You have to lie in it,

Sadly, the Electric Blanket,

The wiring was amiss,

And last night was our final goodnight kiss.

Burned electrical cord with exposed wires and scorch mark on white fabric
AI Generated Image( It didn’t really happen)

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#HeadlineTherapy They brought 40 sheep to graze near a solar plant, and it quietly began to change how energy is produced.

Thanks to Warren van der Sandt and the Pulse for the Headline.

Are we bold enough to rewrite the rules of the modern farm? This seems a very provocative line in the article. What does it propose? Actually nothing that new.

Turns out the wind farm and solar panels are very nearby to me geographically. Actually I find the windmills an eyesore but that’ s personal opinion.

I hadn’t realised that the area covered by Solar Panels had actually been deliberately left organic and that wildflowers and natural vegetation attractive to pollinators had been encouraged.

However, over the years this has become overgrown, hence the introduction of sheep during the winter to clear away the weeds with their natural digestion and also fertilise the ground for the plants to thrive in the spring.

The owners of the solar panels were however worried that the panels would be damaged by the sheep. This has proved not to be a problem , the panels were strengthened and raised slightly off the ground giving the sheep shelter when they wanted it ;and also increasing the panels resilience to strong winds and bad weather. Result.

Nothing ground breaking here, hardly rewriting the rules of the modern farm, and the article also fails to outline how much energy all this effort is producing, would it power a village or a town. This is still unclear , however, I am very happy for the sheep and wish the project success.

Sheep lying under solar panels with wildflowers and bees around
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The Things

Daily writing prompt
What makes you nervous?

The Things that make me nervous are many,

Let’s face it Vesuvius did it for Pliny,

I mean how fragile is Peace?

All it takes is a pop at Trump’s niece,

Family is family after all,

So OK, her dress looked awful at the ball,

After all that effort and making plans,

She insisted on wearing those old Vans,

I’m going a bit off track,

To my title I must get back,

What really makes me nervous and even howl,

Is the prospect of losing my favourite trowel,

For a gardener’s tools are precious to them,

And to go astray amongst the weeds,

Certainly ranks with horrible deeds,

I don’t need to worry about thiefs or vagabonds,

Just stinging nettles and metre wide fronds,

And so with honesty I must say,

It happens regularly and ruins my day.

Gloved hand with trowel digging among green ferns and plants
A gloved hand uses a trowel to work among green plants and ferns in a garden.

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#HeadlineTherapy Driver caught doing 135mph was’picking up Chinese takeaway’

Thanks to BBC Online News for the Headline.

Was the driver being cheeky? They have probably ended up with a large fine and a driving ban as they were travelling at almost double the speed limit and even passed a patrol Police Car.

The car involved was a Mitsubushi Evo, which apparently is a very popular model on used car sites like PistonHeads UK and Auto Trader UK. They are known for their speed and rally car performance. Less well known for Fast Food Delivery.

There is no lesson here, just a lot of expense and disruption and thankfully avoidance of a fatal accident. Was it worth it? Even for a fancy Chinese Five Spice?

Delivery driver handing food bags to customer next to red delivery car on residential street
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Peel and Eat an Orange

Daily writing prompt
How do you unwind after a demanding day?

When days are demanding and I have to unwind,

I very often reach for an orange to unrind,

The process of peeling,

Somehow gets rid of that feeling,

Of dissatisfaction from the daily grind,

A simple pleasure,

At the end a treasure,

A globe of juiciness,

A Goddess of Fruitiness,

Sweetness and Firmness all combined,

In the moist package enclosed in that rind,

I’ve got my Vitamin C ,

No need for supplements or herbal tea,

A boost to face another day,

That juicy orange is my little sunshine ray.

Hands peeling the skin off a fresh orange on a wooden table
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#HeadlineTherapy What the ‘biggest changes to renting in history’ mean for London

Thanks to Meghan Owen and BBC Online News for the Headline.

I know people personally who have been given “no fault eviction” notices even though they were good tenants.

It all went wrong with the 1988 Housing Act which was enacted by the Conservative Government led by Margaret Thatcher. It was suppose to invigorate the “rental housing market”, but really was a disguise for the Buy to Let Boom in mortgages resulting in many people buying up multiple properties to rent at a profit, while not having a clue how to manage them.

Those very same people will face financial difficulities now,because they are being asked with the new act to provide tennants with “rights” that they themselves would expect if they lived in rented property.

Also ,historically, these new rental owning paper millionaires , who relied on a healthy balance sheet of an increase in capital value of their properties will be hit by actually having to ensure the properties are fit for purpose, that they cannot evict a tenant just because they don’t like them and that they will be responsible landlords.

Yes some are going to leave the market because that was never in their remit , to actually do the job properly. However, those that do rent out in a professional manner will survive and hopefully we will not have a Law Change back to the bad old days when all rights lay with the Landlord and the renter was very exposed to abuse.

Will this reduce available supply, I’m not so sure. There are so many new builds going up that maybe we will create a new layer of owners and not renters. Whether this is good and maybe our view on owning property and land is skewed remains to be seen.

Nevertheless the 1988 Act was misguided and encouraged disreputable landlords and irresponsible mortgage lending. Roll on May the first when the Renters Rights Act 2026 becomes Law.

Wooden scales balancing a miniature house and a stack of legal documents.
A wooden scale balances a model house against legal documents, symbolizing real estate law.

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Remember Iqbal Masih

The Pakistani boy who was born in January 1983 and at four years old was sold by his family into child bonded labour. He escaped at the aged of ten, suffering from malnutrition and severe growth deficiency due to the conditions he was forced to work in and the lack of nutrition in his diet.

He successfully campaigned for abolishing bonded labour in Pakistan (1992) and was assassinated at 12 years old by a “carpet mafia” (1995) who were employed to pursue those who had escaped from bonded labour.

Bonded child labour is legally banned in Pakistan under The Bonded Labour System (Abolition Act 1992 ). However, the enforcement of the act is weak and millions of children still work in bonded work particularly in brick kilns and agricultural work.

Still what that little boy achieved in his short life is amazing and it is up to us to look at better ways to live and work together so a child is not regarded as a chattel to be sold or used and that we all look towards living rewarding and fulfilling and safe lives for everyone.

White T-shirt with black and white portrait of Iqbal Masih and text about child rights activism
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I use it.

Daily writing prompt
How do you use social media?

I use it and I try not to let it use me.

Smartphone breaking glowing chains with sparks
A smartphone shattering chains symbolizing freedom from digital constraints

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