This article (which you can read if you register for free
@The_Tablet
is so important for me. We HAVE to love our neighbour as ourselves, as Jesus said - being compassionate & treating others with respect is absolutely essential for our humanity, it is a truth & protects us all.
Iโve just read a tweet from a Headteacher who caught Covid, recovered but had already passed it to her mother & husband, who then got v ill & were both taken to hospital . Her husband died today. This is beyond tragic. Schools have to be safe.
@RosieDuffield1
@MattHancock
My brother's funeral is tomorrow. If anyone has prayers then they would be v appreciated that everything goes well. It has really reminded me that our lives are limited & life is for living & for loving, & there is enough sadness in the world already without adding wars & hate.
I was v sad as we are suddenly in tier 4 & so our son is stranded in Oxford & his housemates have all gone already, & when I tried to order a hamper to send to him I was too late. So my friend
@aroomofmyown1
went shopping in Oxford for me today & delivered this tonight. In a box.
Excuse me
#bbcqt
I'm FURIOUS that you allowed Brandon Lewis to mislead about the difference between asylum seekers & refugees, implying former are less worthy. How dare you let him imply asylum seekers are less worthy of care than refugees. Asylum seekers seek asylum AS refugees.
My brother died on Monday. I was lucky to be able to say goodbye to him the day before, & he died peacefully, but it's a huge thing. This is partly why I have been posting about Peace so much, as any death is so hard already without war & violence & hatred & fear accompanying it.
I'm so angry I have to get off twitter. The ignorance & arrogance of writers who, like me, are safe writing at home, urging teachers who are ALREADY exposing themselves to infection every day teaching frontline workers' children, to be 'brave', as if THEY closed the schools....
Thank you everyone for the kind prayers and wishes for my interview yesterday. I feel a bit shaky and emotional, because I got in! I will begin a part-time Masters in Children's Book Illustration at
@AngliaRuskin
this September, and I can hardly believe it!
I really admire & am grateful to
@PeterStefanovi2
I don't know where he gets the stamina & determination to keep holding the government to account - but it helps us all - including, actually, any government which truly wants to do the right thing - and we all should support him.
This past fortnight I have been waiting for the results of a biopsy and today I got the all clear! I will have another scan on an ovary in 3 months, as a precautionary measure, so I feel v grateful for our NHS and very lucky and relieved.
On Thursday our beautiful golden retriever Timmy died. We were so lucky to have nearly 15 years with him. He was the kindest, sweetest, most beautiful dog. The vet said he didn't have a bad bone in his body. He was my first dog & my children & husband & I are so grateful & sad .
@PeterStefanovi2
is an example of someone who respects democracy, loves our nation & want us to be told the truth by our elected politicians - in this case, the P.M. We have a right to expect truth from those in power, & if they can lie without consequences we're all in trouble.
Boris Johnson will be delighted UK media is only talking about Matt Hancock & not an outraged public sending this film to 24.2 MILLION VIEWS in protest at his rampant lying in Parliament & breaking of the Ministerial Code
RT & let
@BorisJohnson
know the matter is NOT โclosedโ
In order for
#PMQs
to function both sides in the chamber are required to correct the record if they make a mistake
Why has the Prime Minister not be asked to correct the record on this lot
@LindsayHoyle_MP
?๐
Truth & facts surely matter
Iโm 57 today! My husband made me this lovely cake, & my children & friends & family have been so kind. I wasnโt going to share because I was embarrassed because of all the awful sadness in the news, but Iโm grateful to be alive & want to celebrate the gentle love I have received
@iamgoggs
@BorisJohnson
Mr Johnson, what you say today is right, but you &
@pritipatel
should have condemned the booing before. Why were people allowed to run amok smashing up Leicester Square? What will be the consequences for them & for those sending racist hate online? There has to be consequences.
@BBCPolitics
Could you link to
@PeterStefanovi2
's videos, which she specifically mentions? They are a compilation of statements the PM has made to the House. Then you can fact check them, as
@PeterStefanovi2
does & let us all see what this is about, as it should be v serious if the PM lies.
I honestly feel that all adults should read
@ShirleyHughes_
books too. They show us a way of loving & seeing & understanding small children that is too often missing in this world. I think her books with their beauty & tenderness, can also heal us as adults. They help me so much.
Free school meals: 200 children's authors condemn government I am especially chuffed by this, as it gave me the chance to say how much I love Shirley Hughes. I DO think that the government would be kinder if they read her. And the journalist was AMAZING.
Thank you for the kind thoughts & prayers. My lovely little Ben had a v enlarged heart & lungs full of fluid & 3 injections didn't help him breathe, so sadly he died today, peacefully, with us stroking him & telling him we loved him. I'm shocked & v sad but so lucky he was mine.
I am holding it in my hands at last! I started writing โSmall Miraclesโ in 2003 , so it being taken on by
@jounwin
, published by โฆ
@HarvillSecker
โฉ , with a gorgeous cover illustrated by โฆ
@harrydraws
โฉ and designed by โฆ
@danmog
โฉ, is a big miracle! Out 4th August!
@Jeremy_Hunt
I hope that there will be change, but I hope that whoever replaces him will be better. I hope a new PM will replace Priti Patel asap & stop treating asylum seekers with such cruelty, stop the export of asylum seekers to Rwanda, tackle poverty here, protect NHS & be trust-worthy.
I hope all those saying that state schools can't close one week early in a pandemic because of disruption to the poorest children's education, are equally vocal about the need for poorest children to have internet access, free laptops for online lessons, FOOD & proper housing.
My 24 year old daughter in London has just queued for five & a half hours with other 18-25 year olds & has had her first Pfizer vaccination. Yay! She said the people vaccinating were lovely & they said the take up from her age group was phenomenal. Their generation are so great.
I've been asked to be Best Woman at my dear friend & old housemate's wedding, which has been postponed twice due to lockdown. It is happening at last the weekend after next, & I am so happy & relieved to have found, at the last minute, these shoes on a sale! I love them SO much!
@SirRogerGale
It's very good to read this tweet. Thank you for acknowledging how important teachers and teaching staff (and other school staff) are. I have been shocked at the smearing and belittling of them in some of the mainstream press.
Thank you so much
@Channel4
for
@PotteryThrow
It is such a life-affirming and inspiring programme. I look forward to it every week, and it never disappoints. The potters are all so talented and both presenters, and both judges, are lovely.
@bmay
I really disagree with Brexit, but he can still be doing the right thing now, and arguing his case well that it isn't right that huge profits are going to shareholders whilst rail workers aren't paid enough & their jobs & traveller's safety are threatened. He isn't zero, surely?
@laurenstjohn
@Roh_Yakobi
@MatthewdAncona
Me too - I don't know what types of books they like - but I'm more than happy to send some of mine too and I am so sorry to read this. I am the daughter of Irish immigrants (both of whom have died) and I would have cried had anyone said that to my parents in front of me.
Can anyone who prays, pray for a young lad I have just heard about, who was knocked over last night & is in ICU with a bleed on his brain. Please pray for his friends, & family too. Thank you.
@pmorganbentley
This is really good journalism, exposing wrong things and helping people who need help - thank you so much! This is really inspiring and admirable.
I don't want guards taken off trains, or closed ticket offices, or less staff on stations. I'd like MORE staff on public transport. It doesn't make sense to make people lose their jobs, with all the knock on effects, & to make our national railways LESS safe & LESS accessible.
After a very sad week, I have just had the most lovely phone call. I am staying with my wonderful, brilliant agent
@AnneClarkLit
for my children's books, but I am SO HAPPY and proud that
@jounwin
is taking on my first adult novel, 'Small Miracles'!
VERY excited and proud to announce
@Bridgeanne
as my new client for her funny gentle novel SMALL MIRACLES about three nuns who win the lottery. Itโs EVERYTHING I could have wanted in these dark old days.
It is my birthday and a little bird is singing outside my window - I think it is a blackbird but in spite of trying for years to remember which bird song is which, I am not 100% sure, but whatever it is, it is lovely. I am taking the day to be glad & appreciate being here at all.
@benphillips76
Yes - I just can't bear it. It just sums up the horrible mess we are in. How can any decent society accept that there is such inequality and shame here in 2022. That child has nothing to be ashamed of - the government does - but it is the child who feels embarrassed and hungry.
My lovely guest room in a convent. I have just arrived and have had a lovely welcome. I hope to get lots written on that desk! I am going to start by joining the nuns for prayer in a few minutes and hopefully get some work done tonight.
With the
#RussiaReport
back in the news everyone should watch this shocking interview as Transport Secretary Grant Shapps misleads
#BBCBreakfast
viewers (unchallenged) on its findings
Before he died, my brother & I talked about love. It really is the only thing that matters, that lasts past death. Life is too short to waste on stirring up hatred or spreading lies. We are all going to die, & we all need to live as well as we can, & help others to do the same.
Christmas has come early. A small, gentle cockerpoo called Barney has arrived. His mum is a gentle cockerpoo I fell in love with, his dad a v friendly cocker spaniel I also met & he lived v near me with donkeys, cats and horses, so if I ever do have a little farm he will be fine!
Plans to close most UK railway ticket offices to kick off โin weeksโ This is appalling.
@Conservatives
you are wrecking our country. People in ticket offices & on platforms make train travel easier & safer for all of us, & are essential for tourists too.
@sarahlohara
@MichaelRosenYes
Yes. I'm so sorry
@MichaelRosenYes
I was worried about you having being ill & always being asked by everyone to do things, & I didn't know how to contact you myself, but I knew it was a given that you'd be concerned. It started v small & I didn't expect it to get so big so fast.
A couple of days ago I had key hole surgery in an NHS hospital. I was scared but met kindness & patience & skill. I'm at home recovering & feel sore but hopeful. There are lots of kind people out there quietly being good - receptionists, porters, nurses, surgeons, anaesthesists.
It is our 25 th wedding anniversary, and although we obviously canโt have a party, we know we are v lucky to have each other and had a lovely meal out.
I am really enjoying 'The Repair Shop' on
@BBCOne
at the moment, and I really liked the conversation between King Charles and Jay Blades and the respect for traditional crafts and practical skills and training. It's lovely seeing the apprentices and students.
@BBCPolitics
Thank you for this. It's so important. Please can you share
@PeterStefanovi2
's video as there are so many examples of the PM saying things which are not true.
@AndrewMarr9
doing that today is what
@BBCPolitics
should be doing more, so we can have trust & a functioning democracy.
I strongly , passionately believe that closing ticket offices is morally wrong & also economically wrong because it will make train travel less accessible, safe & attractive for both UK residents and tourists. Itโs a bad decision for our nationโs transport system & environment.
I imagine there are some pretty devastated Railway staff around this evening who have made a career in our ticket offices.
If this consultation & the closures go ahead itโll be Gateline staff next - stealth de staffing of the railway incoming.
I am furious at the trickery.
@nadinebh_
I know. It was embarrassing and ignorant of them, and why didn't Fiona Bruce intervene, in the way she has put the point of view of the government when she didn't feel it was clear? Very disappointing
#QuestionTime
@MichaelRosenYes
@sarahlohara
Please don't be cross with me Michael. The petition was put together by myself, on my own, at home. I'm not a PR person. Someone on twitter contacted some famous names for me, but most were ordinary writers like me. I just wanted to react quickly to the news to put pressure on.
Today is the long-delayed graduation of our son from Oxford - and as he has been happily working at โฆ
@blackwelloxford
โฉ for these last years, this seemed a perfect picture!
@YvetteCooperMP
Well said. Please can
@Keir_Starmer
speak up louder. We need ethical leadership to recall us to our senses & not allow some in the media to poison our national discourse. Thank you for speaking out
@gileshawke
@BBCPolitics
Yes - you need to reference the videos she based her claim on, which are a compilation of actual clips of the PM making statements to the House, and share them with viewers, and fact check them. That really is your job. She made the statement specifically referencing the videos.
When my husband & I married in 1995, we used to listen lots to Crowded House, & in particular the album 'Wood Face'. My 20 year old son is home from uni & has just bought it & is playing it, & listening to it, I'm newly married, back in a Brixton flat, full of wonder at my life.
This is shocking & shameful
@Conservatives
. Dominic Raab, Michael Gove & any other Conservative politicians promoting this disinformation are hurting us as a nation & damaging us as a democracy by deliberately choosing to repeat something untrue to deflect attention from the PM.
The Prime Minister of this country is now repeating lies at the very heart of British democracy propagated by far right Facebook groups
And shameless cabinet ministers are defending him!
Everyone needs to watch this
I wasn't sure when I could share this - so HOORAY! I wrote the text but have literally been waiting for years for this book, as there was a waiting list for
@dc_litchfield
's amazing illustrations! It was so worth the wait! I am so happy!
@AnneClarkLit
@templarbooks
New Book Alert! I am incredibly happy to share the cover for 'A Shelter For Sadness' a new picture book written by the absolutely lovely and amazing
@Bridgeanne
and illustrated by Me. Published by
@templarbooks
on 21st January 2021 โฅ๏ธ
@RachelWardbooks
That is really bad and as many - I'd guess most - 86 year olds are in the same position, I would say ageist. I am sure they have a legal duty to make healthcare accessible. I would ask to speak to the Practice manager. I am sure
@ageukcampaigns
would have some comment on this.
I'm v tired & going to have a Twitter break so if I don't reply please don't think I'm being rude. I hope the letter & a lovely illustration by Chris Riddell will be in
@guardian
tomorrow, but sadly, one letter by itself won't change anything so let's all keep protesting re this.
I am going to have a very quiet day as fell down the stairs this morning, & am OK but got a bit of a shock. I think I just got a bit over tired & have been working on too many things, & worrying about too many things, so am going to have a lovely calm day off & count blessings.
So this is my v first completed icon after a wonderful retreat/course in Colwyn Bay. Iโm v aware it is a beginnerโs icon, but the lovely thing is that it will be blessed tomorrow &!I can take it home to pray with, & I have loved the whole process, both the painting & the prayers.
I've just been talking to a teacher who was brought to tears today. They have a boy in their class who is undersize for his age, wearing shoes which hurt him as they are too small. The family have no money for new shoes. He won't get any Christmas presents & he is always hungry.
On Monday Boris Johnsonโs Govโt will rush the Policing bill through the Commons. It contains some of the most draconian crackdowns on the right of peaceful protest any of us have seen in our lifetime.
Everyone needs to watch this so please RT. Johnsonโs Govโt must be stopped
@JonnyGeller
That was brilliant, but utterly shocking that a full-time worker in USA is still so desperately and unavoidably in debt - and that was without factoring in medical costs, school meals and prescription drugs. Thanks for sharing - this is awful.
My daughter, who had Covid at university, has finished her self isolation, & my husband collected her & our eldest daughter today! She is sitting playing her guitar, & Barney our dog happily sat next to her! It's so lovely to have her & her sister back home with us for Christmas.
This is just so shocking. How can such a terrible state of affairs be happening in this country when everyone seems to agree that these people should not be in prison. Why on earth can't this be sorted right now? I am so ashamed that this is going on.
@JustinWelby
@RishiSunak
THIS IS SHOCKING
Imagine a country where a man has spent 18 years in jail for trying to steal a coat or imprisoned for 11 yrs for stealing a mobile phone - sentences described by the UN as egregious miscarriages of justice
itโs unthinkable & itโs happening in this country NOW
My husband has gone to collect our daughter & move her out of her university accommodation for the last time, & bring her back. It's a big day for her, & she's the last child in the family to finish university. I'm going to make a chocolate cake now ready for when she gets home.
When my daughter who lives in London was in the queue for a vaccination, she was behind a young man who had come straight off a night shift & also queued willingly for five & a half hours. My generation have no grounds to sneer at younger people - they have been so brilliant .
My friends' daughter is a 23 yr old paramedic whose partner is also a paramedic. Last week she worked a shocking 72 hrs' week. Her partner is now ill with Covid-19 symptoms & they'll both be tested tomorrow. Her mum texted me for prayers. If you pray, please pray for them both.
Wearing a mask & keeping socially distanced in order to help keep infections down, esp when the NHS is under pressure, is such a small thing to do, & yet would save lives. Why wouldn't you do that in a pandemic? Why make a fuss about something simple & effective, which helps NHS?
Shame on you
@Conservatives
How can you do this to us? Please can you re-think? Why are you letting a few people in your party ruin it for the rest, and for the country? What an irresponsible thing to do to benefit a few. It will never be forgotten if you don't stop this.
Right, my husband has made me a boiled egg & toast & tea. I've said my prayers about this awful govt & I have work to do, editing a positive book about three nuns with money problems, who win a little on the lottery & spend it on a trip to Italy to search for a long-lost saint.
I hope everyone has a good day. I have had my lovely quiet prayer time & now I'm going to join my village prayer group over zoom, & then get on with work. It's so important that we do support people who bravely insist on the truth, like
@PeterStefanovi2
, because lies hurt us all.
Apologies if this is too early, but there are only 2 pay days until Christmas, so if you're thinking of presents, take a look at the children's books from
@TinyOwl_Books
, which is a lovely publisher which has done HUGE work supporting children & has been turned down for a grant.
@SteveBarclay
@BMA_JuniorDocs
Why didn't you do this earlier? Your tweet went out at 9.54 pm on Friday. Our NHS is so important & the
@BMA_JuniorDocs
deserve respect , as do we who need them- how has your treatment of them right up until now shown this? This doesn't seem as if you are acting in good faith.
@pritipatel
@Conservatives
@BorisJohnson
Itโs an absolutely horrible, shameful plan. I couldnโt believe it was true when I read tweets about it. I am so ashamed of our government & I canโt understand how any
@Conservatives
can support this inhumanity.
@JustinWelby
And it wonโt distract from Mr Johnsonโs behaviour.
I must get off Twitter. I wish I didnโt have to spend so much energy learning the truth from people like
@doctor_oxford
because I canโt trust the elected government. I am v grateful to her and urge people to follow and rt her.
I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas, & please don't make yourself miserable (as I did, pointlessly this morning) feeling rubbish that your home doesn't look like a magazine. I'm going to clear space on the table, but mostly make space in my life to enjoy & appreciate kindness.
Our son just took this photo, our dog in his favourite snuggling position. Itโs our 26th wedding anniversary and he came out with us for a walk and lunch, and now we are watching TV together! We are having a lovely day! I feel v lucky.
I've sent copies of the letter from professional children's writers & illustrators , which in one day ended up having over 200 signatures, & an amazing illustration by Chris Riddell, to people at
@guardian
&
@ObserverUK
. Thank you everyone. I hope it gets published. I'm v tired.
I want MORE staff on trains & in stations rather than less. We need to use public transport more for the sake of the environment, but if ticket offices are closed & all passenger services become driver -only, this will not make this a safe and pleasant mode of transport.
@JeremyVineOn5
Firstly, the Network Rail offer is still being considered.
Secondly, youโve forgotten to inform your viewers about these strings โฌ๏ธ
Thank you everyone for prayers & good wishes for my brother's funeral yesterday. There was a beautiful atmosphere of love & peace & the service really helped. Thank you for all the kindness - I didn't expect so many replies to my tweet & I appreciated the prayers & good wishes.
I have had an interview with
@guardian
and
@BBC
today - so if you have seen it please don't share the text of the letter before it gets properly published. Thanks everyone.
Hello everyone. Looking at
@guardian
it looks like the text of the letter, but not the list of names, is what has been published online & in print. Thank you to all who signed - it WAS worth it because the sheer amount of support is what got it noticed, & the issue discussed.
I woke up feeling sad, so I've done the best I can as a children's writer, & have written a new picture book story for children which celebrates love & kindness, & the values that we need to put at the heart of all we are as a society & the political & economic decisions we make.
After signing with
@jounwin
, my 1st novel for adults got taken by
@HarvillSecker
& will be out next August! I present you 'Small Miracles' with this BEAUTIFUL cover, illustrated by
@harrydraws
(Harriet Seed), designed by Dan Mogford!
You can pre-order from your local bookshops!
Small Miracles by
@Bridgeanne
is a joyful, uplifting story following Sisters Margaret, Bridget and Cecilia as they try to save their convent, discovering unexpected truths about love, life, faith and friendship along the way.
More here ๐
@HarvillSecker
I think that reading the picture books of
@ShirleyHughes_
as an adult, before I was married & had a family, helped make me a more empathetic mother. She presents the v real problems of a small child with such empathy you understand & empathise with their world.
#EmpathyDay2019
@AugustineSDR
Oh. Thank you for telling us. It was a privilege to pray for him & to read his tweets & he was always so honest & brave throughout. I am very sorry for your loss & will be praying for your comfort now. I am sure you're so sad but proud of him, & it is good to know he is at peace.
I've just been listening to evening bird song. Listening to birds singing really helps. It isn't about pretending there aren't wars or bad things, or saying it's OK to ignore them, but pausing to delight in the good & the beautiful -& for me, the source of that - gives strength.
@RMTunion
The people in the ticket office at Canterbury West are so helpful getting us the best fares, & are so necessary for advice for tourists & visitors too. I want more, not less, staff on the trains & in stations, for accessibility & safety day & night for all train-travellers in UK.
@Sands777
@SussexFriends
@mishtal
@tenenbom
I'm a Catholic & I certainly don't believe, & neither have I ever been taught, that Catholics are better than Jews or Protestants. I have the greatest of respect for both & friends who are Jewish & friends & family members who are Protestants. This hatred is not from God.
It's been a week since our dog Ben died, & a month & a day since our dog Timmy died, & today was the first grocery shopping I've done for nearly 15 years where I didn't buy dog treats for them, & I really miss them. I know I was so lucky to have two such beautiful, loving souls.
It is my husbandโs birthday, which is a wonderful day for me, as I am so lucky to be living in this world at the same time as him, and to have met & married him. He adds love and kindness to the world & we need to celebrate good people more than ever in these dark days for many.