Instagram grows the pumpkin patch craze
Post Halloween, it can't have escaped many people's notice that the traditional hunt for pumpkins in a supermarket has been replaced on social media with a trip to your local farm.
Rebecca and Duncan McEwen at Arnprior Farm in Stirlingshire have seen the increase in the five years since they've opened.
'When we started back in 2015, it was mainly families, but now there are a lot of couples on dates and groups of young people that come along too." Said Rebecca.
The growth of the trend can be seen on Instagram feeds all over the world, with celebrities (most famously Kylie Jenner, this year) frequently posting pictures with their squashes. The beautiful fall colours of a pumpkin patch make them extremely photographable.
Finally, something to thank social media for!
How goats saved Ronald Regan's library
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library has survived California's latest forest fires – all thanks to a hungry herd of goats.
Back in May the library hired a team of goats to clear away the flammable scrub around the library, creating a firebreak that gave firefighters extra time to react and control the recent blaze that threatened the building.
Who will benefit from poor weather during the December election?
The short answer? No one.
There is some debate on whether Conservative party members (who are assumed to be more likely to have cars) will find it easier voting should a snowstorm hit the UK in mid-December, or whether Labour voters (assumed more likely to live in urban areas) will see a greater benefit. However, although there is evidence that turnout is lower when the weather is worse, there is no evidence to suggest that either party will benefit more than the other.
On this day...
...In 1938, Seabiscuit, quite possibly the most famous racehorse of all time, beat the 1937 Triple-Crown winner, War Admiral, by 4 lengths in a 2-horse special at Pimlico racecourse in Maryland.
He was foaled in Lexington, Kentucky from the dam Swing On and sire Hard Tack, a son of Man o' War, also widely accepted as one of the world's most famous racehorses.
And finally...The robin who crossed the North Sea
In a stunning impersonation of World War II pilots, this little guy flew for four hours across the North Sea to avoid being attacked by gulls.
Wearing a 'nanotag' (the smallest VHF radio transmitter science has produced so far) the robin was tracked moving from Germany to the Netherlands, then onto Britain to spend the winter on our shores.
Welcome, friend.
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Brockfield Hall, the great Yorkshire house that's gone from Regency mansion to modern family homeBrockfield Hall in North Yorkshire is the family home of Charlie Wood and Hatta Byng, editor of House & Garden, who have transformed it since they came here in 2020, winning multiple awards in the process. John Martin Robinson reports on the restoration project that revived this compact Regency house as a modern family home. Photographs by Paul Highnam for Country Life.
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Barbour’s heritage jackets get a floral makeover courtesy of ErdemUtilitarian outwear has taken the fashion world by storm and now Britain's world-famous wax jackets are getting in on the act, inspired by some of our greatest countryside icons.
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The brilliant tractor tribute to the NHS from a group of Warwickshire farmersPeople around Britain have been paying tribute to the efforts of our NHS workers at the time of the coronavirus pandemic — but few have been as creative and clever as this one.
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London's iconic red bus at risk and 6,000 year old chewing gum gives clues into our DNA historyCuts to industry subsidies and an increase in fares has left bus use at its lowest point ever, while DNA extracted from ancient 'chewing gum' allows scientists to decipher the genetic code of a Stone Age woman.
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90-million-year-old 'swimming dinosaur' skeleton found by dogs out walking in Somerset, and the nonchalant moths who don't bother fleeing enemiesA superbly intact dinosaur skeleton — described as being 'museum quality' — has been discovered on a beach in Somerset.
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Battle to ban 4x4s from the idyllic Lake District spot bequeathed by Beatrix Potter, eagle fights octopus and the 'snail's pace' climate talksThis morning we look at Little Langdale's fight for peace, reflect on the climate change talks in Madrid and discover the soundtrack for Brexit.
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Country Life Today: How Greta Thunberg shifted the dial on climate change — and the backlash shows just how muchThis morning we ponder whether Greta Thunberg is the Joan of Arc for the environmental movement, look at a key election — one from 19 years ago — and ponder the marvel of 'dad tidying'.
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Country Life Today: Great news for those who love our great country pubs — the years of decline are overThere is a great sign of health in the pub industry, we look back at Edward VIII's abdication message and fret about Greenland's melting ice.
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Country Life Today: Spain accused of being 'a deplorable choice' for UN climate conferenceA no-holds-barred assault on the Spanish fishing industry, Banksy raising awareness of the homeless and the woes of the Christmas jumper are in today's news round-up.
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Country Life Today: 'This is perhaps the ultimate wake-up call from the uncontrolled experiment humanity is unleashing on the world’s oceans'In today's round up, we examine why oxygen loss is putting oceans at risk, discover that action to cut air pollution brings almost immediate benefits to human health and find out which bird's arrival marks the start of winter in Gloucestershire.
