The pub is making a comeback
After years of decline, 'it’s opening time again for pubs' reports The Times, following news that 'the pub industry has reversed a decade of closures with a net growth of 320 pubs and bars this year.'
No doubt it's down to people drowning their sorrows. The dismal prospect of either of the main political party leaders being in charge of the country by Friday is enough to drive anyone to drink.
It's a small change – 11,000 or so pubs had apparently closed in the first eight years of the decade — but it's a step in the right direction. The research was led by a firm called Stampede, whose chief executive Patrick Clover said 'The reduction of pubs over the last decade has been heart-breaking, following devastating changes to business taxes and alcohol duties, but I hope these figures signpost a reversal of fortunes
'Greenland is losing ice seven times faster than it was in the 1990s'
This sounds bad.
Good news for beavers
The National Trust is reintroducing beavers to Dorset and the South Downs.
If your children haven't already got your PhD by the time they're out of secondary school, they're already behind the curve
Not really, of course. But also, they are:
On this day... in 1936
Edward VIII announced his abdication from the throne in order that he could marry American divorcée Wallis Simpson. 'I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love,' he said in a radio message broadcast across the world.
Carla Carlisle on Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson (Country Life)
And finally...
A heartwarming note that shows you really can rely on the kindness of strangers. Sometimes, anyway.
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How many puppies in the average litter? Country Life Quiz of the DayPlus a 1960s house, Hollywood's most famous cavewoman and more in Friday's quiz.
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Love, sex and death: Our near-universal obsession with the roseNo flower is more entwined with myth, religion, politics and the human form than the humble rose — and now there's a new coffee table book celebrating them in all of their glory.
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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: 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.
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Country Life Today: Why plastic is killing hermit crabsIn today's round-up, we learn than half a million hermit crabs have died from plastic pollution; find out what the Pope has to say about climate change; and discover why NASA have been 'bombing' the sun.
