Happy Friday! It’s a very happy Friday for me because it’s back to more seasonable temperatures and I’m no longer using fruit ice lollies to get my five a day! I also have a day off work to sort my life or at the very least, the allotment out before going to a wedding on Saturday and having a day of rest of Sunday!

Here are this week’s links…

Will Self thinks Britain should have a written constitution. I haven’t thought about it, since the last time Ma and I had an argument about whether Britain HAD a constitution. Ma maintaining that if it wasn’t written down, it didn’t exist! Concrete thinkers, the rest of my family. It’s the not writing down I’m not keen on, it’ll be the debates and referendums and what happens to the monarchy? etc. Although if we could be a republic…fine…

Duke of Westminster’s property group to build 1,500 rental homes in London. It’s nice to see that the new Duke of Westminster is building affortable housing, but is is me or is just terrible that he’s the only one that sees the point?

May’s chequered history on LGBT rights doesn’t inspire confidence.

How my passion for gardening helped ease my anxiety. This is lovely, I can relate.

Hayfever sufferers should drink gin to help ease symptoms. Ok, it doesn’t actually say that, but close enough.

The disappearing urban butterfly

Prince Harry says no one in the royal family wants to be king or queen. If that’s the case they could abdicate and live as private citizens but they don’t want to do that either. I agree that the circumstances around his mother’s death were awful and no child losing a parent has it easy. However my grandad was 10 when his mother died and my mother was 14, so yes, it’s horrible but it happens and they both had to go out at 14 and 16 respectively and find work and managed to do that without dressing up like Nazis or being photographed naked in Vegas. Harry may have had an easier time if his remaining parent wasn’t an emotionally stunned, pompous man-child but he also has the kind of monied and indulged life that is not available to the rest of the population (we just pay for it). If you don’t like the life you have, change it. If you don’t want to or can’t change it, demonstrate some of the stiff upper lip your class is supposed to be famed for and don’t whine about it. Sorry I find this to be completely self indulgent, self pitying waffle and more like the nonsense his father comes out with on a fairly regular basis. And yes, I’m still a republican..

Millions of mysterious ‘sea pickles’ swamp US west coast This is fascinating, looks like an invasion to me….

Britain had a heatwave and we’re crap at dealing with it. So, so true. I didn’t burn but I definitely have a farmers tan going on!

Ant McPartlin has no reason to to apologise. His addiction is not his fault. Erm, it’s never that black and white. The problem is that addiction is an illness AND a personal failing. It’s easy to say it’s an illness, not my fault and after a while it’s a physical addiction but every time an addict uses or a drinker drinks, it is a personal choice to do so. If you don’t accept that you won’t stay sober for long. When I talk about my dad, I always say that he loved me but not more than he loved his next pint. Which sums it up quite nicely but is really hard to live with. That’s why organisations like Al-Alon exist because addiction doesn’t just effect the addict. I hope McPartlin gets better, it’s possible, but you have to understand that it’s more than just a disease, it’s something you have to keep being focussed on and part of that is admitting that what you did hurt others.