Author: The Guardian

Though March remains chilly, the return of the bright and gently warming sun wakes dormant plants and seeds from their slumber, coaxes birds out to build their nests and beckons to the insects that sheltered through winter in undergrowth, nooks and crannies to emerge and flit about in the cool sun. This is a period of preparation and renewal. The garden is stirring.Most plants need at least 10-12 hours of light a day to grow well. As we emerge from the dark half of the year, in the days that follow Valentine’s the sun finally gives us 10 hours of…

New Zealand defeated their arch-rivals in the Test series to register a drought-proof Test victory after Australia’s weak performance on day three of the second Test.Matt Henry and debutant Ben Sears smashed Australia’s top order with a score of 279 at Hagley Oval on Sunday The team was outscored 34-4.Travis Head and Mitch Marsh survived the onslaught but Australia had it all done as they won 77-4 with 203 runs to spare.New Zealand delivered on their promise on a promising day as they upended Australia’s decades-long trans-Tasman Test dominance in Christchurch on day three.The Black Caps were 134 for 2,…

The dilemma I am a happily married mum of three. I love my husband and children and have supportive family and friends and a career which I find fulfilling. So far, so good. My issue is my relationship with my mum. She is in her 70s, and she raised me and my siblings as a single parent.My mum has always been the life and soul of the party. She is a social butterfly and goes out of her way to make friends and become involved with their children and grandchildren. However, her relationship with her own children has always been…

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has issued a sharp warning to his world champion driver Max Verstappen, who hinted he could leave Red Bull during the Saudi Grand Prix weekend In the end, no one is more important than the team.Another tumultuous race week gripped Red Bull Racing, and while Verstappen once again enjoyed great success on track, posting a dominant one-two finish with team-mate Sergio Perez, Horner struggled He emphasized that he considers his drivers to be just part of the team. The success they are enjoying could call the Dutchman’s bluff after he said he would consider…

Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this feature7th over: Australia 15-0 (Smith 9, Khawaja 6) A nice pull shot from Khawaja to start the over, but he can only manage a single from it. A ball catches the edge of Smith’s bat and looks panicked at slips, but it falls safely and then he plays a nice drive for three.Share6th over: Australia 11-0 (Smith 6, Khawaja 5) I’ve been sent an email prediction, which I’m hesitant to put on the record here for fear of enacting the commentator’s (live blogger’s) curse. But ultimately I’ve decided it’s…

Eight children and one adult died after eating sea turtle meat on the Zanzibar island of Pemba, authorities said on Saturday, while 78 others were taken to hospital.Turtle meat is considered a delicacy in Zanzibar, but it occasionally leads to death from tortoise poisoning, a type of food poisoning.Mkoani district medical officer Dr Haji Bakari said the adult who died late on Friday was the mother of a child who died earlier. He said the turtle meat was eaten on Tuesday.Bakari told The Associated Press that laboratory tests confirmed all of the victims had eaten turtle meat.Authorities in Zanzibar, a…

From sporty stripes to a zip-neck, lightweight to logo-heavy, the sweatshirt is the go-to top to take you into spring – and beyond Source link

Jamie George hailed England’s late win over Ireland as a special day and a potential springboard to a better future. George said his side had been keen to respond to their disappointing defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield and believed they had now sent a clear message to all those who doubted them.”This is probably one of the most exciting and proudest days of my career,” George said. “There were doubts raised after that performance in Scotland and that’s probably right but we weren’t listening to the noise internally. For us to be able to go out and do that against…

Doubts have been cast on the accuracy of a story about horrific child sex abuse told by the Republican senator Katie Britt in her widely ridiculed speech delivered in rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.The journalist and author Jonathan Katz has accused Britt of being “fundamentally dishonest” for invoking the case of a woman who had been sex-trafficked at age 12 and raped multiple times to illustrate the supposed failure of the Biden administration’s border control policies.The controversy further intensifies the spotlight on Britt – a rising Republican star – after she came under fire from…

timeIn his day there will be no more comfort or encouragement than there once was. There’s no “Well done, lad.” There is no “good process” or “huge effort.” They can’t spin the narrative that this is an evolving team facing tougher opponents and, you know, ultimately what matters at this stage is performance. It was just another defeat for Ireland at Twickenham, and somehow this one seemed to sting more than most others. When you’re trying to hit a second major in a row, these are just breaks.The days leading up to this game were filled with anticipation. That in…