A trip to Manchester meant a quick whizz round some high street kids' clothing sections. Would I see anything different from the usual 'girls = feelz' and 'boys = tech and sport' ? Go on, make a guess.

First up, @handm It was noticeable in this store that girls got fewer slogans on their tops: that in the main, their clothes were just clothes. 👍

A recent conversation here about little girls' clothes being routinely cut skimpier than little boys' makes me think about the clothes I buy myself, an adult woman. I buy all my clothes pre-loved these days, and that means I don't always get the chance to examine them first. Time and again I find V-neck dresses are cut so low they show the bra, and have to be sewn a couple of inches. Or there's a slit in the skirt part that shows my upper thigh when I sit down.

No, this water vole is not sticking its tongue out at me.

Busy little caterpillars, I think of the Bird Cherry moth. @millihill Our hedge is full of them.

I'm in an unfamiliar city, so I popped into @marksandspencer to see what sexist, outdated messages they're pushing at kids there.
Firstly, that Space and Science are reserved for boys. Boys are told they're SUPERSTARS.

Primark was the shop where my very first kids' sexist clothing thread originated, several years ago. I popped into the Shrewsbury branch today to see if anything was different.

This are the messages for little girls I saw: girls need to be exclusively positive. Really positive.

'Hello, the 1950s here. Can we have our reductive stereotypes back?' Mums clear up sick, change nappies and food-shop.

Think I have found a fun way to introduce the idea of semantic fields to primary-age children.
#KS2English Instructions on how to make a flapping bird are on YouTube
Then, as a group, brainstorm any words connected to birds - words to do with flight, feathers, body parts, calls, species, eggs, feeding, migration etc.

Got completely drunk on stonechats over at Wem today.

Spent the afternoon in Telford shopping centre; thought I'd take a look at the children's clothes on sale there.

Let's see how many socially-conservative snowflakes I can rouse to anger by my simple request to give kids more choice. I'd been told that the children's clothes in @hmunitedkingdom were less sexist and outdated, so I went in there. The sections for boys and girls were clearly demarcated.

Excellent walk around Venus Pool. Saw absolutely tons of small birds in the field that's been left to seed.

Here's a yellowhammer. There were flocks of these all round the site. Reed buntings showing well. This one's a male.

So, what ridiculous, out-of-date sexist messaging was @marksandspencer serving up to children today? That girls should LOVE.

Right best moths of 2022: Light Emerald. Pine Hawk. Unpacked at a Meres and Mosses event.