GARDEN 20MAY 2023

First day of real warmth at 9am. Tomatoes in greenhouse begining to flower, chillies looking good and red peppers are coming on. Basils are doing ok. Most mints have survived and some of the thyme I thought was dead is showing signs of life. Apricot and lemon and lime trees are all looking good. Wisteria and honeysuckle are again amazing – scent should be bottled! Last year on this date I picked elderflowers to make a cordial – it will be. few days yet this year.

Making ciabatta and some chocolate ginger cookies later.

SEWAGE

So the water companies are to invest £10billion over the next 10 years, but will be able to recoup through higher bills. What exactly does OFWAT do? Just fine them everytime they pump raw sewage out without mitigating reasons, freeze water bills until they clean up their act. If share prices fall nationalise them in the same way the railways have been in some instances. Coffey should apologise for the Governments inaction over this matter.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Imola Gran Prix cancelled due to flooding that has killed at least 6 people. Cyclone Mocha hits Myanmar causing dozens of deaths, floods hit Auckland, wildfires across Alberta,Canada. Drought affecting food production in the Mediterranean region. The climate crisis is set to get worse as scientists expect record highs earlier than predicted, perhaps due to ocean heating.

HOUSING

The Times reportsthat in an interview with Keir Starmer he said he would encourage more houses to be built on the green belt. I think he probably said would consider houses on the green belt, but that is not what we need. Building in the green belts increases traffic and pollution. Proper planning is needed to provide services and proper drainage for all new housing. Increasing the cost of second homes would release many properties without new builds,, 15 minute cities should be developed with greaster pedestrianisation and play streets. Proper analysis of new housing areas is needed to determine demographic trends.

WORRIED

I am severely concerned at the lack of intelligence in the Conservative Party. This is not about fruit cakes who have formed, de facto, a National Conservatism Party – they gave up their brain cells long ago. No it is the rest of them! Having just been humiliated in the polls and with about a year to the next GE it would make sense for the backbenches to be pushing for reform, for new policies, for a hope of saving teir seats and expenses. What they have at the moment is hare brained policies from the looneys and … well nothing. Changing the voting rules did not seem to work. They are left with criticising Labour for any new ideas they raise, hoping that abandoning labour, environmental and food laws that are mainly obsolete – but occasionally essential to our high standards (and often introduced to the EU by ourselves).

UKRAINE AND TAIWAN AND ISRAEL

Firstly the Ukraine – I am glad we are doing our bit to help stave off the malicious Putin. But I do wonder just how much the public cares? A war by proxy is OK until we send our children in to fight, is the mantra of the Tories. Johnson based his respectability and reputation as a PM on it and lost! Putin will not be defeated and possibly not even deposed as he will retain support from the Russian Public (who are just as likely to be brain washed as the British Public were over Brexit).

Secondly Taiwan – can someone lose Truss’s passport and boarding pass, or is she still flying at our expense on RAF planes? She is the epitome of “me-me-me-me-me”. She does not represent me or the British Government. A very selfish and silly person!

Thirdly Israel – why has the government not condemned the recent atrocities by the Israeli Government. Where is the desire to ease the situation? If all prominent persons were called out to condemn Israels activities I suspect we would have more Jews voting against their government than suppliant UK politicians. Would Starmer condemn their killings or would he be scared of being accused of being anti-semetic, Sunak the same.

LIMITS TO GROWTH

I agree that immigration needs to be brought down in the long term to ensure a sustainable society. However Bonkers Braverman is pursuing the stop migration agenda for her own purposes. Will stirring the migration pot be enough to redress the polls? My sample of just one farmer (supported by newspaper articles and radio) revealed the lunacy of current policy. Migrants are needed to work on farms (and elsewhere). Statements about getting British people picking crops in the fields is ideological fantasy. This is the world where top echelons of the Conservative inhabit a world where the laws of the land and society do not apply to them. The needs of the country are second to their own warped ambitions.

TORY ANARCHY

Their comment that people vite conservative for lower taxes may be true for the circles they move in, for the rest of us (I have never ever voted for the bastards), I assume it was for economic competence, between them Johnson, Truss and Sunak have blown that fallacy out of the water. I have always disagreed with the fundamental tennants of conservatism, but the present government has been particularly notable for a couple of things. Their abject incompetence at every turn and perhaps even more damningly their refusal to accept that their extreme rhetoric may not be welcome by the majority of the public. People switched their votes to Labour, LibDems and Greens for myriad reasons – lower tax was not one of them! Dothey think they can con the British Public for a Third time?

AROUND THE WORLD

UK to send long range missiles to Ukraine, Russia says it will respond. I cannot comment objectively on this as I am not au fait with the situation – I just hope they know what they are doing! Truss off to stir the hornets nest in Taiwan. UK has launched a proposed ‘Pioneer Programme’ should talks with the EU fail – is this a bit like setting up your own football team after being expelled from the main leagues (pointless!).

PLANTING

I just put in 3 “Flame Lilies” – I hope they will end up in the porch. Tomato plants look to be doing ok – 6 transplanted so far – at least 4 more before I start giving them away. Seeds for latest tomatoes are looking good. Rosemary also planted out, marigolds tomorrow in the long trays. Sage still looks sad, thyme – some are doing ok though so fingers crossed. Basil amnd greek basil moved to kitchen.

Jam strawberries bought and I am just deciding how much lemon to put in! And may be some lemon balm?