Category: Garden

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DOMESTIC

Well I am feeling a bit better! So I have made stewed apple and have picked and sliced green tomatoes and onions for a green tomato chutney. The plants out front did better than those in the greenhouse for yield, but lack of sunshine and slugs took their toll, but 2kg of green toms is not bad. Mango chutney tomorrow. And also some cookies or a lemon drizzle.

Dish washer is playing up – the flap with the soap will not close? It is 20+ years old!

Vaccination time tomorrow for both flu and covid. 8.42am so I guess they are allowing 2 or 3 minutes per patient!

I need to clear the greenhouse and plant out the lavender and hot lips. Also there is a lot of blackthorn around and the buddlea needs trimming. Then do I cut back the raspberries? Ask Di for advice?Nasty crash on the M5 meant that this area was gridlocked – 2hours from Wedmore to Banwell or even 6 hours from ? I wa not listening properly! but it was not Birmingham or London!

My brain is weird! I spent at least an hour looking through my emails to confirm that I was having my jabs in Winscombe. Having decided to get there half an hour early (so I had time to get to Banwell if I was wrong) I did some reading. It then came to me that it was not an email, but a text message! And it was Banwell not Winscombe! Last year I got the wro ng week! And never got the Covid jab! I wonder what will go wrong tomorrow?

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SUNDAY WAFFLE

Double standards – I am very sad at the deaths of 6 hostages held by Hamas. However the outpouring of grief from around the world upto, and including, the POTAS id disproportionate. 40000 Palestinians have died, perhaps at least 25% children and the world remains, if not silent, but only mumbling. Every life should be reveered and its loss mourned.

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PARIS

Time for us to follow the French and ban pesticides from cities, including private gardens. Paris has been pesticide free since 2019. My garden is pesticide free and full of food plants for insects, bees and birds. I have a large area of raspberries and I expected the birds to beat me to the harvest – but it is largely bird free although there are plentiful insects. Yes I have seen the odd bee and butterfly but they too have been disappointing in their general absence. I guess that whilst in a rural village the other 80 or so houses in my sunurban road have only token flowers, and 80-90% mow their lawns with enthusiam every 2 weeks. Next door neighbour even sprayed an escaped wallflower that managed to flower close the wall of her house! I will admit to using slug pellets occasionally when planting out young plants from the greenhouse, but once established they are on their own! Butwhere are the birds – the bird feed in the feeder went rotten and the seeds started sprouting?

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THE ONLY TOPIC AT THE MOMENT!

My tomatoes – 450g picked today along with raspberries – chillies are looking good too!

But the riots – first Elon Musk can just fuck off! His racist upbringing in Apartheid South Africa is apparent in every word. I am not over keen on censorship but there are lines to be drawn! So if X can be suspended for a while I would be happy although there are other worse sites lke “Telegraph?” . Moves to target lawyers amplify the rioters disregard for the law. Doctors have been advised that it is ok to refuse to treat abusive racist patients. The bench mark should be “will they die? If the answer is no – throw them out”!

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WE HAVE A PROBLEM

and Houston cannot help! Supertanskii summed it up with Stochastic terrorism.

Farage and co are MP’s and are there to serve all the people, not just a few racist thugs. I will come clean here as I am guilty of similar double standards! I whole heartedly condemn Just Stop Oil disrupting traffic and everyday events ….. but support their concerns. However Farage did not even go that far – before the BUT came in that basically gave his support for the riots.

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STRAWBERRIES

Cheddar strawberries are just the best fucking strawberries in the universe! I just went and got some jam strawberries – they are called jam strawberries because they are not big and brash, but misshapen and smaller (and also half price!), but are the sweetest ever! I buy a couple of kg at a time and take some to the shop and friends. In the absence of a container I nick a coasta cup and fill it; Kate sees me first so I offer her the up which she smells and then tries one. I tell her they are to share with Kaush but she refuses (she even refuses to save some to share with her family!). So I get another container for Kaush. He likes them but I am quickly coming to the conclusion that the Indian cuisine as practiced by him is the worlds worst! Most things to hot with curry powder everytime, or doughnuts that are so ridiculously sweet! The only thing that I know he really likes that I make are polpettes from a Cypriot recipe (basically a take on hash browns!).

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A MONDAY IN JULY

Weather normal, warm rather than hot, damp rather than wet, cloudy at times – basically make your own weather forecast!

America has shown faults in its electoral system. Basically it is a true capitalist system – he/she who raises the most money wins! Biden has dropped out and Harris is in prime position to. take his place. Presumably she will be given a higher profile and be acting President ( even if she loses she will do better than lettuce Truss in time terms (and positive impact!). Will the Trump ‘saved by god’, chosen by God’ theme run out of steam? I realise that twitter and the British Press love the controversy of the red neck Americans spoutting nonsense and the associated British twats who go to support like Truss, Farage, Johnson and recently Russell Brand. The tory press is in difficulties with the anti-British rhetoric of Vance and Trump. Their dearly beloved historic “special relationship” which has probably never existed, or not for at leact half a century, is now as meaning ful as them sending a distress not to MAGA in a bottle!

Will America vote for a black woman? Probably not as many working class immigrants have already been indoctrinated by the aggressive rhetoric of the orange, tampon emblazoned fool! It will be interesting to see how the race now pans out – Trump himself is not looking great! Despite all the golf!

Back home conservative commentators are desperately trying to find reasons to slag off Labour – unsuccessfully so far. The list of possible candidates for the Cons Party leadership is growing and shows no one of integrity or flair. I actually do not think this unfair! All the named potential candidates are tainted by one of Johnson, Truss or Sunak and the years of ineptitude. Reform will lurk over the election and whilst the think tank Onward says a return to conservative values is needed. However this is all a pointless exercise if Labour manage to create a concensus on sensible migration targets – the racists and their Reform Party will always be there but they can be sidelined by good policies on other issues.

Climate change – I believe that nature is giving us a chance – but we need to take note. Number of moths is down this year due to the weather mainly, as are butterflies although I did have peacock, meadow brown and small white – the peacock was on buddliea and I have nettles so I hope they will breed. Also Holly and I saw a Red Kite over the garden – the 2nd sighting after a 5 year dip. I also heard a frog in the front garden under the mulberry trees! That sounds so pretentious! I have a normal suburb front garden but have managed to pack loads in to replace the sterile grass lawns which are favoured by most!

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DOMESTICS

I have had a little shopping spree! Bought a proper baguette mould and cloth, small loaf tins (to cut wastage and then some plants!

And Because the jungle needs them? Oh well I have bought …..

Item(s) to followQty.
KB8513 Salvia Microphylla Lips Collection 9 Jumbo Plugs Inc: – Item #: KB85131
KB8459 Lavender Duo Hidcote + Munstead 24 Plugs – Item #: KB84591
KB7781 Alstroemeria Butterfly Hybrids 3 Postiplugs Inc: – Item #: KB7781

KA2948 Strelitzia Reginae Bird Of Paradise 9cm Pot x 2 Inc: – Item #: KA2948
The last are indoor plants because 70 is not enough!

I think the lavender will be a hedge alng the front eventually! And hot lips seem to do well so I will dot them around! 12 pots of flowers out front seem ok and hanging baskets looking good – including the herb one!

It also looks like I will get some mulberries this year for the first time. Sunny today so tomatoes might start ripening. I might go and get some strawberries tomorrow – more jam?

I was asked about the football and had to admit that I would not be upset if Spain win – they are an exciting side, having said that, I would like to see England win! But a exciting open game will be fine!

I saw a friend today who is very well off, his wife went to buy some strawberries at a market but came back with none because she could not get them cheap! Why are some people so tight!

FYI there are 33000 sets of traffic lights in E&W! Last season there were 1297 laps in Gran Prix!

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CLIMATE

It makes no sense that this issue is still ignored. Hurricane Bryl was the first of the year, and earliest ever, and brought huge destructive energy acrossbthe Caribbean. It is likely to be the first of many this year – Will Trump do a Canute impression on the beach in Florida (without the wisdom of Canute!)? Already the insurance companies are recording high claims – it will get worse and the costs will be passed on to us all (Lloyds of London is still a key insurer internationally).

Elsewhere Japan is recording very high temperatures and Delhi has had record highs above 50C. Crops across Europe are being hit (I tried to buy cherries from Spain but the crop failed!). Farmers in the UK are recording high losses and without sunny weather soon the cereal crop will suffer. On a positive I have lots of mulberries for the first time and the apple tree is loaded. Tomatoes in greenhouse are slow – just 250g so far. But chillies are coming on!