Category: Garden

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WATER

There is so much crap talked about in the press. Scaremongering is rife. Yes there is a shortage of water in some areas – notably those relying on reservoirs. However despite the dry spring only the northern counties are affected. Those areas with mainly groundwater supplies are relatively unaffected. Rain over the next couple of days will only bring a temporary respite to reservoir levels. So it will be areas with reliance on reservoirs that are affected by droughts. Long term changes in climate will take longer to filter through the system for groundwater supplies. River flows are below normal almost everywhere across the UK which has a bigger impact on wildlife, especially when water companies pump out sewage. I have no idea about my next comments! But surely farms should take measures to ensure water supply in these times of climatic change? Mega water butts could be the future?

It does not look like much rain here until maybe tomorrow afternoon.

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WATER

My water butts are getting low – not surprising when I am using 15ltr + every day. So my 200ltr one is empty and the 100ltr one is low but the 50ltr one ok for now! 40% chance of rain on Monday – I could do with a big downpour soon!

The water companies themselves have been trousering profits for so long that they have forgotten that they are supposed to provide clean water and treat sewage. No new reservoirs for 30 years (indeed some in cities sold off for housing!). Can there be any doubt that the public want privatisation of the water companies, even if it requires higher charges in the short term. I would suggest ownership is transfered to the residents who use the water and sewage facilities. If there are surplus profits in the future – then they would benefit. An incentive for conservation of resources as well. The water companies have justified bonus payments as being retention bonus’s. What bullshit. I would hazard a guess that most directors know jack shit about water supply – they are appointed to maximise profits and manipulate finances.

OK – and you and I are expected to obey a hosepipe ban whilst golf courses, etc. are given dispensation to use as much as they like. If there is a ban here – they can fuck off, and then fuck off some more! My wildlife garden is on average 1m high throughout with a couple of mulberry trees, a large apple tree, a baby apricot tree and lots of raspberries and roses. These are swarming with skipper butterflies and whites, hover flies and bees. My garden is an important service station in the wilderness of lawns cut to 5% of their lives and then insecticided. Temperatures in the garden are lower than neighbours and it is ahaven for wildlife.

These do not do justice to the garden. Stepping out of the patio is stepping into a wilderness! (and I have over 50 plants indoors!

So why should I watch my plants wither whilst the golf course can water? Oh, and they do not water the wildflowers, only the  Bentgrass and Bermudagrass are commonly used. TBH who would obey a hosepipe ban whilst the water company directors earn 6 or 7 figure salaries for circumventing te law. Yes I am fucking angry!

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AWFUL

I am constantly surprised by just how bad the government were. NHS waiting lists; migration figures; water company negligence; education in a mess; housing crisis; the legal system; prisons. Just what were they doing?

Will Labour be any better or is it the system? First signs are not great. Has anything noticably changed for the better? Winter fuel payment fiasco; benefits cuts; inertia about water supply. The overall consensus is that we are getting more of the same ineptitude. Pandering to the RWPress and failing at every step with new policies. I do not want to hear about the multi billion black hole left bybthe tories. I want to hear about reform of just about everything. Every government department should be tasked with how they are going to revolutionise their policies within the budget restraints. I do not expect to agree with all of them, but a vision of the future is needed, fast. Starmer seems proficient at international relations which is a huge improvement on the past 15 years

Domestic news – my nextdoor neighbour was spraying weed killer on dandelions in her lawn. I hope the poison does not affect the growing number of insects in my jungle. She is fighting a never ending battle as my garden cherishes dandelions and the chicory, evening primrose and fennel are spreading! My roses are also looking good – hopefully they will grow in size over the next year to become fully fledged bushes. I might get some more in the autumn. I have red x2, white x2, yellow x2, white x3, purple x1 and orangex1. I also have a mallow that has appeared in the back lawn! i am cutting the sky rockets on my apple tree – I know it is not the time stated – but it feels right to me! Sage is escaping and rosemary and oregano is doing well, as is my lemon mint by the patio.

I might make some cheese straws with crushed pepper, basil and sun dried tomatoes later. I watered the hanging baskets at 5.30am this morning but may have to do them again later.

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TV

It is time for TV companies to get topical – something they use to justify the blanket coverage of the racist Reform Party. My proposal a weekly bulletin about the climate crisis. It should include extreme weather events from around the world – todays bulletin would include the Texas floods and the heat wave in the Mediterranean. It should also braodcast the abount of renewable energy produced weekly (or daily). Green initiatives could be highlighted with expert input. It could also report on sewage events – name and shame. It could also include debate between climate deniers and green proponents.

National Grid https://grid.iamkate.com stats show 71.5% of energy used at this moment was renewable. I do not care about the arguments that it is daytime and breezy. This is 71.5% of non-polluting energy now. If we can scale this up and add battery storage we can lead the world. The Guardian today has a report on balcony solar panels – cost abot £2000. I know many cannot afford this but maybe some of the UK’s wealthy cound set up a fund to support. My solar panels repaid in 8 years and this year have been spectacular!

PS. My wild garden is well known, but I wonder just how effective it is? Does it attract insects and other wildlife? Does it lower the temperature in summer and raise it in winter? And I know I get a financial result from the herbs and Mulberries at the front and the tomato and raspberries at the back. My little apple tree is now 3m around and the replacement apricot tree is doing ok. It sounds like I have a large garden but this is not true, about 10m wide and 5m at front and 10m at back. It is wild though! A dozen roses and a large sage and a large rosemary, also thyme and a variety of mints. And tomato and a cucumber and basil in greenhouse. Some neighbours are restricting mowing – whether for ecological reasons or just lazy I have no idea!

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PRUNING

I have no idea what I am doing in the garden – so I have decided to cut back the apple tree which looks like it may be bigger than the house. I will easily fill the wheelie bin! I think I will add this address to my post that i will put in the papers. Basically I do not give a fuck if everyone knows it was me – only the daft will not work it out!

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WEATHER

Hot again – I have 2 problems I need your help with regarding the METO forecast. Firstly it always quotes the temperature and then say ‘feels like’ – this is always lower but friends maintain that it could feel like higher. Personally I do not think it can! The actual temperature can be higher due to surroundings but even with no wind and high/low humidity it not possible. The only exception would be sunbathing, but again would the ‘feel like’ temp be lower than a thermometer on the ground next to you?

Secondly – humidity. At present it is a bit muggy and 25C in my living room with the doors and windows open. But the METO says humidity is 58%. I am aware that humidity decreases with temperature as warmer air can hold more moisture – so in winter 90-95% is common without rain. So would it maake more sense to have a feels like humidity, rather than temp on hot days?

Of course I have sunbathed – but logically it is very stupid! Basically baste yourself like roast meat, turn regularly and increase chance of melamona! Oh and get sweaty and a crusty skin.

I am watering the greenhouse 2x a day but still no ripe tomatoes! Roses need constant dead heading, and I am trimming the grass round their base. Pretty woman lily in flower. Raspberries for breakfast and the occasional wild strawberry. – basil doing ok but parsley refuses to even shoot out a little green leaf. I was looking at cook books yesterday – but too hot to cook!

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TIDY

It appears that the situation for wildlife on Earth is deteriorating. I am not a great lover of bugs and flies but … they are important to the ecosystems we rely on. We live in a world obsessed with tidiness. Neighbours are even putting screnes around their recycling bins! On which, I have a couple of comments. Firstly why do people put their rubbish in black bin bags? We are supposed to be cutting down on plastic waste – not creating it! Second – and I am not sure about this. There are getting on for 30 million homes in the UK, most of whom will recycle waste food or at least bag it. This presumably went in a smelly bin in the past which would have been lovely for flies and insects? Third – We are now being encouraged to recycle soft plastics – surely the film covering take aways and other products needs washing – thus increasing water usage and energy? Can they not find a decompsable film that can be put in with food waste?

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JUNE – DIARY

is nearly upon us. Will it be ‘flamin’ June”? High pressure is steady across much of Europe casing record heat waves in Spain, Portugal and southern France. TBH this year has been perfect for me in Somerset, enough rain, lots of sunshine and not too hot. First raspberries should be ready tomorrow with sunshine today, ready for the grandchildren to pick. Tomato plants are looking healthy – I need to get some canes for them and think about deleafing them near the pots? They will definitely be earlier than last year when first pick was not until July – Aaron has tomatoes on the ones I gave him already! Roses are lovely with the old red one and the new yellow bush one competing, although the purple one is very/too fragrant!

My birthday meal tomorrow – Maz is very busy, Adam half way through GCSE’s and Erin just started new job so I have told them I will see them later (another excuse for a feast!). I may have gone over the top – last year we all went for a meal and I paid £250 for a meal that was OK. So this year I have spent £200 on – well a JamJam preference! I have beef, pork and lamb which I will marinade and serve with tortilla wraps and salad; oh and wine! And, well lots of salad!

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GARDEN

A cucumber planted – everything in greenhouse looking good and thriving. First flowers on tomatoes a couple of days ago. Basil plants doing brill – just gave some to Kate’s mum and some to Aaron tomorrow.= – lots more. Spare tomatoes planted amongst flowers and lemon coriander.. Wall flower planted last year is still in flower. I am not sure what else to plant – parsley and maybe some more basil. Just going to make bread – maybe add olives and ??? Last few loaves have been disappointing – not sure why – maybe just play Atom Heart Mother louder during the rising bit!

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HOW I SEE IT!

Israel and Gaza. At last the British Government has spoken out against the atrocities commited on a daily basis by Israel, not only in Gaza, but the West Bank too. It is my belief that all Jews should speak out against the Israeli government. Should Palestinians do the same about Hamas? Here it is more nuanced. What Hamas did to innocent Israelies was indefensible. But understandable? Poked with sticks regularly, faced with state sponsored murders it was kind of inevitable that they would lash out eventually. The Israeli response has not been proportionate, focused or reasonable. Therefore the British Government should go further and like with Russia seize control of Israeli companies to fund for the reconstruction of Gaza once the plague of Israel has been vanquished.

Whilst in a vocal mood – the Conservative councillors wife given a 31 month prison sentence – did she deserve the sentence – HELL YES – should it be reduced? Given that she has shown contrition and is not a threat to society, yes perhaps along with ‘Just stop oil’ protestors. Both should realise that the time for extremism is not yet upon us! And the prisons are full, time for Timpson to step up and do something about it. I am tired of hearing radio saddo’s complaining about leniency – it costs a lot to imprison people and there are those who need to be locked up, but for many, they made wrong decisions, often horrific, but societies retribution could be more inventive and productive.

Climate crisis – durh! Puzzles. Boil a kettle please. Half fill it and it boils quicker than when full. 70.8% of earths surface and the oceans deepest point is much deeper than Everest is high. 230 million people live at less than 1m above sea level. 1 billion live below 10m all. A 20cm rise in sea level by 2050 as predicted would lead to flood damage of $1 trillion a year. With current policies we are looking at a 2.5C rise in temperatures. Melting Greenland and Antarctic Ice Caps would result in a 12m rise in sea level. Where do you live? Have you worked out the puzzle yet? I could go on but unless you are educationally subnormal you have got it. If you question this you can fuck off, then fuck off some more, until you are in a planet far away!

Feeling good today – it rained last night which means that the random plants I have planted out are doing ok. Making a lemon cheesecake later, have watered tomato plants and planted many out in random pots . Next big crop should be basil – love it.