Covid-19

So the numbers of positive tests goes up by 50% in a day. Does this matter? Hospital admissions are steady. Will this give the “herd immunity” that we have heard lots about? Or is a start of a new wave?

Covid-19

Things the government got wrong. Basically everything! Too late to shut down, PPE debacle, care homes, masks, quarantine, test and trace, exams. And still it does not realise that bombast and bluster from No.10 means absolutely nothing on the streets of Manchester or Leeds.

What is needed is a devolution of restrictions and incentives to regional level authorities. The South-West could probably have relaxed most restrictions weeks earlier, Parts of the North should never have restricted anything yet.

REWILDING

Tens of millions of gardens across the UK have a large area devoted to mono culture. i.e. grass. Much of this is never sat on or played upon. Just cutting the grass once every 10-14 days. Benefit to wildlife = zero.

So I have rewilded my front lawn (and the back one too!). It started up with raised beds for herbs (mint, sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, Jerusalem artichoke, fennel, anise hyssop), but has now spread to the whole former lawn. I have planted some bush roses and salvias, marigolds, poppy, chicory, and many other wildflowers (some donated by Di Redfern – thank you). I have put in 100 bulbs, and have 200 more coming. Some plants do well others do not – it will sort itself out with a little help from me.

Hopefully the increase in insects of all kinds will be beneficial to the environment.

I am much heartened to see a couple of other people leaving the flowers in their lawns alone.

It is not neat and tidy – nature does not ‘DO’ straight lines.