Author: Richard

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WEATHER

Rather Autumnal for August. Cloudy without threatening rain, the breeze is from the north creating a chill. Seems to be set like this for a while with high pressure to the north of Scotland. It makes watering the garden a bit problematic, pots need watering, but as temperatures are lowish, how much and how often? The tomatoes are coming to an end – earlier than I expected. I also have something that nibbles them – it looks like a wasp or insect rather than mice.

The cold spring followed by wet summer and now a dry spell with warm (!!) days and cold nights could produce a riot of autumn colours this year, especially sycamore, wild cherry, hornbeam, small leafed lime and oak.

I was thinking about some brussel sprouts in the greenhouse? For Xmas? This year I need to take my glasses so I get sprouts not purple sprouting!

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BEANBURGERS

In the interests of the environment I am cutting down on meat – not becoming a vegan fanatic, just cutting down. The following recipe looks particularly good – and most of the ingredients are ok – or easily altered!!! Those who know me will be aware that this ‘altering’ can reach epic proportions! Jamies epic bean burger.

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JOHNSON REWRITES THE DICTIONARY

Rather than calling a liar, it may be fair to say he is just rewriting the definition of somethings in the dictionary. I will start with “almost everyone’ and ‘overwhelming majority’ that have been used to mean ‘more than a few’ – in the context of evacuating people from Afghanistan where thousands of eligible people have been left behind to an unknown but probably grizzly fate.

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FOOTBALL

An interesting start to the season. Brighton, West Ham and Everton all looking good, as do Chelsea, ManU, belatedly ManC, Liverpool. Leicester were looking good until taken apart by WHU.

Harry Kane seems stuck. at Spurs – will Man City go for Mbappe? or wait for Haaland?

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BREXIT

Project fear they called it, hold ups at the ports, lack of workers, rising prices. Britain would become a global power in its own right.

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NEW ZEALAND – COVID RESPONSE

It is interesting to see how restrictions can work. The outbreak there is slowing. The government identifies sites of interest and all who have visited these sites and their contact have to self isolate. These sites are updated and published every 2 hours. The government there are reasonably confident they can contain the outbreak and return to ‘normal’ soon.

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CUMULUS CLOUDS

Super day – blue skies with cumulus humilus gradually being depleted as the afternoon warms up. Temperature t-shirt weather – just nice to sit in garden. Montbretia and begonia adding an orange tinge, a few bees, hover flies and wasps around. A buzzard wheels across the sky – is it hunting or just enjoying the power of flight? I have huddles in flower, mints also in flower, I have left some stinging nettles, but still no sign of butterflies. The sun is out, bit of a breeze but not enough to deter a couple of damsel flies. I am pleased to see that the herbs in flower are attracting different types of bee and hoverfly.

Similarly the birds are missing from the feeders – this may well be because I stoped filling them up for a while as the pigeons and jackdaws where cleaning them out in minutes. It may also be because other sources are blooming – blackberries (especially those by Lee’s house) are blooming.

I need to sort the raspberries out – or at least weed out the nettles and ivy! Maybe even mow the path through the herbs in the front garden!. Thinking about propagating some mints – eau de cologne has long runners already. Maybe start with 3in. pots in greenhouse? Make sure I have labels!

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COVID AUGUST

As we have seethe government is on holiday and has left a big ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ notice in Whitehall. However the covid virus seems to be on the rise again. Figures in Scotland have risen from 799 on 2 August to 3190 on Sunday, which coincides with the schools going back there. Deaths per day across the country have risen to their highest since 18 March, and hospitalisations are nearing the 1000 per day mark. Well below figures in the Spring but still too high.

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