It really is not that difficult. Year. 11 have no exams so schools have 6 weeks with 20% of their main school students missing. Using some of these hours would not be greatly popular with teachers – but a pay rise would compensate- for individual and small group tuition would seem sensible and practical. Cheaper than the way the government hides its incompetence behind large cash sums (I am sure much of this money will go to private tuition firms.
WEATHER 2 JUNE 2021
It has been humid, and now we have a decent downpour. My mints will love it. I wonder if we will get some thunder and lightning? My water butts should fill up quickly. This just as well, as we look like having at least a week of dry weather.
LAWNS
Why do you have a lawn? If you can answer positively and say you use it for whatever, that is fine. How many people mow a small lawn using electricity or petrol, for no other purpose than to stop the grass growing? I am not advocating concrete or even plastic grass – but what is the point?
POLITICS – WHAT NEXT
COVID
COMPLAINTS
Well my rant below has already been nullified with an email stating new delivery date of 11 Ju8ne. This is OK as we have had a very peculiar weather year so far.
I sent Suttons a very polite email regarding plants that they said would be dispatched on 24 May.
**Auto Acknowledgment**
Dear Customer,
Thank you for your email.
Due to an increased demand for Gardening related products, we are receiving a higher volume of emails than expected. We are working extremely hard to reply as quickly as possible and anticipate responding to your message within 9 days.
Thank you for your patience.With best regards,
Customer Care Team
9 Days!And I did not know they did non gardening related products! I do not like being critical, but surely they should look at employing a couple more staff?
But when I looked they have been bought out, firstly by Thompson and Morgan, and then by a private equity group (AKA asset strippers), And then when I ask other questions about their finance I get 20% come up in search box. But I got there eventually. They are owned by BVG Group who own just about everything garden related – but obviously do not employ enough people to answer genuine emails. Must be counting their profits!
JUNE WEATHER
It looks like we are having dry settled weather for rest of the month! So get the hose pipes out! We could have a game of estimating the first moor fire by idiots with disposable bbq, or what ever – I will go for 11 June. Why are so many people morons? Litter is epidemic at the moment. Perhaps a large fine or 2 days community litter picking would help – in brightly coloured shirts? I really do not like these people!
MINTED
Lovers of mint look no further. I am just planting out 18 types of mint and hope to have a few more shortly.
I am not sure why, but I have Japanese;l Spanish; Moroccan; Inguano; Curly; Garden; Mojito; Strawberry; White peppermint; Banana; Pineapple; Chocolate; Basil; Berries and cream; Apple; Eau de Cologne; Spearmint; then Lemon balm and Lemon bergamot. And I am on the lookout for a couple more!
I think I might offer a Christmas collection of dried mints, or experiment with a tea mix.
I also have sage, rosemary, tarragon, oregano, sweet basil, greek basil, lemon basil, lemon thyme, thyme, creeping thyme, dill, pot marigold, nasturtium, fennel, parsley, hot and spicy oregano, bay. Donations welcome!
BREXIT IMPACTS SO FAR
It is difficult to separate Brexit and Covid impacts, especially as both are virus’ which keep mutating!
But lets have a go. Northern Ireland is slowly descending back into troubled waters with the government stuck in its dogma. Industries like fishing have been hit hard – I guess that as most fishermen seem to have voted for Brexit, that they cannot read? Imports from Europe have slowed, prices have risen. We might notice this more in the summer when fresh fruit and veg from the Mediterranean is due. A shortage of labour is reported across hospitality and agricultural sectors – whilst Patel is busy trying to send Europeans home, the industries are trying to recruit. I am not sure the dire shortages in the building industry are down to Brexit or Covid, probably a bit of both. New trade deal with Australia has not been welcomed by farmers or environmentalists.
Basically the Cabinet was selected to be Pro-Brexit with people of undoubted ability cast aside (by Cummings? Certainly by Johnson). The trouble seems to be that they did not, have not, got a plan (or a clue) on how to deal with the problems (entirely foreseeable) that have and will ensue.
They are still basking in the view that this is a government which gets things done – KILLING OLD PEOPLE IN CARE HOMES, BREXIT, ENRICHING THEIR BUDDIES, SELLING OFF PARTS OF THE NHS, VACCINES, and maybe they dissolution of the United Kingdom, and more likely the selling of patient data from the NHS. This last one has not been touted yet – but wait and see!
BANK HOLIDAY – GARDENING
Bright and sunny with bit of a breeze. So garden.
Pot out sweet basil, greek basil and lemon basil; lemon bergamot and dill and tarragon in round pots. Flowers to oblong pots or plugged into meadow at the front. Lemon tree into larger pot in conservatory. And some of the other house plants to bigger pots with enough soil! Hanging baskets ready for flowers tomorrow.