Cycle ride this morning in the sunshine (it's trying to snow now!).
I saw:
gorse starting to come into flower
pussy willow, some just bursting from the buds, others covered in yellow pollen
dandelions (one clump in seed)
daisies
blackthorn in bud
colts foot
One of the trees full of catkins I think was an alder (if my memory of the bark pattern I've just checked in my tree book). Alder is supposed to be attractive to woodworm. The idea is you put bits of alder around furniture in the Spring and the woodworm moth lays its eggs in alder rather than the furniture. Then in the summer you burn the alder. Very useful if you get second hand furniture.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Country living n the 1790s
I have just finished reading "The Cottage Garden Diaries: My year in the Eighteenth Century" by Fiona J Houston.
Fiona spent a year living as a school master's wife in the 1790s. She was mainly inspired by her fury at the machinations of supermarkets, who care little for the nutritional value of the food they sell, its environmental impact and the survival of the poor people who farm the crops. But she was interested in history and how people lived before the industrial revolution, and also concerned how we would survive without the oil we currently rely on.
I got it in a charity shop, but it seems still to be available on the Internet. Being interested in history, having enjoyed the BBC2 programmes set in farms of different periods, also being interested in recipes and tips that would help green and country living in the city it immediately appealed. (I didn't know of Fiona's green interests until I started reading the book.)
I enjoyed the book and found it very interesting. I will have to go back through the book to see if any of the recipes I might actually get round to trying.
Living a year in the 1790s made Fiona really appreciate electricity for heating, light, freezing food, for music, but now back in the 21st century she has changed what she does to be greener - eating locally produced food no longer flying and restricting how much she uses the car, for instance.
.
http://thisbluemarble.com/showthread.php?t=33686
Fiona spent a year living as a school master's wife in the 1790s. She was mainly inspired by her fury at the machinations of supermarkets, who care little for the nutritional value of the food they sell, its environmental impact and the survival of the poor people who farm the crops. But she was interested in history and how people lived before the industrial revolution, and also concerned how we would survive without the oil we currently rely on.
I got it in a charity shop, but it seems still to be available on the Internet. Being interested in history, having enjoyed the BBC2 programmes set in farms of different periods, also being interested in recipes and tips that would help green and country living in the city it immediately appealed. (I didn't know of Fiona's green interests until I started reading the book.)
I enjoyed the book and found it very interesting. I will have to go back through the book to see if any of the recipes I might actually get round to trying.
Living a year in the 1790s made Fiona really appreciate electricity for heating, light, freezing food, for music, but now back in the 21st century she has changed what she does to be greener - eating locally produced food no longer flying and restricting how much she uses the car, for instance.
.
http://thisbluemarble.com/showthread.php?t=33686
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Cycling in the snow
This morning out on my bike while the snow was falling, though by 9 am it was no longer settling and the snow that had already fallen was beginning to melt.
The problem was the big puddles of melted snow at the edges of the Leabridge Road. A car or bus went through one of those and a wave of muddy water up to 2 feet high came right over the pavement. I was slowing down and speeding up to avoid passing one of those puddles at the same time as a car. Luckily there wasn't so much traffic along there as usual at that time of a Saturday morning.
Can't moan too much about being out in the cold on my bike instead of nice and warm inside a car as I then spent 2 and a half hours kayaking! Saw a wren bobbing about at the side of the Navigation in Hackney Wick.
The problem was the big puddles of melted snow at the edges of the Leabridge Road. A car or bus went through one of those and a wave of muddy water up to 2 feet high came right over the pavement. I was slowing down and speeding up to avoid passing one of those puddles at the same time as a car. Luckily there wasn't so much traffic along there as usual at that time of a Saturday morning.
Can't moan too much about being out in the cold on my bike instead of nice and warm inside a car as I then spent 2 and a half hours kayaking! Saw a wren bobbing about at the side of the Navigation in Hackney Wick.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
plums this year if weather is kind
Out in my garden in a space between showers this morning and found both my plum trees in flower so a chance of cross pollination IF London doesn't get the cold spell forecast for the next few weeks.
Last year I had one plum tree in flower and the other with not a single blossom, so fingers crossed for plums this year!
Last year I had one plum tree in flower and the other with not a single blossom, so fingers crossed for plums this year!
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Daffodils: pick for the house or let them stay in the garden?
I went up to Chingford to meet friends for a trip out. When I got off the bus I went and brought 2 bunches of British daffodils for a £1 a bunch* (last of the big spenders!) for Debbie, who wouldn't be joining us on the trip.
The daffodil buds were still tight in their sheaths , but I hope they will open slowly and give Debbie a lot of pleasure. I certainly enjoyed the daffodils I brought home from my allotment when I lived in a flat.
I picked them when the buds were just bursting through the sheaths and put them in my unheated bedroom. They took a week to open and then lasted ages, and for several weeks a vase with a new bunch was added each weekend.
I really enjoyed seeming them each morning. The worst the weather the more they cheered me up!
Now I have a house and a garden I can see my daffodils from my bedroom window and so I don't like to pick them to bring them indoors, though I missing them in the house.
My previous cats used to eat plants and then be sick, my current ones knock them over. So I have to put any flowers in the conservatory outside my dining room window where can see them from the dining room table, so not quite the same effect!
This year I don't think I am going to have many daffodils in the garden, though I do have the miniature ones out under the neighbours' ash tree.
* How much money can the farmers get, and the people who pick the daffodils get, if they end up in a London shop for a £1 a bunch?
The daffodil buds were still tight in their sheaths , but I hope they will open slowly and give Debbie a lot of pleasure. I certainly enjoyed the daffodils I brought home from my allotment when I lived in a flat.
I picked them when the buds were just bursting through the sheaths and put them in my unheated bedroom. They took a week to open and then lasted ages, and for several weeks a vase with a new bunch was added each weekend.
I really enjoyed seeming them each morning. The worst the weather the more they cheered me up!
Now I have a house and a garden I can see my daffodils from my bedroom window and so I don't like to pick them to bring them indoors, though I missing them in the house.
My previous cats used to eat plants and then be sick, my current ones knock them over. So I have to put any flowers in the conservatory outside my dining room window where can see them from the dining room table, so not quite the same effect!
This year I don't think I am going to have many daffodils in the garden, though I do have the miniature ones out under the neighbours' ash tree.
* How much money can the farmers get, and the people who pick the daffodils get, if they end up in a London shop for a £1 a bunch?
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
We need some old-fashioned country preparedness!
Kent and Essex have had several inches of snow resulting in lots of trapped motorists. The Red Cross has been out taking food, drink and blankets to the stranded drivers.
Why don't people have these basic supplies in their cars in winter as a matter of course? Even more so when the weather forecast is threatening snow!
My father had "town and country" tyres on and took great pride on being able to get up any slope he needed to in any conditions - though in West Cornwall this was more likely to be mud than snow! He also in winter had a shovel and some sacking to put under the wheels.
Nowadays every one ready to blame the highways agency and the councils but not ready to take any responsibility for themselves. I would like to think it was just urbanites, but suspect nowadays most of those living in the country have lost the impetus to plan ahead to look after themselves and their families.
Middle-aged moan over. I feel better now!
Why don't people have these basic supplies in their cars in winter as a matter of course? Even more so when the weather forecast is threatening snow!
My father had "town and country" tyres on and took great pride on being able to get up any slope he needed to in any conditions - though in West Cornwall this was more likely to be mud than snow! He also in winter had a shovel and some sacking to put under the wheels.
Nowadays every one ready to blame the highways agency and the councils but not ready to take any responsibility for themselves. I would like to think it was just urbanites, but suspect nowadays most of those living in the country have lost the impetus to plan ahead to look after themselves and their families.
Middle-aged moan over. I feel better now!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Lesser spotted woodpecker spotted
Cycling to kayaking yesterday past when at the bottom of Marsh Lane I saw a slim bird fly from high up on one tree to high up on another. I immediately thought woodpecker, but it looked rather small. Would a lesser spotted woodpecker be that small?
Checked in my Collins bird guide when I got home, and yes it would.
Rather pleased with myself, a very amateur amateur birdwatcher, that I recognised the shape.
Checked in my Collins bird guide when I got home, and yes it would.
Rather pleased with myself, a very amateur amateur birdwatcher, that I recognised the shape.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Hackney council reneging on their promise to protect Hackney marshes!
Last summer, before the Olympics, there was a music festival on Hackney Marshes that cut off the area for some time - not just the day of the event.
Public space becoming private space is not OK just because it is temporary.
In fact, the effects have been very long lasting with some of the cricket/football pitches still not usable. Don't play cricket or football myself but I think it is great to see people getting enjoyable exercise in the outdoors every weekend - and mixing with people they might otherwise not mix with.
After the event the Mayor of Hackney promised it wouldn't happen again.
But guess what! He wants to apply to be able to do it again! We don't have to worry - there's going to be a consultation!
Public space becoming private space is not OK just because it is temporary.
In fact, the effects have been very long lasting with some of the cricket/football pitches still not usable. Don't play cricket or football myself but I think it is great to see people getting enjoyable exercise in the outdoors every weekend - and mixing with people they might otherwise not mix with.
After the event the Mayor of Hackney promised it wouldn't happen again.
But guess what! He wants to apply to be able to do it again! We don't have to worry - there's going to be a consultation!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
To help or hinder a toad?
This evening as I came home from Leyton station I found a toad walking along the pavement of Francis Road, a side road with a mixture of shops and houses.
I presume a frog or toad on the move at this time of year is off to a pond to mate and knows where it is going, so best to leave well alone - unless crossing the road when I help it to the other side.
I couldn't have done much straight away anyway as I had my arms full of offcuts rescued from a skip.
I did wonder about getting a bucket when I got home, going out to find the toad again, and bring it to my garden with my pond and plenty of cover. However, I don't know whether the toad would be content to stay or rather struggle to make its way back to its home pond.
On this date in 2009 I recorded a butterfly flying past the window, either a tortoiseshell (called King Georges in Cornwall where I was brought up) or a comma.
I presume a frog or toad on the move at this time of year is off to a pond to mate and knows where it is going, so best to leave well alone - unless crossing the road when I help it to the other side.
I couldn't have done much straight away anyway as I had my arms full of offcuts rescued from a skip.
I did wonder about getting a bucket when I got home, going out to find the toad again, and bring it to my garden with my pond and plenty of cover. However, I don't know whether the toad would be content to stay or rather struggle to make its way back to its home pond.
On this date in 2009 I recorded a butterfly flying past the window, either a tortoiseshell (called King Georges in Cornwall where I was brought up) or a comma.
One rook - it must be a crow?
Morning off today. Looked out the bedroom window to see a crow on the ash tree overhanging my garden. It was eating something, though I couldn't see what.
There is a saying:
If you see one rook, it's a crow
If you see lots of crows, they're rooks
It is true that one rook will be a crow, but lots of crows can be crows. Certainly on the playing fields etc down Marsh Lane and on various bits of open grass along side the Lee Navigation there are often large groups of crows.
I mean to check out this year whether this is seasonal - groups in winter, pairs in spring.
I read once that before street sanitation was introduced there would be crows scavenging the rubbish!
There is a saying:
If you see one rook, it's a crow
If you see lots of crows, they're rooks
It is true that one rook will be a crow, but lots of crows can be crows. Certainly on the playing fields etc down Marsh Lane and on various bits of open grass along side the Lee Navigation there are often large groups of crows.
I mean to check out this year whether this is seasonal - groups in winter, pairs in spring.
I read once that before street sanitation was introduced there would be crows scavenging the rubbish!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
If you live in a city, you don't need a car
On the Guardian website today was an article from Joanna Moorhead who had given up the family car and doubted she would replace it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/06/live-city-dont-need-car
Most of the comments were about the London-centric nature of this article, most other cities don't have the public transport infrastructure that London does (and several South Londoners pointed out that South London doesn't either).
However, following the comments it showed that many (but not all) who claimed to need the car, or that the car was cheaper, were probably misleading themselves.
I once talked to someone from Gloucestershire who thought there was a lot of snobbery about cars in the countryside. He used the buses. In Gloucestershire these were full of the elderly and children, whereas in London they were full of a wide range of people of all ages. He was once at a meeting and the person he was meeting found he was travelling by bus and was amazed, "But you are a manager!".
One of the options for those not owning a car but needing to use one was to hire one. However that only works for ex-car owners. If you have passed your test, don't get a car, then need to hire one a year later, are you going to be safe on the roads? That's why I've never driven since I passed my test 30 years ago!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/06/live-city-dont-need-car
Most of the comments were about the London-centric nature of this article, most other cities don't have the public transport infrastructure that London does (and several South Londoners pointed out that South London doesn't either).
However, following the comments it showed that many (but not all) who claimed to need the car, or that the car was cheaper, were probably misleading themselves.
I once talked to someone from Gloucestershire who thought there was a lot of snobbery about cars in the countryside. He used the buses. In Gloucestershire these were full of the elderly and children, whereas in London they were full of a wide range of people of all ages. He was once at a meeting and the person he was meeting found he was travelling by bus and was amazed, "But you are a manager!".
One of the options for those not owning a car but needing to use one was to hire one. However that only works for ex-car owners. If you have passed your test, don't get a car, then need to hire one a year later, are you going to be safe on the roads? That's why I've never driven since I passed my test 30 years ago!
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Some clutter blocked, some clutter going
Two nice blue and white plates in the charity shop yesterday, I liked both, they were different from each other (I tend to avoid things matching) and from any I had got. BUT I have over a dozen blue and white dinner plates. I don't entertain often and haven't had more than 3 visitors needing dinner plates! So I resisted in the hope that someone buys them during the week and they aren't there next week!
(Did get another bangle - dark red, carved, to add to the collection, though!)
This morning I emptied out two shelves of a small cupboard. Three vases, one unused chocolate sundae set and a board game ready for the charity shop.
I also found several packets of paper napkins. Why so many? Unfortunately the ones I am not so keen on are the unopened ones so I can't take them to the charity shop. So, I'll use them as tissues instead.
Small steps but in the right direction!
(Did get another bangle - dark red, carved, to add to the collection, though!)
This morning I emptied out two shelves of a small cupboard. Three vases, one unused chocolate sundae set and a board game ready for the charity shop.
I also found several packets of paper napkins. Why so many? Unfortunately the ones I am not so keen on are the unopened ones so I can't take them to the charity shop. So, I'll use them as tissues instead.
Small steps but in the right direction!
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Plastic bag causes a walk home
The gears didn't seem to be fitting "home" properly as I cycled back from kayaking this morning. I used to have this problem with my old bike in any gear other than 5 so not happy but not surprised either.
I always stop my bike with the left pedal down, but need to start off with the left pedal up. When I stopped to use a crossing I tried to kick the pedal up it wouldn't go. I carried on cycling, hoping that when I got home I would be able to solve the problem myself. I am not very handy, so the likelihood would be no. All my plans for my half day off this week were fading as I imagined myself having to take the bike in to be done Not long after that I had no traction when peddling at all. Got off and spotted the plastic bag in the chain cogs.
If I had spotted it earlier it might have been easy to remove but it now looked firmly wedged. So I had to walk the rest of the way pushing the bike, thankful I had at least got half way home.
Luckily, with the help of a pair of pliers, I think I have got all the bag out. The light is a bit dim in my hall so won't know for sure until tomorrow when I will test the bike before loading it up to go to the club ready to help pack boats for a trip to the Lea Valley White Water Centre. Luckily I have a folding bike so can use that in an emergency.
Celandines out on the old River Lea between Tottenham and Walthamstow. Also saw a kingfisher - a flash of electric blue, but for sometime as it flew down the river and round the corner,
I always stop my bike with the left pedal down, but need to start off with the left pedal up. When I stopped to use a crossing I tried to kick the pedal up it wouldn't go. I carried on cycling, hoping that when I got home I would be able to solve the problem myself. I am not very handy, so the likelihood would be no. All my plans for my half day off this week were fading as I imagined myself having to take the bike in to be done Not long after that I had no traction when peddling at all. Got off and spotted the plastic bag in the chain cogs.
If I had spotted it earlier it might have been easy to remove but it now looked firmly wedged. So I had to walk the rest of the way pushing the bike, thankful I had at least got half way home.
Luckily, with the help of a pair of pliers, I think I have got all the bag out. The light is a bit dim in my hall so won't know for sure until tomorrow when I will test the bike before loading it up to go to the club ready to help pack boats for a trip to the Lea Valley White Water Centre. Luckily I have a folding bike so can use that in an emergency.
Celandines out on the old River Lea between Tottenham and Walthamstow. Also saw a kingfisher - a flash of electric blue, but for sometime as it flew down the river and round the corner,
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