Only 20 words from Essex in Richard MacFarlane's "Landscape"

It was a pity that Robert MacFarlane only put 2000 of the 3500 words he had in the glossaries of landscape words in his book "Landscape". If he had maybe there would have been more than 20 from Essex.

I was surprised also how few there were from Cornwall (where I was brought up) - I would have expected numerous people to have collected words from Cornwall, though there were many more than from Essex. There were many more from Northamptonshire (where my father came from) than from Cornwall even if you counted those from the South West in the latter's total.

I would have traded the essays for more words.

The glossaries were by type of landscape: flatlands, uplands, waterlands, coastlands, underlands, northlands, edgelands, earthlands and woodlands.

As well as words making connection to a landscape, I like the idea of words making a connection to an area. This is why I've lifted all the Essex words (as I now live in what, at the time of my birth was still Essex, and plan to try and find examples of them (not necessarily in Essex, that would limit me too much) and record those I do.

I would also like to find more Essex words - presumably there are Essex words for icicle and scarecrow. Problem is living in London rather than out in the Essex towns I don't have people to ask.

Pond snails off to a good home

There was a request on Freegle on Thursday for some pond snails. It was from Ros, someone I first met through the local Green Party, now usually through Transition Leytonstone, and most recently at a performance locally of "Three Acres and a Cow".

I usually have pond snails, but the duck weed hasn't died back due to the mild winter so I had no idea whether I had any at the moment. I forgot to check Thursday evening and Friday morning. If it wasn't for someone I knew I probably would have given up, but I remembered Friday evening and out I went.  Yes, I had pond snails.

Ros has just been to collect some for her garden pond.

Did a I see a buzzard?

I recognised a buzzard when I was 3 years old. I can remember it - standing in the kitchen, looking out the window, seeing one and saying "Oh, look, there's a buzzard". My mother can remember this too.

They were frequent sights at home when I was a child, but I haven't seen one as an adult.

So this morning, did I see a buzzard over my street in north east London?

It was already quite high up when I spotted it, getting higher and higher in slow circles.

One of the films I've found on the internet makes me think it might be. But there were dark tips to the under wings of the bird I saw which I can't see on the video.

Perhaps it was a gull, and just the angle of sight made the wings seem rounded? Do gulls circle upwards like that?

Middle of April and water butt already empty

I am watering the pots, some transplanted foxgloves and primulas, and fertilising daffodils that have finished flowering. Most days only 3 cans, weekends 4 cans. But this morning the water butt ran dry.

I had a day off today so breakfast and meditation in the garden, and a nap in my hammock after lunch!

bath towels to hand towels, hand towels to flannels

I am in made-do-and-mend mode at the moment. I am cutting up some holey bath towels, hemming the raw edges, and making hand towels out of them.

I have some holey hand towels too. They will be cut up and made into flannels.

Yellow brimstone in the garden today.