Random Ramblings

Splat!!

There are many wonderful, magical facts that are learnt about animals and birds over a lifetime – here is one that I recently found out about: powder down. Like moths and butterflies which have fine like powder on their wings in the form of overlapping scales, birds produce a dusting of waxy like powder over their feathers which is called powder down. In the case of birds the powder is designed to help waterproof their bodies from the rain. Occasionally, we are able to see this when a bird flies into a pane of glass usually twixt the end of one day and before the dawn of the next. A friend forwarded a picture of a bird imprint in powder down on to me when they found one on their office window.

Bird impression in powder down on a window pane

Country Quips:

Our life on Earth enables us to glimpse the beauty of Heaven.

Planting

Wonder why they say that perennials are best planted in October? I have been trying to fill up some of the bare patches that developed in the garden borders due to last years extended cold and snow bound Winter. So many plants withered and died. I don’t think that we have ever lost so many at once before. So there has been a need to purchase more and hopefully find some that will weather a little better than before. This not only means they need to be able to withstand the cold but also the ever changing weather patterns – whether we are experiencing lack of rainfall, blustery winds, torrential downpours or any other unusual combination of weather conditions.

It has been very dry this year in England and trying to plant out deep rooted perennials has proved to be very difficult. Some of the roots have required not only depth but half an arms length in several directions. The easiest of the gap fillers has been some of the more common of the Spring bulbs.

I am hoping for a wonderful garden of Eden next year … I hope that these new plants all take and do not disappoint!

One plant that I have always wanted to introduce into the garden is the perennial or everlasting sweet pea. As it is known for its length of flowering time and the quantity of flowers produced it was a popular flower during Victorian times. I have bought five small plants which have been placed by two of the apple trees to hopefully eventually form a pretty backdrop to the far border … all they have to do is Winter well this first year and then they should be sturdy enough to bring years of beautiful colour … I do hope that they survive.

Perennial or Everlasting Sweet Peas

‘What a big belly you have!’

As I have said before, October is a very strange month. The other day I was greeted with a large, round, female spider nearly ready to lay her eggs. This particular spider is more at home in a bush but somehow had gained access to my kitchen. Perhaps she senses that there is a very, very cold spell on the way as they are not noted for venturing indoors very often. Time will tell … I hope that it isn’t a portend to extreme weather …

Araneus quadratus - female full of eggs

Sober October

It is important to be optimistic especially in the month of October. This month takes more than it gives; hates more than it loves; curses more than it nurses: it is a month that is often feared. Whether it’s the damp, the dark nights, the wet, the wind or something that is indefinable the chances are if you catch a cold or a cough in October it will last nearly up until Christmas!

Scorcher

This is the most wonderful Indian Summer with temperatures soaring not only in the tail of September but the mouth of October. October 1st it is claimed has been the hottest on record and in the Midlands has nearly tipped 30º Centigrade which is around 86º Fahrenheit. Phew! It is magnificent. I am so glad that there is no air conditioning – just plain old-fashioned windows – so that I can embrace every last second of Summertime even as we are well into Autumn!

Country Quips:

The longest journey is often caused through the shortest argument.

Jersey, the ‘Tardis’ of the Channel Islands

We spent some time in Jersey this Summer. It is the one place that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. It is a tiny island of some nine miles long by five miles wide and homes more than 90,000 people. It is full of country lanes and fields and so you would never guess that there are so many inhabitants. It is a true lesson on how to make the most out of space and retain wonderful raw natural beauty, eye-catching scenes, peaceful fields of cattle chewing the cud, a marvellous nature reserve, beaches and coastlines that are either free of tourism or so little that you could almost be on your own private beach. So many things to see and do that it there can only be one word to describe it all and that is ‘paradise.’

The map

The coast

The hill top views

Country Quips:

You should rest your bones when you’re coughing or you could well end up in your coffin.

Forty winks on a day of rest

If memory serves me well, according to the Bible, Sunday should be a day of rest: doing absolutely nothing and recharging our batteries so that we are fit and well to tackle the forthcoming week with its many demands. When I was a child this also meant that shops and businesses remained closed; everywhere was quiet; it was even considered bad manners for washing to be displayed on clothes lines.

It appears that the only followers of this now are the animals. My cat, in particular who loves and enjoys a forty wink rest on a very lazy day!

Forty winks on a lazy Sunday

Country Quips:

You should never waste time as you can’t purchase more!

The British Isles

To the people of the world, we are at times very confusing. Many Internet sites now list us as the UK, which doesn’t include many parts of our shores and leaves many users not being able to identify there whereabouts accurately.

Here are a list of the Isles (or islands) that form ‘The British Isles (all of those I have listed are inhabited):’

Great Britain (the main land mass built up of England, Wales and Scotland)

Ireland

The Isle of Wight (island off the middle of the South coast of England)

The Isles of Scilly (five main inhabited islands including St Mary’s and a further group of small rocky islands off the tip of Land’s End in Cornwall – near to the South-West coast of England) note: the ‘c’ is silent in Scilly

The Isle of Man

The Isle of Lundy

The Isle of Sheppey

The Hebrides: Lewis, Harris, Skye, Mull, Islay, North and South Uist, Jura, Tiree, Coll, Colonsay, Great Bernera, Rasaay, Benbecula, Barra, Scalpay, Ulva, Lismore – all inhabited

The Orkneys: Hoy, South Ronaldsay, Sanday, Westray, Rousay, Stronsay, Shapinsay, Eday

The Shetland Isles: Whalsay, Muckle Roe, Bressay, Yell, Fetlar

Fair Isle

The Small Isles

Walney Island

Aran Islands: Inis Mór

Anglesey, including Holy Island

Bardsey Island

Lindisfarne

The Isles of Firth of Clyde (Arran, The Cumbraes and Bute)

Mersey Island

Canvey Island

Looe Island

Thorney Island

Small Isles: Rùm, Eigg

Hayling Island

Foulness Island

The Channel Isles (Five larger islands consisting of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm with a scattering of some small rocky islands)

There are other small islands that help to make up the British Isles besides those listed above, some have bird or seal colonies on them …

In weed

I can’t remember whether August is the same every year but this year there is an explosion of weeds. Many are tiny but some have managed to achieve quite a height and are beginning to suffocate even the most sturdy of perennials. To try and combat the problem I decided that I would begin pulling out a few at a time. I remembered that I had a ‘wild cowslip’ plant that had made its home in my little herb patch .. but where was it now? The sage has bushed out and begun to encroach on the chives. The mint decided to gambol all over the place with a few sprouts here and yet more sprouts there. The parsley looked very pleased with itself as its leaves curled in every direction. Some Montbretia leaves had curled gracefully pointing at the sage. I decided to tug at a few of these leaves to give the sage and chives a little more light which then led me to see a rather sad looking cowslip in need of a very long sip of water. What I also discovered under the leaves was a beautiful yellow spotted frog – it gave me such a shock and it must have been in shock itself for it stood there whilst I raced back for the camera.

Yellow Spotted Frog – Rana temporaria … 6–9 cm

Country Quips:

It is only when we appreciate how good life is, that we really see beauty in unexpected places.

Hovering about

Hover-flies always remind me of my childhood. From as early as aged three, I would wander (with permission) around my next-door neighbour’s garden; where I was first introduced to Tulips, Red-hot pokers and Michaelmas daisies as well as the Tit family … from the pretty little Blue-tit, the constant calling Coal-tit to the wonderful strength of the Great-tit. The Michaelmas daisies formed a hedge around the neighbour’s garden and it was always alive with little pretty darting flies of various sizes and colours which were called Hover-flies. Despite their bright colouring and almost wasp-like or bee-like appearance they are harmless and very useful pollinators.

Hover-fly - Episyrphus balteatus

Country Quips:

True beauty is often hidden from closed minds.

Buzz hub

Before the break in the weather, I was checking out the back border bank looking for spaces for a few new plants when I heard a distant noise. A fairly high-pitched hum, a cross between a dentist’s drill and a small helicopter droned in the distance. There appeared to be nothing in the sky so I took little notice and continued looking for a good space for some Penstamen flowers that had just been purchased. Suddenly, something large shot past my face and with it the sound of the drill. It headed downwards and landed in a half coconut that I had partly filled with raisins for the blackbirds. At first, I thought it must be some foreign insect because of its size .. some 30 mm. It was yellow with brown stripes and at it’s neck the brown turned into more of a brown claret. It’s mouth was placed on one of the raisins and it appeared to be sucking at the fruit which had expanded with an over-night shower. Then in a second it had buzzed up and away over the fence. Within a moment or two it arrived back with one of its comrades. Unlike other striped insects that seem to be attracted to people and fly around them, these acted as though I was completely invisible. They sucked at the raisins and I rushed into the house for the camera. I managed to take a couple of pictures of them and then set about trying to identify them in an insect book. They were listed as hornets, the largest member of the wasp family and the only one with brown stripes.

Hornet, Vespa crabro – 30 mm

Country Quips:

It is the fear of pain that often saves us from falling off the edge of cliffs.

Miracle powder–bicarbonate of soda

Every year man discovers amazing things, invents complex answers to problems and yet forgets things that have been discovered by his forebears within the blink of an eye. This is probably the greatest mistake that we make as a species. We are the only species on the planet that regularly sweeps aside wondrous knowledge and throws it deep into a dusty abyss. Much of what has been learnt over time, may not have even been recorded in a book but told by word-of-mouth then lost completely forever.

The oldest form of any antiseptic known to man is in the form of various salts. Bicarbonate of soda, also called by a variety of other names from simple bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate and baking soda being the main variations is one of these salt based antiseptics, which is also an active fungicide. It should be part of everyone’s basic hygiene to include bicarbonate of soda into their daily routines.

Purchase good quality, food grade, bicarbonate and then it may be used wherever and whenever it is needed.

The first time I was really introduced to bicarbonate of soda as an antiseptic was with an eye infection. This was most probably caused by transference of germs from a keyboard, a shopping trolley, or simply a door handle to an eyelid which then became both sore and itchy and spread around the lids and the lashes of both eyes. For the next month, morning, noon and night I had to bathe my eyelids and eyelashes with one teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda stirred into boiled water then allowed to cool. After this, I began looking into medical and household uses for this forgotten ‘miracle powder.’

Here are just a few of the uses of bicarbonate of soda:

It may be used as a mouthwash to get rid of bad breath either caused through bacteria build-up in the mouth or spicy, aromatic foods. It can be made into a paste and used to clean stains off teeth. The powder may be dissolved into a little warm water and gargled to cure a sore throat. It is a quick first aid item that can be gently applied to mouths to ease symptoms of thrush whilst waiting to see a medical practitioner. It may be used as a simple exfoliator, a skin softener, a gentle hair conditioner. Items of personal use such as toothbrushes and hair combs may be soaked in a solution of it to clean them. A pinch of it may be stirred into a half-tumbler of water just before bedtime to help give a soothing night’s sleep. It reduces acid attack and is often preferable to alleviate heartburn and indigestion than traditional tablets and medicines. A tiny spot placed into the centre of the tongue will often calm down coughing attacks. It is sometimes a useful alternative medication for alleviating rashes. Over the centuries bicarbonate has been applied to both insect stings and bites for almost immediate relief. It kills off parasites and destroys their eggs. The powder may be sprinkled and used as a dry insecticide or a small amount added to water and lightly sprayed over plants. This list is almost endless and it is therefore always worth bearing in mind that it could be worth trying when all else fails.

Please do remember that it is a salt so always follow guidelines on the packet to make sure that too much isn’t consumed over a twenty-four hour period.

Sodium bicarbonate powder

Country Quips:

We are all much wiser than we are led to believe, sadly we rarely know when to use our wisdom.

Sayings, proverbs, quotes, quips

Years ago when I began my very first job, computers took up the whole of a very large room. People wore special dust-proof clothing when entering it. Communications were made either using a telephone or a typewriter for both internal and external messages. Desks would often contain a ‘rip-off’ calendar (one page per day). The calendar would usually have a small quote or saying underneath that brought smiles or frowns to faces …

I have always enjoyed the little quotations that came on the bottom of the daily calendar. My father was also a font of knowledge of such sayings and would share them with me every day. This month I thought I would begin sharing some of the sayings with you. I have been placing them at the bottom of my posts entitled ‘Country Quips’ and I thought I would put July’s offerings all together to share once more. Such sayings make life and events more colourful and therefore are best repeated …

Country Quips:

If you only have your looks to trade on, your trade will be very short lived!

Even the smallest of jobs will extend to fill up the longest of days.

An evil adversary is conquered far more swiftly with a sharp mind than a steel blade.

Commitment to a job is nine parts of completion.

To hold a belief may sometimes be more dangerous than holding a weapon.

Never leave Sunday best clothes festering away at the back of the wardrobe. Air them often for they will go out of style and life is brief!

The sweetest smell on Earth is the down on the forehead of a new born baby. It is like no other; it is the greatest gift bestowed on man.

The most effective and useful weapon man can ever have is knowledge – always remember that you can never have enough!

Cat kit

According to naturalists there is a danger that soon hedgehogs will die out in Britain as they have plunged in numbers year-on-year. It is a big ask of people but for those who love to see wildlife it is time to take action to protect this wonderful little mammal. It is strange to think that an animal that will eat just about anything is now under threat of extinction in this country. For those who want to help then place the following items out each evening: a small bowl of fresh water – they drink quite a lot (hedgehogs do not drink milk it makes them extremely ill and in some instances can kill them); kibble (cat kibble is ideal); tinned cat/dog/kitten/puppy food; cooked meat chopped into little portions as hedgehogs have very tiny teeth and are unable to chew large pieces; fresh peanuts that do not contain salt (salt is extremely bad for them); raisins-sultanas-currents; mild to medium cheddar cheese chopped up small; digestive biscuit, etc …… Place meat out when it is almost dark so that it will not become contaminated and dangerous.

Starting early in the evening, I had placed out some chopped nuts and cat kibble for the hedgehogs … but – too late, it was spotted by my cat …

The cat found the kibble put out for the hedgehogs

One other reason why hedgehogs are in trouble is they are as their name suggests little ‘hogs’ of the hedge. They spend quite a large proportion of their time in the bushes, trees, shrubs, long grasses and plants that are in the hedgerows. Hedgerows with all of their lovely plants are gradually being dug up and often replaced by fences or nothing at all. Fewer people have green gardens full of low covering plants, trees and bushes so … hedgehogs have nowhere to hide and keep safe. If you are able, then why not plant some bushes, and low covering plants in both your front and back gardens and make them hedgehog friendly. It would be such a shame to lose this wonderful and useful little animal. Remember hedgehogs like to feast on garden snails and slugs, millipedes, caterpillars, small rodents such as young mice – so they help to keep the garden clean and tidy of many things that you would rather not be surrounding your house!

Country Quips:

The most effective and useful weapon man can ever have is knowledge – always remember that you can never have enough!

Heaven scent

Close my eyes and at last there is the heavy perfume, nectar of the gods, sweet and lingering fragrance that wraps itself around the garden – the ‘pinks’ have opened their petals and intoxicate the air.

I was introduced to pinks as a child. A name, easy to remember with a perfume hard to forget. My mother had large clumps of them, the old-fashioned double variety with twirls of one-coloured petals, slightly clove fragranced, long stemmed type. She would cut a few and place them in a vase and their perfume filled every corner of our home. I have loved them ever since but lost my original plant due to bad weather several years ago. It has been impossible in my area to purchase the same variety and over the years I have bought the single petal dianthus which are a poor substitute. Last week I called into a couple of nurseries in the hope of finding a few more plants to fill up one or two spaces in the border and found a two-tone double pink with a strong, sweet, sugary smell that is just lovely.