Very tempted............

Shame on you China

Shame on you China and all you stand for. One of the most disturbing and deeply upsetting photos I have seen in a long, long time

Picture for a Thursday

( picture from Pagan for peace and religious tolerance )

Being frugal

Frugal doesn't mean giving up beauty...it just means you get it for free x

Annual (or so) tree audit

Every year I go around the garden and have a good look at the trees I've planted since I've been here (almost 15 years now); check them over, make sure they're ok, note the species - purely out of interest. I have planted 11 in the front garden and 73 in the back garden , giving a total of 84 altogether. In addition, there are elders, lilacs, hazels and a hawthorn which were here when I moved in.  I also had a small variegated holly and a magnlia  awaiting planting when I find a spot for them. Sadly, I lost my davidia again over the winter - that's twice I've tried, not sure whether to have another go or not. This is the list as of today: Back garden buddleias x 6 mirabelle plum blackthorn x 2 snake bark maple Victoria plum Egremento russet apple contorted willow x 2 ornamental cherry hazel x 9 walnut Scots pine quince pear lilac crab apple John Downie damson Merryweather elder pawlonia apple Bramley seedling holly sugar maple crab apple Wisley crab apple Aldenhamensis cherry Stella greengage unkown apple from core/pip - appeared bay apple Bardsey Island perry pear birch mulberry medlar apple Devonshire Quarrenden field maple silver birch x 5 ash x 5 horse chestnut x 2 (1 red, 1 white) oak x 2 plum apple - Winter Queening tulip tree rown holm oak cider aplles x 3 - Yarlington Mill, slack ma girdle and sops in wine front garden hawthorn Guelder rose black leaved elder white berried elder acer Judas tree rowan buddleia x 4 That's a lot of trees!  lol

Bet you can't..............

Watch this without smiling :)   It's the cheeriest thing I've seen in a long while http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPRPlai9QM0

Blessing at Beltane

May your life be blessed with joy and song Your bad days short, your good days long; May flowers bloom around your feet, Your path be long, your journey sweet. May love and laughter fill your day, And friendships true along the way; Sun and rainbows from above, Live for now and know you're loved.

This is how it should be................

http://www.melwhite.org/blog/91

Local Hero

Just spent a lovely couple of hours on a rainy afternoon watching this film again. Very much a film for our times; sadly, we don't seem to have come far from 1983........... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-iI07mJ6Sk