Go on go on go on go on go on
No issues with mosquitos here in Scotland, lol. I had maybe a dozen very healthy frogs in my pond, with great piles of spawn every spring and tadpoles galore. Then one morning last year I opened my curtains to see a heron standing in the pond. It’s been back again this month. I can’t really cover the pond, because the frogs need to come and go. Several herons live along a nearby estuary, and I guess this one happened to spot my pond one sunny day.
My frogs are fucked - thanks to a visiting heron. No spawn, no idea if the adults have survived. I’ve had the pond for about ten years, and the frogs found it almost immediately. The heron visits started last year.
Last year I had mystery bees coming and going from an unused compost bin. Took photos and showed them to an etymologist. He identified them as chocolate mining bees (no, no chocolate is being mined). I was pleased to see them hanging out in my garden. I keep a few corners of rough ground with piles of sticks etc to offer shelter for bumblers and others; it was funny to see these bees deciding the bin was better.
I’m currently in the midst of throwing money at a problem - car’s brakes corroded after I didn’t drive for three months due to Reasons. I’m desperate to get back behind the wheel - a backlog of car-centric jobs has piled up.
Couple of hours ago. A friend I haven’t seen for a few days phoned to see how I was and we talked for about 45mins. In person, on Sunday, two friends in separate visits.
When I was working I would take a square plastic clip box with a selection of prepped veg in it, plus one of those square ramen blocks and seasoning. Add boiling water and five minutes later you have a tasty hot meal.
I started tinkering thirteen years ago, good grief. I would install Linux on my old machine when I got a new one, and play around with it. I can’t remember all the distros, but most recently Mint for a while, then Bodhi, then Zorin - which I’ve also now installed on my PC.
I love how much choice there is - and how passionate people can be about their choices. It seems there’s a flavour for everyone.
I’m all for this innovation if it means commercial bee farmers use the supplement and it helps native bees compete for natural pollen. People get very sentimental about honeybees, but honestly even as a hobbyist with just a few colonies I feel like a “baddie”. There are 200+ species of bees in the UK, most living in tiny colonies. At the moment bumblebee queens are out foraging for pollen and nectar, enough so they can start laying (only the queens live through winter). In my hives the overwintered workers are also out foraging, thousands of them. Multiply that by the hundreds of hives in a commercial operation and you can see the issue.
I’ve found the opposite - using Linux on my PC has been a breeze. I expected drama connecting my phone and e-reader, but no. Plain sailing, everything just works. I’m so glad I jumped when I did, hearing some of the recent Windows nonsense.
I’m on Zorin if it helps. The free version.
The Big Rock Candy Mountain!
In the Big Rock Candy Mountains All the cops have wooden legs And the bulldogs all have rubber teeth And the hens lay soft-boiled eggs The farmers’ trees are full of fruit And the barns are full of hay…
They’re quality garments, high fashion here in Scotland - the sort of thing a modern man would wear at his wedding rather than an old-fashioned “full Highland dress” type of kilt.
I know, and I enjoy QI, it’s a great show. But in the podcast they pose as experts presenting facts.
Modern kilts tune down the Scottishness. It can basically be a skirt. A manly man’s skirt, with pockets.
Example: https://21stcenturykilts.com/kilts
No. For starters it was in Hindi, and it was 1983? The heroine was a journalist working at her father’s newspaper I think (singing, dancing). He’s murdered (singing, car chase, mayhem). She vows revenge (singing) against the gang, but then falls for the gang leader (singing, dancing, fireworks). Then it turned out the gang didn’t do the mixer, it was evil politicians. Then I fell asleep on the sofa.
I was a fan until they started talking about something I know quite a bit about. It was like they were regurgitating “facts” from a Ladybird book they read when they were five.
History podcasts are my catnip at the moment. I’m not alone.
Excellent suggestion!!! Thank you.