Nature Notes

A few years ago I bought one of those diaries that weren't specific to a year.  They had a date like March 15th but no day of the week or year.  The plan was that I would make notes in there of when I observed stuff in nature like the first time I really noticed the leaves turning or the first really warm day.  Then over the years I could leaf through and look at the dates and see what flowers were out and what was around, especially the wild flowers which sometimes have a shorter season.  I have absolutely no idea where that is but I may dig it out or create an electronic alternative.

I remembered that this morning as I noticed forsythia starting to bloom for the first time this morning.  Even without the diary I knew that it was around a month later than it was last year.  This time last year we were knee deep in dandelions and early blossom.  At the moment it is looking far more like January than March through my window.  Of course, this time last year many parts of the UK were under drought warnings.  Now we are all under flood warnings.

It does beg the question - if I am describing a natural scene in a temperate environment, how do I know what is going to be there?  I am currently writing about June, at the time when Wimbledon normally starts.  A huge, overgrown privet that is now tree sized is normally in bloom at this time and the scent is very distinctive when I go and fetch my father's paper.  Last year it was almost a month late as the awful wet and gloomy weather had begun.

I am currently relying on wikipedia.

Read an Ebook Week

Read an Ebook Week kicks off at Smashwords.com next week - linky here.

I have registered for Cats in the Bible to be free that week, so if you haven't read the stories, then now might be a good time to pick it up.  And if you have read all I have put up so far, it is still worth looking at Smashwords.  They are a great publisher and have a really wide range of stuff.  Now is as good a time as any to pick up a free or inexpensive ebook.

Just to add, if you are new to the idea of ebooks, Smashwords is a great place to register as a first stop.  You can get apps or programmes to use on a pc or smartphone to read a book and Smashwords has books compatible with Kobo, sony, Apple and Kindle.  You can download books as text or as a pdf.  It is really, really easy to get inexpensive books to read on the device that connects to the internet.

They also make it extremely easy to give the books as gifts, though I think the recipient needs to be registered as well.  There has been a hiccup or two when I've tried it, but I am sure nothing that can't be worked out.

Spread the word - good books at Smashwords!

Do your bit for Bees

I stumbled onto this site here which is run by the Friends of the Earth, Do Your Bit for Bees.

Our bees are still there.  I saw them hovering around a week ago despite the cold.  I don't know why they are out so early as there is a shortage of flowers around, but hopefully they know what they are doing.

The thing about having a colony of bees in the chimney is that they actually don't cause any trouble.  We don't have a fire in the hearth under the chimney, and when they installed the new gas fire the smoke test was unaffected.  The bees aren't blocking fumes and presumably are unaffected.  Obviously they do benefit from the warmth which may be drifting up there, and the fact that it is on a south facing slope.  And that there is a lot of waste land around full of plants.  And some gardens around here have flowers (some don't!).  And there is farmland, and some attempts at woodland.  There is also a lot of factory/warehouse type places that have lots of buddleia growing around the edges which are heaven for bees and butterflies.  I live in a bit of a hodge podge area, and it does have its benefits.

The bees have been around for years, and have never been any bother.  They have hardly been in the house over the years.  They haven't stung anyone to my knowledge.  They keep themselves to themselves and all is fine.  I do get a bit stressed if they swarm, but that isn't common and they haven't caused any trouble then either.

I am wondering about buying some bee-friendly seeds.  They can't go in the garden.  Darling father has Views about what goes in the garden and while it does include some very bee friendly stuff, no-one had better mess with his roses.  I could scatter them on the wasteland and hope the local starlings and sparrows don't get them, and it would make it a lot prettier.  As I haven't done much to look after the bees so far perhaps I ought to make an effort.

I just wish I got some honey out of it.