We now have proof that it is indeed the squirrels that are having a go at the sunflowers (the giant “10 feet”ones we got off ebay) when we caught one today feeding off the flowerhead. At least they’re actually waiting now until they’re in flower as it was the buds they were nicking previously but surely it’s the seeds (that come after the flowers) they should be waiting for. Who knows?
This Sunday evening the 15th August 2021 at 2300 UTC (Midnight UK time) is a transmission from WSFR (Radio Swiss Family Robinson) via WMRI on 9395 kHz. Expect an hour of island related tunes and also a mix from One Deck Pete called “All washed up”. The mix includes tracks by Le Emjaén, Kingbastard, WES WAX, Scientist and islandman. After the transmission the show will be posted up here.
Tune in and be surrounded by water!
Here’s a container that came available today for the current batch of Comfrey liquid (nice video about making the stuff here) we tipped out from the bucket at the furthest end of the garden today. It’s well handy to tell you the truth when it comes to squirting it into your watering can. Less chance of splashing about we hope. Get this stuff on your clothes or hands and the smell will be with you for days, months and years.
We had heavy rain on and off most of today so the neighbours must have thought we’ve lost the plot (again) if they looked out the window at 7.30 pm and saw us with a watering can giving the plants a feed. At least the plants will appreciated it!
Waking up here in South London this morning there’s been a right mixture of weather. We’ve had lashing rain and now a lovely bit of sunshine and it looks like this cycle will be continuing for the next few days (until we get the predicted heatwave, yeah right!)
Well this weather is no good if you’ve got to get the washing out but it’s good for the garden. Hopefully there will be more of the nice spells later as there’s a few more inches to fill on the garden refuse bin and you have to get your money’s worth don’t you?
Well here’s a couple of tunes to hopefully cheer us all up.The first is a chilled tube train inspired number by Commodore 98 called Mind the Gap.
And another travel inspired one by the wonderful Big Youth and Dennis Brown called Ride on, ride on/Wild goose chase. Let’s hope this weather clears up and we all can enjoy actually going outside.
It’s been a funny old week, the weather did’t know what it was doing and we have sunflowers reaching silly sizes which is brilliant. As you know we love any seeds that say they’re “giant” or “massive”, half the time they don’t live up to their promise on ebay but the ones we got this year have.
The sunflowers down the side bed are doing well they’re well over 8 feet, a few have flowers. The ones that don’t have, have been the victim of the squirrels. They seem to be going for the buds this year rather than waiting for the large seed heads, very strange. We awoke this morning to one of the largest ones that was well over 9 feet, broken in half (below). To say we’re fed up is an understatement but they’re next to a fence so what can we do?
On a brighter note our Sweetcorn plants we got from Shannon’s and Chilli’s (Jalapeno) we grew from seed are coming on great guns! Whether we get any cobs on the corn to eat for ourselves are another thing. Squirrels aren’t keen on them are they?
And if you look hard enough you can see the Jalapeno’s we’ve already had a few off them and they’re great. Well worth growing.
This blog post was written whilst listening to This is a music show 125. Thanks to Dazman for putting it up on his cloud and cheers to Your Host for the selection. Some great stuff as ever including a lovely bit of reggae and some nice dub including the version of this.
A show always worth listening to and it’s on the shortwaves! Have a listen below, you won’t regret it!
Tune in tomorrow afternoon Tuesday 27th July to the KTMS summer test transmission transmitted via Channel 292 on 6070 kHz at 1700 UTC (6pm UK time) which will be repeated next week on Tuesday 3rd August at the same time. If you’ve no shortwave radio click here.
Expect the usual strange tones, interval signals and 1970’s TV test transmissions plus a mix called “Shortwave’s not dead” from One Deck Pete with tracks by Gentle Friendly, Madtone, Afterlife and Holger Czukay. There is always something interesting on shortwave radio especially tomorrow afternoon!
Last night when researching the next mix for the shortwaves we came across the wonderfully brilliant The Sound of Shellac from Norway on Bandcamp. Talk about an eclectic mix of musical madness and available in a name your price style. Here’s a few of our favourites but do have a look at the site and explore!
It’s been an action packed week out in the back with a good bit of watering in the morning and sometimes the evening. The late great Joe Maiden used to say the later hours weren’t the best time to water as it attracted slugs and snails but what can you do when the ground is parched and we do enjoy a stroll up and down the garden path with a watering can. It’s a bit of moving meditation innit?
The wild part of the garden (above top) where we put in some seed bombs plus additional borage, poppies (above) and nasturtiums is now looking a bit wild but not in the organised wildness of the great Horniman’s Gardens locally (pic below). As some gardening mates have told us, it takes time and a lot of care to make a wild garden look good. That’s a paradox is there ever was one.
That reminds us, years ago we stayed in an Airbnb in Ireland where the owners were very much into nature (not the stripping off in your back garden type nature but the bird watching type nature) and since they moved in (they’d been there 25 years) they just left their garden to its own devices to attract as much nature as possible (again not the stripping off in your back garden type nature but the bird watching type nature).
The space looked mad and a little unkempt to say the least but each to their own. What was funny though they did say “We do try and make a point of taking care of the lawn though. We have a farmer’s horse come in for a feed once every few months”. Oh that’s alright then!
Since the relining earlier this year things have gone a bit haywire (in the best sense of the word) down the pond. The water is a hell of a lot clearer, the fish seem happier and we’ve seen far more wildlife in and around there.
We usually get frogspawn, then tadpoles and then usually nothing after. This has had us scratching our heads thinking “Where have they gone then?” expecting to see lots of “something” but no, nothing, just an pond full of fish and plants, nothing frog-related at all.
It’s been different of late as there’s a load of mini frogs sunbathing, swimming and some even making the trip out of the pond out to the surrounding jungle (it’s going to look like a jungle to something so small!) We’ve been watering around the pond recently as we usually just leave it to go dry so we wonder if that’s helping matters too. Nice to see a frog sitting down comtemplating what to do next (above) on this the so called “Freedom Day”.
It’s been a hot weekend to say the least here in SE23!
Yesterday was spent at a local “Midsummer Fayre” in the searing heat but a great time was had by all. Between the Taekwondo demonstration, a brass band (playing renditions of Dancing Queen and Anarchy in the UK) and the eagerly awaited results to the prize rafffle, various plant and bric-a-brac stalls were visited. A few bargains were acquired; some plants, a couple of rugs for indoors and a foot high plastic mushroom (above) for a pound. A right bargain!
And as you know we are suckers for any plant that is subtitled “Rare” “Giant” or “Unusual” in seed listings and it looks like the giant Sunflower seeds we bought on ebay are coming true to their word. They’re at seven foot now and not stopping. We’ll keep you posted on how high they get.
And talking of Rupie Edwards’ Ire Feelings here’s a couple of cuts of it, the second has a little bit of the tune Nite Owl from Tony Allen and the Champs and also later covered by Lee & The Clarendonians. More about that great piece of music from a post earlier this year here. It’s a small musical world. Keep cool and keep safe this week as it’s going to be a hot one!
Weeds up to me knees 