Worcestershire

Worcestershire is like an old tapestry – rich, ancient and complex in its make-up with wonderful names that are entwined in the mesh of its very detailed history. The names of its rivers and hills date back to the first people who walked and farmed the land well before its many invasions by warring warriors. Hills were just often called hills in the ancient tongue and so as various areas became invaded then a new word for hill would be added and so the title of the hill became in actual fact ‘hill hill’ – one version from each language.

Worcester is the largest town in the county of Worcestershire. Its people, it is believed originate from a tribe of people who were linked to the winding river and it is alleged were called the Weogora tribe. The town centre was known as Wirecestre around the time of The Doomsday Book.

The weather in Worcestershire today:

Frostbite

The first day of the month of December has arrived and with it a severe drop in the temperature. Over night it fell by several degrees below zero and so came …  the frost. Plants that were soft, delicate, tender and vulnerable have been chewed away by the ice crystals.

A few slightly bruised looking flowers after the 1st December frost

Dabbling

A large pond would be nothing without a duck or two. Not only are they entertaining to watch but their melodic quacking always reminds me of my childhood. The most beautiful introduction to water birds are when a child is taken for the very first time to feed the ducks.

Ducks – Mallard with their young … and one little Moorhen

Why not … eat insects

I was fascinated to learn that it was once popular to eat insects in Britain. In fact, it is still possible to purchase a small but useful book that was written by Vincent M Holt in the 1800’s. For those who like to read interesting little books, this one contains just 99 pages. It is called ‘WHY NOT EAT INSECTS?’ The ISBN number is: 0946014124 – it is still in print and readily available for purchase.

There are all sorts of recipes that are bordering, to say the very least, on the unusual – from wasp grubs fried in the comb to wireworm or woodlouse sauce – the latter two obviously not insects. The knowledge of eating safe pests has been gathered over the years from various countries spanning the globe.

Little book ‘Why Not Eat Insects?’ 

The little book also mentions other things that may be considered for the pot – one being snails or slugs. These apparently have to be pulled from the garden and starved for several days. This then allows them to purge their systems of anything poisonous in case they may have eaten something that would or could prove to be dangerous to us!

Money sayings

As a child I would love to curl up in a ball and listen to the different sayings that older people would utter. I would wonder about who the original person was that had thought up such advice. Were they old and wise with deep set wrinkles, full of life's experiences? Did such knowledge arrive when they were still young and full of bloom? Would knowledge like this suddenly descend upon me? Here are a few of the sayings that were often used by the older members of the community whilst I was growing up:

‘One hundred pounds of your own money is worth more than a thousand of somebody else’s.’

‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.’

‘Spend a bit, owe a bit, save a bit.’

‘Never a lender or a borrower be.’

‘The rich will always know how to smile – but only the poor know how to laugh.’

‘If they paid a working man a worthy wage then he would never work again!!’

‘A fool and his money are easily parted.’

There are of course many more and if nothing else they certainly make a person think!

The pound and the note

We are like other mammals

I think that we should all readily accept that we are mammals. Although, we supposedly are set apart from other mammals because we have the power of reason that may, in some ways, be our eventual undoing. We are born from the earth and whether we like it or not are connected to every other living form on the planet. Ancient man with his closeness to nature had no problem knowing and believing his closeness to other life forms. We are better educated but try to distance ourselves from this despite there being irrefutable proof through DNA that we share our origins with all other life forms. We should not need such evidence to make us respect the life on our planet … we are after all chosen as the leaders of life here on earth … it is our job to police it … to protect it …. to nurture it … to appreciate it … and most of all to love it … all of it – no matter how repugnant we may find it. All life is precious and we walk on a tightrope of existence – if man is to flourish then so must the delicate balance of all life around him. We are not gods, therefore we should never assume that we have the power over life or death without consequence - so we must choose our roads with extra caution if we want any kind of future for mankind.

Mole

The other day I came across a molehill. It was only a fairly small one which means that the soil beneath is lovely and deep. Large molehills usually grouped together are known as fortresses – these occur when the soil is fairly shallow or in areas that may have a propensity to flood. These molehills are often quite high.

Molehill

Moles spend their life underground so the molehill is usually the only sight the majority of people see – but just occasionally, if you see a molehill being formed you may be lucky enough to catch sight of a little pink nose. Moles live from between one to three years. The female mole is known as a sow and the male as a boar and a small group of moles are referred to as a labour – a very apt name as they are such construction experts and extremely hard working. Their saliva has the ability to paralyze small creatures such as earthworms – this is necessary as they hold the worms between their paws and push out all of the soil and sediment in the worms guts before eating them. They will also eat fly and beetle larvae and very occasionally have been known to catch a passing mouse!

Weather whip

This year, global warming has become far more noticeable. All around us there are warning bells tolling out but rather than shattering peels they are leaving us visible clues. Although we are well into November everything around is whispering ‘October.’ The temperature, the winds, the rainfall, the insects … there are still wasps busily buzzing about! Hedgehogs are still out and about busily nuzzling their way on the lawns and in the borders. Pigeons are fluttering in the hedges and pecking off the ruby red berries.

As a young girl my mother would always use the following phrase when November descended onto us -

“No sun, no moon, November!”

November was always like this full of swirling mists and fogs. Everything dripping wet and damp. The damp travelled everywhere and elderly people would rub at their arms and legs to try and ease the aching as the dampness appeared to creep deep into their bones. Washing that had been hung on the line would come in wetter than when it had been hung out. People developed hacking coughs and streaming colds. Bronchitis was more of an occupation than an ailment and it tore into lungs as deadly as a surgeon’s scalpel.

…… Our Novembers have changed. Although this means that the planet is warming up at a dangerously fast rate, I would not wish for Novembers to return to what they once were ……

 

  The cat is more playful this November … the basket and sleep are waiting for another time!

Shield bug

I saw my first shield bug only a few years ago and in some ways it reminded me of the stick and leaf insects from far off lands. I instantly became enchanted with this lovely little creature. In the Spring and early Summer the common variety is plain green occasionally having a few tiny pin spots. The bug’s wings change to an interesting brown in the Autumn. It’s appearance seems to mimic the seasons and so may be regarded as the chameleon of the insect world. It will gently ascend onto an outstretched hand and slowly walk a few steps and then just settle and stay in a still position. There is no sting or bite to worry about but do take care to treat these lovely bugs gently as their country name is ‘stink bug’ as they can exude an extremely unpleasant smell from their hind quarters if they feel threatened.

 

Shield bug in Autumn

Swine flu

There are more and more people who reach out to Fisherman’s Friend lozenges at the first signs of a cold or flu. Amazingly it is now being alleged that one of the main ingredients is also found in Tami flu … and so they are flying off the shelves all over the world as people are now sucking these tasty lozenges as an extra precaution to hopefully remain free of Swine flu symptoms.

For those who live in Great Britain they may have seen the headlines as the owners of Fisherman’s Friend – Doreen and Tony Lofthouse were savagely beaten and attacked at their home. Details on the BBC News site.

For those who like a little bit of sporting fun then perhaps you may like to visit - Fisherman’s Friend sports events here.

Well … I have my packet of Fisherman’s Friend … just in case!!!

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month …

… we will remember them.

This is a very special year as sadly we have lost the last of the Veteran soldiers that returned to British shores at the end of the Great War, The First World War, the war to end all wars, WW1.

This January, Bill Stone passed away aged 108, sadly followed by Henry Allingham aged 113. Lastly in July, at the age of 111 Harry Patch followed them.

This time and this day was set aside, all of those years ago so that we would always remember the fallen and never let such a dreadful waste ever happen again. Sadly there have been other wars and other soldiers that have been maimed and killed and so now our thoughts and prayers go out to them also.

Just two minutes silence … not a lot for the price that they have all paid, is it?

My grandfather fought in the First World War. He returned home skewered and torn with shrapnel. He would never speak of any of it – it was just too dreadful to recall.

We cannot possibly even come close to imagine the hell of it all – putting on sodden boots, soaking wet socks, wet feet … week after week after week. To be cold, wet and wanting. To watch our brothers, friends and comrades being picked off one by one with a bullet through the head, bombs. Choking on gas, eyes streaming, nostrils, mouth and lungs burning, Skin being torn from bones with barbed wire and shrapnel. On the first day of war alone – Sixty-Thousand Men died … followed every day thereafter by many more. Fighting over a few feet of mud. Those who made the decisions on all sides of the war, it is alleged never, not once said ‘sorry.’ They all had so much to say sorry for. No leader of men should send their men to fight in circumstances such as this … my grandfather’s words, which were very few were something like this … ‘it was just for a few feet of soil.’

The year after the Great War had ended, in the muddy battlefield, the landscape became a sea of red as millions of poppies pushed their way up towards the sunlight and bloomed. So many flowers that there must have been one for every fallen soldier in the war. Since then we have used the red poppy as a symbol of their memory, their heroism and our love for them – all of them whoever they were. Many were just boys. Boys that became men within hours of joining up. So wear your poppy with pride on this very special day … if you can plant a small patch of poppies in your garden for the love and respect of all of the soldiers not only for those who gave their lives all of those years ago but those who are constantly putting their lives on the line for us today.

God Bless you all … we thank you all … our thoughts are with you … we all stand with you so … please take care!

Perfection

How should you measure perfection? Is it something that cannot be improved on? To me perfection is life. It is intricate in simplicity but also in detail. It makes me hold my breath in wonder. I am grateful for its vision, knowledge and experience of it. To be just here and witness it in itself is just perfection. Living here and now is … perfection.

Pink fragrant rose flowering in November

Tillandsias – Air plants

Tillandsias fondly called Air plants are delightful and interesting plants for anyone to grow. They must not be planted into soil but instead require just a small crack in a rock or log to wedge themselves. As their ‘nickname’ suggests their prime requirement is air but like all living things they do require moisture. It is therefore essential to use a fine mister and spray around them every other day as they do need a humid environment. Although many produce flowers and therefore seeds their main reproduction route is through little shoots that appear at the base of the plant every twelve months. The Tillandsias are part of the Bromeliad family – they are the only members of this family that do not require soil to thrive.

The Tillandsias are very special little plants. They originate from both Central and South America and they have an amazing ability to not only purify the atmosphere but to regenerate it. They are therefore a very useful plant. In time they will most probably be grown in much larger numbers. Perhaps they should be given a space in every home …

Here are my little Tillandsias …

  Tillandsias fondly known as Air plants

Water birds at dusk

I love to see birds as they squeeze every tiny drop of daylight to find and eat as much food as they are able before the inevitable blanket of blackness falls and covers the world for the day.

Water birds at dusk

Remember, remember …

We, it appears have always had terrorists in one form or another. The Chinese gave us gunpowder and with it not only did we have great power - but like China, the British people came to know and enjoy the pleasure of seeing fireworks light up the sky with beautiful patterns and falling stars.

We celebrate the over-throwing of a plot to take down the houses of parliament on this very day in 1605.