https://www.gov.uk/government/news/color...-hampshire

Also found in Kent on 11th July. https://www.potatonewstoday.com/2023/07/...-46-years/

Be alert!

After shredding all the bills and other paper (not glossy stuff) I put a layer in the hotbin and I used to put the remainder in the chicken run for the chooks to kick around.  Now that I'm chookless I've been wondering how else to use it. 
Has anyone used it as mulch - wetted to stop it blowing away?

At one time I was putting all P's banana skins in an MFB placed inside the covered kitchen waste bin with perhaps a view to making high potassium feed for the gh toms (it only half-heartedly happened). Anyway the  bucket was sinking lower and lower so I hoiked it out. On the top of the gloop, along with the brandling worms, were several  grubs about half inch long with a long tail. I'd never met these before, so googled before declaring outright war.  They are rat tailed maggots, the larvae/pupae of hover flies, so they're welcome to make their home in my compost gloop. You still learn things even at my age 

I hope you're all saving seeds for this year's Seed Swap.

Please add your name below if you want to be part of it.- and a list of the seeds you'll be sharing if you know now.
We'll aim to have the seeds sent to me by 20th November and sent back to you in December - to take our minds off anything else that may be happening that month. 

Any questions - just ask.

1. Veggie - RECEIVED
2. JJB - RECEIVED
3. doublyjonah - RECEIVED
4. small chilli - RECEIVED
5. Farendwoman - RECEIVED
6. Garrett -  RECEIVED

I have a book somewhere that has suggestions for all the things you can do in the garden apart from gardening.
I'm sure we can all think of something so lets list 50 activities for a start!!

1. Read a book about things to do in the garden.

Got 2 large boxes of terra cotta pots in all shapes and sizes from a local auction for £30.  I grow cactus in the greenhouse so will have to get my leather gloves out as quite a few are ready for potting on.

Had a load of ash wood delivered for use on our log burner / cooker.

Airfryers seem to be all the rage just now and I am considering buying one. If anyone has any recommendations I would be intereted?

There's only myself to cater for, so a small one would probably be ok for me.

   

Your Rap name is the last thing you ate with "Lil" in front of it. 

What's yours? 
 I'm "Lil" Fruit and Nut chocolate. 

This is really aimed at Veggie I think.

As you know we went to the Isle of Wight yesterday. We catch the ferry from Southampton and sail down Southampton  Water and end up in  East Cowes. P likes this trip because he's a nerd and likes to look at the ships we see along the route and discover what they are and what theyre up to.  We saw one smallish boat (compared to  cruise liners anyway)  and its name was Sospan Dau. For those interested it is a Dutch trailing suction hopper dredger (I'm no wiser either).  Being Dutch we thought Sospan Dau was Dutch or perhaps Indonesian for something interesting,  being that a ship was so named.  We looked it up and Wikipedia says:

The name Sospan Dau is Welsh and originates from Sosban Fach and Llanelli's tin plating industry, Sospan being the Welsh for Saucepan and Dau being Welsh for Two as the ship is a successor to the original Sospan.

How'd you like to be a ship called Saucepan Two? There's no street cred to that name, its predecessor Saucepan (one) was bad enough but to be the second iteration is just rubbing it in.     Captain to Captain "Hey mate what ship to you drive?"  "Saucepan "  just doesn't cut the mustard in the bragging rights.