Recession because ofPeak Oil and Global Warming

Heroes and Bikinis From MsAnthrope in Kindred Spirits (203 days old)

Sometimes I feel so very down and discouraged when I read about animal mistreatment and cruelty to animals and it all seems so hopeless, but then something happens that shines a light and I think, "ma… more

Nomenclature From MsAnthrope in Kindred Spirits (264 days old)

I wonder, what does one call a group of raccoons, like more than three or so. I mean there are litters of kittens and puppies, herds of cows and deer and moose, pods of whales, flocks of birds, pride… more

Tradition From MsAnthrope in Kindred Spirits (576 days old)

I help turtles across the road. I don't see as many now, but every spring when I'm driving around; especially close to the river, I do see them. I park my car by the side of the road and das… more

Beholder's Eye From MsAnthrope in Kindred Spirits (702 days old)

Once, many, many years ago I walked into the garage and found an orange cat sitting with his back to me. I frequently find cats I don't know around my home; I don't know exactly why. I theorize it… more

Visitors From MsAnthrope in Kindred Spirits (746 days old)

Kindly visitors, I have not blogged much lately, but I was surprised to see how many visitors had looked at my blog over the last few months. I know, from visiting blogs myself, that I seldom go bey… more

The Shadow From MsAnthrope in Kindred Spirits (746 days old)

One night about two weeks ago as I was going out late in the dark to put out the food I leave for the 'possums and raccoons I am lucky enough to live around, I saw a shadow whip from the bushes and un… more

More Really Great Animal Names From MsAnthrope in Kindred Spirits (964 days old)

When I wrote my last post I didn't mention any but personal animal names, but since then I have remembered some names that I really loved. They are names of famous racehorses, all from quite awhile a… more

What's in a name? From MsAnthrope in Kindred Spirits (993 days old)

There is a show on the Home and Garden Network here called "If Walls Could Talk". It is about people moving into old houses, one or two hundred years old, and finding artefacts and papers left by pre… more

Cold hands, Warm heart? From MsAnthrope in Kindred Spirits (1029 days old)

I am very lucky because I have creatures living above my ceiling. In fact, in the last three places I have lived I have had such upstairs neighbors. I see wild creatures outside because I feed them,… more

I'm making a list From MsAnthrope in Kindred Spirits (1040 days old)

I feed any creature I come across, except people, as those of you who read this blog know. Tonight I was feeding the birds. I get many, many pigeons, and a lot of what I call rooks, but which people … more

There's another one! From MsAnthrope in Help (1047 days old)

There's another blog called "Loupaulsom" that's just an ad for health and dental insurance. What is going on?… more

Ads disguised as blogs From MsAnthrope in Help (1047 days old)

There is a blog called "Gay Online Dating Service" which I visited only to discover it was an ad disguised as a blog. I think it should be removed.… more

Why I still hate Orange - and am not keen on BT either From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1048 days old)

The saga with Orange goes on. Having suffered several periods when we couldn't get online for days on end we decided we had to switch providers. We did so with trepidation, knowing that it just couldn… more

One man's rubbish is another man's feast From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1048 days old)

What a scandal: sacks of chestnuts put out with the rubbish in a suburban street. My kids were horrified when I picked one out of a bin-liner, pushed back its spiky green jacket with gloved hands, … more

Worse Than Bark or Bite From MsAnthrope in Kindred Spirits (1058 days old)

I get many of my stories about animals from my children, or other people, and here is a short one from my older boy, The SWAT cop. They were raiding another house, guarded by another Pit Bull, but th… more

Solitary Cats From MsAnthrope in Kindred Spirits (1076 days old)

Cats are fairly self sufficient, self reliant, creatures, but most do enjoy some companionship and interaction with others and the people with whom they live. Some I have known however stand out as m… more

Why I hate Orange Broadband From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1082 days old)

Not that I hate anybody, really, but I've come close this week. I haven't had an internet connection since Monday, and the one I have now sparked into life for 10 minutes this morning but was then dea… more

The drunken mulberry From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1101 days old)

The mulberry gin is made. During the week we took a cheapo day trip to France for gin at Euros7 for 1.5 litres. As ever, finding a recipe was the difficult bit. The mulberries have been sitting patien… more

Give the gardener a stale cake - he deserves it From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1127 days old)

I did a Saturday morning job in Wandsworth. There were 10 window boxes on three floors of a great big house, so I got to the Homebase across the bridge when it opened and filled the van with bedding p… more

Cob nut salad and an Indian summer From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1127 days old)

Saturday was a day that somehow got left off summer and found itself slipped into a batch of cold-and-wet late-autumn ones. It was warm and bright, and I celebrated by snoozing in the hammock for wha… more

Quince and tomato relish, ginger and quince butter...and quince hand cream From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1130 days old)

It’s time to tackle the quince mountain. The box of fruit I picked at the weekend will deteriorate if I don’t use it fast, and there is still half the tree to pick. I must have 10 lbs of fruit, and th… more

How do you replace a garden cat like Luigi? From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1131 days old)

We’re under a lot of pressure to get another cat. Partly it’s the children, but also the garden needs one. We found a mouse nest under the back of the house in the summer, and yesterday a couple of … more

How not to treat your gardener From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1131 days old)

Two weird clients today. No, not weird actually –just typical. I’m seeing the pattern: Spoilt, demanding and always right. Just like teenagers. This morning it was a very grand house on a square in wh… more

Why garden designers hate their clients From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1132 days old)

I got a call from a big-time garden designer today, and met up with him on my way home. He is putting a £50,000 garden behind a £1.5m house beneath the M4 flyover in Chiswick. This garden will have 1,… more

Stabbed by a drunken yucca From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1132 days old)

The bloody yucca has fallen over again. This happened the last time it flowered. So you get two flowerings in almost 25 years, followed by a major collapse. This time it took an apple tree down wi… more

A nice accident From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1132 days old)

I’ve been asked how you can become a gardener accidentally. I wouldn’t like to generalise, but this is how it happened to me. I was at a loose end one day and decided to power washing my front driv… more

A squirrel ate their faces! From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1137 days old)

The sunflowers have a squirrel eating their faces; dangling upside down and expertly plucking, stripping and eating the seeds. I rescue a couple of big, round half-blinded suns for the children’s ha… more

The Quince Scrumper From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1139 days old)

The quince harvest has come a little early this year. Not because the fruit demands it, but because someone has started swiping it. The quince is our best cropping tree. While the apples are temper… more

The Accidental From theaccidentalgardener in The Accidental Gardener (1139 days old)

I have a customer who likes to chat. I hit his house first thing, and he brings me out a cup of tea at about 7.30 before heading off to the City where, he says, he does something very boring but very … more

The Frightened Fleeing Felon Dog From MsAnthrope in Kindred Spirits (1180 days old)

My older son is a policeman and is now on the SWAT team, which he really likes. I sometimes refer to him as my Nazi son because of the hair and the uniform and his unyielding attitudes and judgementa… more