Old Harry Rocks

The Last Beetroot

There's a saying in Swedish, which when translated, means something like 'You've planted your last potato', which is as peculiar as a comparable English expression 'At the end of your tether'.

Anyway, the last beetroot came up today, undamaged by the first frosts, but not quite as large as earlier crops. I promised these to my Mum.

Woodshedding

All those buttons, sliders and blinking lights ! Some days my poor brain gets confused.

Like the day last month, when, eager to use my new USB audio/MIDI interface, I spent a couple of hours recording my ode to man-of-the-moment, Robert Peston.

It turns out, that I hadn't recorded my dulcit vocal tones via the new box, but through the computer's built in microphone. I thought that the rather poor quality was due to my haste and low spec microphone, but in fact, to my shame, I hadn't downloaded and installed the driver !

Those of you, like me, who have spent a considerable time in darkened rooms fiddling with knobs, may either scoff or have some sympathy. Those who haven't, and the luddites, may also sympathise, not know what I'm on about, or tell me that I've only myself to blame.

Anyway - that learning curve scaled, on with the woodshedding....

Kale & Raspberries

Still getting a good harvest of kale and raspberries three times a week.

Street Art

Some great work around St Werburghs.



Looks so much better in situ than in a gallery or coffee-table book.

Cosmos & Sweet Peas

Late flowering cosmos and sweet peas providing some autumn colour.

20 mile round trip

Cycled alongside the River Avon, from Crews Hole, past Hanham - stopping off for a swim along the way - to where it intersects with the Bristol-Bath cyclepath, beyond Keynsham, then back home along the cyclepath. About a 20 mile round trip.

Peppers

Sweet red peppers, grown outdoors and brought inside to ripen.

Olives

Ripening olives on my four year old olive bushes.

Back to the land

Today's harvest :

Baby Carrots
Beetroot
Celery
Chard
Cucumber
Kale
Raspberries
Runner beans
Spinach
Sunflower heads
Sweetcorn





Cleared away some peas and beans & planted 50 red onion sets.

Danger ! Falling apples

It seems that cycle friendly developers Squarepeg have missed a trick. Having reported an ash tree on the site of their proposed development to the council for causing a danger to cyclists, resulting in its felling, they failed to take the opportunity to snitch on an apple tree just a few yards away.

Haven't they heard the Isaac Newton story ? Don't they realise that cyclists are in danger of serious injury from falling apples, especially at this time of year ?

I checked again today, to see if it had all been a bad dream.



No - it's definitely gone.

In these times of squeezed budgets, far more cost effective to cut a tree down than prune it occasionally. (Unless it's in Clifton)

Well - new beginnings. Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. Unfortunately, as true literally as metaphorically, for developers with profit in mind, but the answer's always 'plant more'.

Tree Fellas

Hmm - this is getting quite interesting. I had an email from the council today, confirming that it was Squarepeg, the developers of the chocolate factory, who told them that the ash tree on the site of their proposed development was causing a danger to cyclists and got them to come and cut it down.

Now why would they do that ? Out of concern for cyclists or because the tree stood on the very spot where they intend building a monstrous tower block, fronting onto the cyclepath, in a frightening bit of greenwash to tack on to their plans for the rest of the site ?

Meanwhile, on the Indymedia site where I published the story, there have been denials of involvement by Squarepeg and, peculiarly, Chris Hutt - who originally told me of Squarepeg's tree survey - accused me of not checking my facts. I can only assume that Squarepeg have been getting to him and he doesn't wish it to be known that he was the one to inform me.

"Can I suggest that Indymedia gets its facts right before making inacurate accusations. This is nothing to do with Squarepeg. Please correct your blog." Jenny Gee, Spokesperson for Squarepeg.

I take no pleasure in confirming the suspicions of subterfuge relating to Squarepeg's involvement in all this and am more frightened than outraged by their point blank denial of involvement and their sinister PR parrot who's been trawling local media in an attempt to drown any voices of dissent.

LEAVE OUR CYCLETRACK ALONE !

I urge everyone to register their objections to the development of the cyclepath verge with Bristol City Council.

Comment here - link


Bristol Indymedia story - link