Parasol Mushroom

Spotted in the field opposite the Manor House Hotel.

As I took it home, passing a couple of members of staff standing by the entrance, I pointed to it, saying, "Breakfast".
"Magic !", came the reply.

Sir Bill Cotton

A managing director of the BBC and son of the big band leader Billy Cotton, who lived in nearby Sandbanks at the same time as my grandfather and Marconi, Sir Bill Cotton, who lived in the last house on the hill out of Studland up to Ballard Down, known as The Glebe, died this summer and is buried here in the graveyard of St. Nicholas church. My Mum confirmed what all the obituaries had said, in that he was a jolly nice chap. She went on to explain that they have to wait for the ground to settle before placing a headstone at the grave.

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

Credit Crunch.mp3

Got my new toy out of the box and had a little play...

As there seems to be a problem with myspace at the moment, thought I'd put it here.

More tomfoolery may follow.

Gone But Not Forgotten

So much for public consultation ! Squarepeg have already instigated outrageous vandalism by ordering the felling of a magnificent ash tree on the verge of the cyclepath that caused no threat to anyone and was enjoyed daily by hundreds of people and used by nesting birds. Where was the legal notice of intended felling ?

When did Squarepeg purchase the cyclepath verge and why weren't we told ? I could accept the plans for developing the old factory site, but stealing our back yard and destroying the green corridor to make it their own front garden to maximise their profits is criminal. In what way is destroying a magnificent mature tree 'positive for Easton' ? There was simply no need for this disgusting arrogance.

River Swim

Up the Avon Valley, past Crew's Hole, Conham Park and the rowing club towards Hanham weir and the lock, operational since 1727.







I wonder why they didn't take it further but am glad they didn't.



I've photographed this so many times it feels like an old friend. I used to get sloes near here, but either they haven't done well recently or others are beating me to it.





A good swimming spot near a willow tree which we've used several times. It gets a few visitors, but today it was just the swans.









Lots of sweet smelling balsam flowers everywhere, with magic spring loaded seed pods that ping open when they're ready, scattering seed far and wide.

12 + 12

Fine weather around the autumn equinox, giving raspberries and sweetcorn the chance to ripen and the courgettes, runner beans and sunflowers the will to keep producing flowers. Short of space to plant some early onion sets, I took down the cobra beans, putting the last of the green and black pods to dry, then dug over the ground, raked it, firmed it down a bit and planted the sets about 6" apart. That's 50 in, another 150 to go !

Pulled the last rhubarb of the season, a bit late, but everything has been this year.

Took home a couple of baby sweetcorn cobs, a courgette, some chard, radishes, runners and kale.

Edirol UA-20

Snapped up one of these at the last minute on eBay for £38 today, to stumble forward in the musical technological race and confuse my studio set up further / increase possibilities. (Delete as appropriate in one month)

Rubbish

To: Bristol City Council, SITA, Steve Rogers, Kenny Poucher, Alan Kemmett, Aled Williams & other deskbound, ineffectual bureaucrats.

Dear Sir/Madam/Ms.,

I've just spent half an hour picking litter on the cyclepath from Greenbank to Fishponds.
You have not been charged for this service or the supply of bin bags and protective gloves.
Should you have a shortage of cleansing staff and are unable to perform this duty on a regular basis, please inform me of the hourly rate paid to street cleansers so that I can invoice you accordingly.

Yours,

green lung