Mr. SqueeRoll

It seems we are not the only ones enjoying the compost heap!

This has become the favoured perch of one of our robins. I’m not sure how he’ll take to this intrusion.

Cute though, isn’t he?

Actually, there is another incumbant. A rat took up residence in the compost heap in late summer. Since the weather got cold, we have seen him darting out from under the shed to help himself to the bird food. A gardener friend pointed out that they do a grand job churning the heap.

That may all be academic now as the cat bought in a gift the other day…. Dropping it on the kitchen floor it skuttled off behind the washing machine. Please tell me, of all the cupboards in the kitchen, how to rats/mice etc. know that this is the one place we find the most difficult to get at them?

Haven’t seen or heard of it since and the cat seems to have lost interest. I reckon the smell should hit us around, let me see, Christmas Day?!

It has been suspected for some time that pesticides have been killing off our honeybee. Much research has been carried out and now it looks conclusive.

The Soil Association are collecting signatures for the petition. They are validating the email addresses as well so expect a confirmation request:>)

Incidentally, Osmo’s main office is in Aylesbury but they don’t have a retail outlet there. You can get it from Town and Country in Chesham on the Amersham Road, just opposite the Red Lion.

Why do I use Osmo? Because it is made from natural oils and waxes and the company have an aim to be environmentally friendly.

I had an update from The Woodland Trust recently telling me about a new Ronseal product thus:

“Following the success of the high performance Eco range in 2008, Ronseal will also launch two new products to the premium woodcare range that boasts low petrochemical content thanks to natural oil and water based formulations; click for information about the full range.”

I’m sad about the “petrochemical content” but at least it is low. Anyone with a bit of an eco-mind knows that all the paints and finishes that we have thrown at us on the TV adverts are not particularly eco-friendly. Just pop into Focus and you will have to ferret around for the eco-products. Homebase now do a range of eco-paints by Farrow and Ball, I used one and found it pretty similar to othe eco-paints I have used, no smell or side effects and it went on a treat.

Osmo are specialists and they are not aiming at the mass market, as such you pay the premium. In my opinion, it’s worth it. But why do we have to ’seek out’ something that is eco-friendly. Judging by the choice these days, it can’t be hard to produce? Why is it not the norm?

Our wildlife is struggling to survive out there. We have disappearing bees, the once ubiquitous sparrow is becoming a rarity, birds and hedgehogs are often poisoned thanks to our insistance on pesticides – such as slug pellets which, in my opinion, should be outlawed – and yet you can still buy cheap eco-unfriendly products to coat all over our fences, our decking, and other garden items.

We need to get the message across that, if we don’t have things in our garden that go buzz and cheap, we won’t have any food either. These critters are amazing at working with us to help us live sustainably – so let’s work with them and use environmentally friendly products.

When we bought the place, the previous owners said, “Don’t cut the grass until you have seen all the violets and  primroses”. But it didn’t stop there. These were replaced by the purple selfheal and pale blue forget-me-nots. Now we have a blanket of blue speedwell with white oxeye daisies and wild strawberries. Of course, there are buttercups, dandelions and daises. Then there is yellow hop trefoil and magenta clover and… other things for which I do not yet know the names. Cutting some of the more grassy areas the air is suddenly filled with the scent of wild garlic or thyme or organo.

As a result of all this natural beauty, the place is alive with bees and butterflies of all shapes and sizes. And two of the nest boxes have residents. A pair of great tits and a pair of blue tits are very busy cleaning up any bugs, maggots, and greenfly that may be affecting the plants. We also have regular visits from crows, magpies and jackdaws which helps keep the slug and snail population under control, ably helped by robins.

It’s all a joy to behold. Most of all, there is peace here. Watching nature do its own thing, being what it is without any help from me. We are on the edge of the wild and it’s beautiful.

Alberta’s decision to squeeze oil out of the sands is turning against them. Even the US are saying they won’t buy it and Alberta are having to re-think their decision in view of the bad press.

Labelled the dirtiest oil on the planet, oil from these tar sands takes three times as much energy to extract. Until recent times it would have been considered unviable. But the pendulum is swinging away from them yet again as the destruction of habitat for millions of migrating birds is making the price of this oil just a little too high for people to stomach.

Dear Planners

I wish to add my voice to the many that are opposing the expansion of Stanstead airport.

Firstly, for reasons of heritage:

We have too little of our ancient woodland left and this will destroy five sites. Ancient woodland is irreplaceable and unmovable. The increase in pollution in this area will affect another English heritage, namely, Hatfield Forest.

Secondly, we are at the dawn of a new era where climate change should be at the top of everyone’s agenda: Aircraft are one of the world biggest causes of pollution; Oil has been recognised as a dwindling resourse, the cost of production will continue to rise.

Already, there is an acknowledged drop in the use of motor vehicles caused by increases in petrol costs. Air travel companies are going bust. The cost of flights will soon take pleasure trips out of reach of most people.

Technological improvements mean that teleconferencing is replacing unnecessary business travel.

With this in mind, it is hard to see why a further runway should be considered necessary. Who is going to benefit from this additional service?

If any business were to consider expanding into an area that has patently seen its day it would receive little support. To allocate funds towards expansion of airports is a ludicrous and irresponsible waste of money and resources.

I trust common sense will prevail.

Old fashioned gardens had ‘wild’ places such as compost and mown grass areas. These were usually at the bottom hidden behind a hedge. These were safe havens for the little creatures that come out at night and munch away at our slug population.

With the trend for tidy gardens, we are doing away with the little hidey-holes where hedgehogs like to sleep and hibernate. They do such a good job keeping our gardens free of pests and only ask for bed and board. Much cheaper than chemicals which might kills slugs but also kill the birds that eat the slugs.

So, if you are looking for a worthy news year’s resolution: Find a hedgehog and give it a home.

He raises very interesting questions about the quality of food and housing of our sick livestock. For example, why do we feed our ruminants on grain? These animals like to be fed on good old fashioned grass – the green stuff that grows quite naturally and freely all over our countryside. Of course, it is much easier to find a scape goat, or rather a scape badger, to blame than to address the whole issue of industrialisation of farming methods.

He points out that “Industrial cropping, with its heavy dependence on chemical fertilisers, depletes soil organic matter and curbs the biological activity without which plants can’t take up trace elements.” As a result most food has to be propped up with additives in order for it to have any goodness. As ever, British people are voting with their feet as more and more look towards the farmer’s markets and organic box schemes.

The recent surge in the bio-fuels industry has had an interesting knock on effect. Grain is no longer a cheap commodity to feed to livestock, which means that farmers have started putting cattle back in the fields to graze. Which set me wondering, could it be that the bio-fuels industry will see a return to old fashioned methods of feeding cattle which, in turn, will wipe out TB and save the badger? I hope so.

So a couple of local residents and I are joining forces and want to make our own town plastic bag free. We have set up a website and will be approaching all the shops and shoppers asking their support for the cause.

We are not the first group to tackle this in their own town by any means, but it will still be a very new arena for us. It’s already changed me. My growing awareness of plastic means that I can’t walk past an errant plastic bag in the street any more. I have to pick it up and put it in a bin. That’s another turtle saved…