Friday 30 September 2011

Malcolm Busbys Blogs: Autumn is here

Malcolm Busbys Blogs: Autumn is here: Been seeing all the cobwebs all glistening in the long grass but got another couple of reminders over the last couple of days that Autumn is...

Autumn is here

Been seeing all the cobwebs all glistening in the long grass but got another couple of reminders over the last couple of days that Autumn is coming.


There I was walking along and I got that scent, that lovely musky scent you only get from poplar. It took me back to all the times I have smelt it before and all the places, gorgeous.

Then this morning a nice flock of Longtailed Tit's working along a hedgerow, chirrupping away between themselves to keep in touch while looking for food and in this case one of them being chased away by a lone Chiffchaff presumably trying to defend his Hawthorn and its invertebrates from the chirruping Longtails.



I also saw this recently, look closely can you see it. Yep its a spider but you have to squint to miss out the grass stalks. Its a wasp spider on the egg case its just put together. Marvelous piece of construction.

So Autumn is coming but all around us wildlife is going on and reminding us that's its the little things that matter and which we carry in our heads that perhaps mean the most.

Malcolm Busbys Blogs: pardon me while I have a rant

Malcolm Busbys Blogs: pardon me while I have a rant: A certain MP is alleged to have said its everyone's basic right to have a weekly rubbish collection. Now hang on a minute if we are talkin...

pardon me while I have a rant

A certain MP is alleged to have said its everyone's basic right to have a weekly rubbish collection.

Now hang on a minute if we are talking basic rights I can think of a few more important basic rights thank you very much, besides I get once a week, one week recyclables one week non recyclables whats wrong with that!

If we are talking basic rights how about ensuring the NHS continues, how about ensuring that there is enough housing about that is actually affordable not termed "affordable", then how about some stability in the jobs market so people can then buy those homes, permanent contracts not temporary or casual which my local paper recently said was on the rise and so good for companies so they can be flexible.

Oh and we must not forget we might soon be able to drive even faster whoopidoo, at a time when police and ambulance numbers are being cut we might be able to drive faster, don't know if they have noticed but there are a lot of folk doing it already as well as a lot who don't know how to

Still everything's all right its important for economic growth, aarrgghh. I fully expect at this rate to see children going up chimneys again.

Wednesday 21 September 2011

wot on earth

Funny old week, seen some bad behaviour and some good stuff too.

Was looking round a site late last week and came across this, in the words of old Rolf "can you tell what it is yet".

Looks a bit chapelish doesn't it but can you tell what it is yet! It was an amazing place, on other sites have seen magical flocks of goldfinches twittering away as they flip across thistles, lovely birds.

Then we move onto the bad stuff. Can anyone explain when drivers got the okay to jump red lights all over the place, to leave coming of at dual carriageway junctions to the last minute and any number of other regularly seen examples of bad driving. No I am not becoming Victor driving standards are dropping.

Finally this afternoon I called into see one of my regular gardening clients after she asked me to visit her, got there and I saw her front hedge had been cut down by about two feet but not by me, so thinking I had lost a client and she wanted to tell me I knocked on the door and she asked me in, it seems someone has cut her hedge down without her permission and while she was away for a few days holiday, that's right just did it and she wanted to know what I thought she should do. Result she is now very upset and doesn't know what to do.

The rioters who ransacked shops etc a while ago were labelled as allsorts, but I would suggest the suggested decline in standards is very widespread. Heaven help us.

Monday 12 September 2011

Malcolm Busbys Blogs: How do you take your pleasure!

Malcolm Busbys Blogs: How do you take your pleasure!: A question I have been asking myself lately you know. Why well as you watch people as we all do you see and hear all sorts of emotions and p...

How do you take your pleasure!

A question I have been asking myself lately you know. Why well as you watch people as we all do you see and hear all sorts of emotions and pleasure is seeable to use a word that sounds like it might not exist.

Take last Thursday I was gardening at one of my elderly lady clients and had picked some fruit and veg for her. The look on her face and the real pleasure that she gets from seeing produce from her garden was obvious. mind you the produce was good as you can see below.






And then Sunday afternoon, went for a stroll at Anglesey Abbey a National Trust property close to Cambridge and a place I like to go a few times a year for a wander. So I suppose its a pleasure of mine and from the number of cars in the car park I would say it is a lot of other folks pleasure as well.
A regular pleasure party I suppose.

Saturday 3 September 2011

Variety is...............

Well that's what they say isn't it eh, and I have to tell you its true, you cant beat it it adds to the richness of life.

Take last weekend the public holiday weekend, what we used to call bank holidays, why we did that I don't know but anyway.

Saturday saw me in Ipswich a town I worked in many years ago telling some stories at Pooka's Pageant, something I was invited to after winning Suffolk Skald a week earlier, it was good to see Ipswich again, its not a bad place and I have some good memories of people and places. The pageant was interesting and my stories went well.

Then Sunday and Monday I was helping out on the Cambridgeshire Bird Club stand at the Fenland Country Fair. This year a few of the local conservation groups, some who have been there before and some who have not, got together and ran a conservation marquee. With the full support of the organisers by the way who would like to see it happen again next year. There were a lot of folk who popped in for a look and a chat so it was well worthwhile.

Then back to the gardening just to complete the picture, aside from lawns and cutting back I have been planting out what feels like hundreds of Wallflowers and Violas in some of my gardens to provide some colour later this autumn then over winter and into spring, small plug plants delivered in trays from Jersey and all in good condition.

So as i said variety is the spice of life isn't it eh......