Those little midgy flies that get in your face

I know I have speculated on this before, flies, the little midgy things that get in your face if you turn a light on when its dark, you know them!

I do a couple of bat surveys every year around this time both for a certain species called Daubenton's. I have surveyed at two sites over ten years at each each  and at both the number of bats seen every year has dropped and dropped. Why well I dont really know but I have my suspicions.

Whenever I detect a Daubentons I turn on a torch to see they hunting for insects just above the surface of a waterboby os some sort. In years gone by whenever the torch went on I was bombarded by those little midgy flies, but not any more the numbers are well down if they are there at all. The number of flies is definitely down or it appears that way to me.

Fine you might think, but what if the dropping number of flies means less bats and also less fly eating birds and other insects.

Granted lower fly numbers might not be the cause of less bats, perhaps there roost sites have been developed or improved but I cant help thinking no food no bats.

Does it matter, I think it does.

Overheard in the post office yesterday and shirts

So there I was in the post office returning a shirt I had bought over the internet as you do. Strange thing bought a few shirts all the same size but one was just too small, why if they are all the same size and made by the same company.

Anyway in front of me is a young person getting some bits and pieces sorted for a european holiday.

They have completed everything and then say, can we still use an E111 form in Europe now that we have left.

The look on the face of the member of counter staff was priceless and they said so politely, we are still in Europe so yes you can.

So I am left there wondering; Why is one shirt smaller than others of the same size. Have some people not been listening to news since the vote. Did those same people not listen to anything before the vote. Even more worrying how many other people think the same!

Its what can we cut next time

Ive got this hunch I blogged about a local council wanting to charge for green bin recycling last year. And yes they now do it. Whats next, well a council in Cambridgeshire is now floating the same idea.

Fenland District Council which covers the towns of Wisbech, March and Chatteris together with the surrounding area is having a "consultation" about charging £40 a year for the use of a green waste recycling bin. Interestingly they say that in areas where this has been done there are no increases in flytipping, be nice to see the evidence for that.

They suggest that for houses that dont produce enough themselves to fill a bin regularly but who want to keep a bin, that sharing with neighbours could be a useful idea. They helpfully say you can always take your green waste to a recycling centre or compost all your waste.

Whats the driver, well they say it costs £700,000 to operate a green waste scheme in fenland and they dont get a government grant for this part of waste collection. Its got nothing to do with not wanting to provide a service then and increasing community charge has it. Will community charge come down if the service is paid for by people paying there £40, I doubt it.

Now if Fenland are looking at this how many other Cmabs councils are I wonder, waiting to see the responce. Lets go forward another year or two and whats next, the recyclable materials bin?

I suppose if I was cynical I would forecast that in just a few years time we will all be back to a weekly collection of a black bin that is stuffed to the lid with anything you care to put in it.

Some snippets from yesterdays work

Dutifully did my job as a poll clerk yesterday in a little village in Cambridgeshire.

Thought I would share some snippets of information.

Firstly we had a turnout of almost eighty percent of those eligable to vote (not including postal) which was more than for the last election by a few voters. Good if not for the result.

Secondly we had at least twenty people, and not just because they had just reached 18 years old, who you could tell had never voted before by the way they behaved and what they said including a couple over 60.

Thirdly we had at least three people asking why we only had pencils in the polling booths, at least one suggesting the votes could be changed. Some of the secondlies above.

Fourthly and you might not know this but there is a piece of plastic to help visually impaired people to vote in the right box. They have liftable flaps and braille and raised lettering. For the referendum this was modified to just Remain and Leave and was supposed to be stuck on the voters ballot paper then taken off again for reuse if necessary with someone else. I heard at the training session they had got problems with it. On the day a piece of paper nay a letter with the device that proved to be a laugh. It included the words, the adhesive used was too aggressive, I swear I heard it growling at times. It then detailed how you should use two paperclips of a certain size to hold it on the ballot paper and described how to fix the paper clips with the long leg behind the ballot paper even had diagrams to illustrate that point.

Smell vinegar in Bristol? That will be the weed killer

The BT website is running a story about Bristol today using vinegar as part of a trial to control weeds, rather than using Glyphosate.

Very commendable I would say, I use it where I can, the only other options for weeds are pulling or chopping which are not always successful on paved areas.

I use half a litre of value white vinegar at the strength it is sold in this country with a dash of washing up liquid in a hand trigger sprayer or in a bigger sprayer I up the washing up liquid. The washing up liquid helps the vinegar stick to plant leaves. Best to use it on a dry day when there is going to be some sunlight or heat afterwards in my experience.

Dont be tempted by stronger vinegar the acid level could burn you if you get it on your skin.

Remembrance is continuous

Yesterday I went along to a friend and customers 90th birthday tea which was lovely. I met some folk I had lost touch with and swapped stories and we caught up remembering each other and hoping it wouldn't be so long till next time.

This morning I had just stopped at a site to carry out some ecology work and my mobile phone peeped. I checked a text, a very special customer also well advanced in years passed away this morning a very special lady. I stopped what I was doing and toasted her from my bottle of juice.

Bless you Molly.

Im gonna have a rant

So this morning I went out early to do some ecology work at two sites, one close to Royston the other close to St Albans. The driving was lovely and quiet all the way until I left St Albans for home, by then it was well past nine and people were getting out and about.

Why do people need to rush around all over the place, why do they need to dive from the far lane to the kerbside lane of a three lane roundabout in the space of twenty metres weaving between cars at a stupid speed just to get down a slip road.

Why when I am tootling along at 60 do in the kerbside lane to they speed up close behind me before indicating and then moving to the middle lane.

And why do so many drivers not know what that funny stick thing is below the steering wheel that makes a greenish light twinkle on and off on there cars dash.

To me its symptomatic of the pressure people are under to work and make money at all costs, nothing is sacred anymore and I'm not just talking about religion.

There is a saying, stop the world I want to get off, I think I sympathise with the person who wrote it!