Incredibox

THİS is the latest creation from my SoCal grandchildren. Prepare to tap your feet!

Novel form of transport

I don't know about you, but I become less and less interested in watching the news on television, whether it's BBC or Sky. So much triviality, negativity interspersed with endless speculation and talking heads second guessing. I increasingly visit two other channels, AlJazeera and RT (Russian TV channel in English). This from AlJazeera last night is my idea of a newsitem, but as far as I know, unreported in our media. It's the sort of news that lifts the spirits, and that is in very short supply these days.

Twitter no more

I have deleted my Twitter account after trying it out for a few weeks. It probably says more about me than it does about Twitter (Facebook is a close second for the chop), but I really dislike the way Twitter seems to "profile" me and then post tweets from people or groups that I have never heard of, and which are of no interest to me. It's as if they are telling me they know best what is good for me. Well, bollocks to that.
I'm thinking of going back to actually talking to people face to face. A novelty, I know, but it might be fun.

A hole in one

I hadn't appreciated that heather will grow successfully in our non-acidic fen soil. But it has to be the Calluna not the Erica genus. Caroline, my green-fingered gardener, planted a heather border this afternoon, and even before she had bedded in the last plant, a Bumblebee arrived and checked out the heather. I think the last sentence deserves an exclamation mark. The main reason for planting heather was because it is attractive to insects, particularly bees, which, as I am sure you know, are having a bad time these days because of pesticides and other foolish human activity. The bee came and went so quickly that I didn't get a chance to see its bum, but, never mind, it and I hope its mates will be back.
PS Once that flowering shrub and others yet to be planted have reached full size, they will hide my neighbour's oiltank. Please ignore it and look at the heather. Thanks.

De mortuis nil nisi bonum

There is an old Jewish story about a gathering for a funeral.  The mourners have come out of a sense of obligation rather than through any fondness for the departed.  The rabbi sensing a feeling in the air asks, “Would anyone like to say a few words about our brother Isaac?”
There is an embarrassed silence as people look at their feet or stare fixedly into the middle distance so as not to catch the rabbi’s eye.
Feeling awkward about the situation and feeling that someone should say something, the rabbi asks again, “Would anyone care to say a few words about Isaac?”
Again, there is silence, no-one prepared to venture even a word.  As the silence drags out the sense of awkwardness continues, people furtively glancing around to see if anyone will speak.  Eventually, a man, a contemporary of Isaac, feels compelled to speak up.
“His brother was worse”.

Mabruk!

Here's a story to warm your eco-cockles. Five primary schools in the Kurdish part of Iraq have undertaken a nestbox project to make and put up birdboxes in their area. The full story is HERE.
So many of such projects, initiated and funded by Western European countries or organisations (in this case, Birdlife International) only survive as long as the foreign investment and help are there, and then wither when the locals take over full responsibility. I have a feeling, though, that the Kurds are made of sterner stuff, and that this project will prosper.

Bargain of the Day!

Nah, you're not fooled for one moment, are you? But what might fool anyone is the online sales "free delivery" gimmick. I just bought a DVD online from Amazon priced at £5 + £1.76 delivery. Out of curiosity, I checked my usual discount supplier, Play.com, who offer the same DVD at £7.25 with FREE DELIVERY.
Caveat emptor.