Seeds

Although I have not (so far) been touched personally by the economic downturn, I find the current mood of austerity infectious. I find myself looking for ways to economise. I feel good when I go a whole day without spending anything.

One of the most rewarding areas has been growing plants from seed. Having a high-maintainance garden usually means spending a couple of hundred pounds on bedding plants. This year I have grown my own from packets of seed.

So far I have forty white hibiscus, seventy or so red and white striped petunias, twenty white pyrethrum, fifty vanilla marigolds, forty morning glory (half white, the rest blue with a white edge), hundreds of poppies (white) plus more on the way.

You just put the seeds in seed compost, water them, and they grow!

When they develop four leaves you pot them up and put them in a cold frame. I found myself using pots not touched since my father died in 1989. Despite my green aspirations I put down slug pellets in the cold frame otherwise the whole lot would be eaten overnight.

The garden was started (in its present form) by my parents. Before she died my mother asked me to keep the garden going. I have often thought about this request - she assumed I would go on living here.

Owls

This afternoon, after lunch (roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, roast potatos, boiled Savoy cabbage, swede mashed with butter), I went to look round an owl sanctuary.



Above: I am familiar with owls from the ones who live in the surrounding countryside (including a white owl that flies around in daylight near the house) and also from stuffed exhibits in museums and galleries. This is a Victorian example of an English barn owl. Stuffed owls are increasingly rare in public museums given the current public sector mania for political correctness which has censored these objects for some reason.



Above: they had a live English barn owl at the sanctuary and because things were quiet (I was the only visitor) the attendant took it out to show me. English barn owls feed on rabbits, rodents and frogs. Their wings have developed so that they can fly almost completely silently (apart from an occasional screech).



Above: Great Grey Eagle Owl, found throughout northern Europe (but under threat). Eats voles, shrews and mice. I was completely unprepared for the intelligent way owls look at you with their beautiful eyes, calm and appraising (but also shy - often they would turn their heads 180 degrees and look the other way).



Above: European Eagle Owl, no longer found in the United Kingdom. Largest owl in the world, it has a wingspan of up to 6 feet. Feeds at night, and makes its home in cliff faces, gorges and crags (the feathers provide camoflage for this habitat).



Above: the European Eagle Owl was persecuted into extinction in the British Isles, but it was once common until the later part of the nineteenth century. Occasionally you find evidence of their previous existence, like this ceramic in a church in the county. Possibly they could be reintroduced (one fo the good things about the recession is that wildlife is being given a reprieve from the relentless pace of "development" - the collapse of the housing market has its advantages!).



Above: I am fascinated by this heraldic "achievement" which I photographed at a church in a heathland village. The supporters are green parrots, and the quarterings show parrots and owls (you might need to click on the image to see the details). Perched on top of the coronet is a grey owl and a pelican.

I have read The Owl Service by Alan Garner, but I haven't seen this series, which was made back in the '60s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TYzD7yK494

5p

Have you noticed how much more frequently you are given a 5p piece in your change?

The inflationary pressure to round up in 10p increments is fading.

And also (although this might just be me) have you noticed when prices are heavily discounted to about a third of their value you find yourself saying: well that's about what it's worth.

Skegness

At least the severe recession we are about to plunge into will mean the end of the competitive trophy holiday.

No more feelings of inadequacy as others talk about three weeks in the Maldives, coastal tours of South Africa, and short breaks in Dubai.

The North Shore Hotel in Skegness will finally come into its own again.

Recession

One of the good things about the recession is that the avalanche of credit card cheques (0% until May next year but don't forget the 3.9% transfer fee) has finally come to an end.

At the height of the credit frenzy I must have been getting two or three of these offers every week (or so it seemed). MBNA was particularly persistent. Their arrival posed a problem as I don't have a shredder and you can't just throw them away.