After a busy week where TYM has started working in London and had his first driving lesson a quietish weekend where I've been able to catch my breath has been very much welcomed. I've got up to date with lots of jobs and poor Mr GBT has had the dubious delight of spending hours fixing his workshop where the wood has gone rotten. Thankfully it's stayed dry and not got too warm. We did head out to friends for an evening in their garden [along with another couple] to catch up over a few drinks and shared nibbles as we watched the bats and satellites going overhead. Their resident hedgehog also put in an appearance which delighted me.
Seeing as I've been home based so much I snapped a few shots of the latest doings in the garden....after a month of unsuitable weather we finally put the moth trap out again. To ensure that they don't all escape as the sun rises and become a bird's breakfast I always go down early to cover it over [we keep them indoors and release them safely at dusk] ....imagine my surprise this time when "our" [I say that loosely knowing that they can easily travel a kilometre in a night in the hunt for food] hedgehog shot across my path at 5am🦔 I had to keep my excitement to myself though as Mr GBT would not have thanked me waking him up to tell him at that unearthly hour [I am that annoying early bird person!!]. The good news is that we also had a fabulous crop of moths including this beauty.....Scalloped Oak.
Finally after what seems like months of waiting the Sneezeweed has flowered. It's so called because its leaves used to be dried and made into snuff.
.jpg)
.jpg)
I always wondered why sneeze wort was called that.
ReplyDeleteI knew that wort or bane meant the plant had a medicinal(ish) leaning but why the sneeze? I know now!
Mr GBT was responsible for imparting that little gem! Arilx
DeleteWe had a huge Mahonia, and I read that in their native land they are referred to as Oregon grape - and the berries used to made jam or jelly. I gave it a go, it set well but was a rather unimpressive flavour. We'll stick to blackberries in the jam in future. Mr T used to sit under the Mahonia and torment dogs being walked along the footpath just beneath him.
ReplyDeleteWe will be leaving the berries for the birds. I tried making a rowan berry jelly once. It was ok, but not special enough to attempt again. Arilx
DeleteI, too, had wondered about "sneeze weed". My thanks to Mr. GBT for increasing my botanical knowledge.
ReplyDeleteSneezewort was mentioned a lot in the novel I've just finished, now I know what it is! x
ReplyDelete