Saturday 14th

Two Goldfinches on the Niger seed

The plastic bag over the starling proof sunflower hearts feeder was supposed to be stopping water getting in through the top where the hanging loop is.  It isn't working. I'll try duct tape next.

Thanks to everyone for comments yesterday, sorry I didn't get round to replying at all.
 

Great excitement last Monday! The two new recycling bins arrived (three if you count the mini indoor one as well).They are ready to use when the new system starts in June. Unfortunately the larger of the two food waste bins had a lid that was completely broken. I rang to request a new one and the lady at the council said that so many have been broken in storage or during handling. That doesn't hold out much hope for them lasting very long once they are in use.

The same day the 500lt of heating oil was delivered. It was ordered the day before war started . The guy said he'd just done a short order emergency delivery of 500 litres that had cost someone £600! (almost double what I paid). He said they weren't even quoting definite prices now as the cost between the time they take an order and the time they've been down into Essex to get the oil from the terminal on the Thames and back into Suffolk and Norfolk the price will have gone up again. Then on the local Nextdoor website pages many people were saying they had ordered oil, paid for it but then had a email saying the company wanted more money or the order cancelled! Goodness knows how they can get away with this. Seems I was lucky to get mine at the price I paid.

This week I have been grateful for 

• Arrival of 500 litres of heating oil without problems, enough to see me through until Autumn.
• More people at the Keep Moving Group so that we can have free weeks or pay less each week.
• Our free NHS health checks (mammogram last month and the bowel cancer testing pack this week)
• A windy day without rain to get the grass dry enough for cutting.

In the wind of windy March,

The catkins drop down,

Curly, caterpillar-like,

Curious green and brown

With concourse of nest-building birds

And leaf-buds by the way,

We begin to think of flowers

And life and nuts some day.

CHRISTINA ROSSETTI (1830-1894)

Have a lovely weekend, hope all Mum's are treated to a nice day on Sunday. I'll be back Monday, although at the moment the week is a bit blank for post ideas.

Cheese Tasting

 Last week I had a random text message from son " Have you tried the Stratford Blue cheese from Aldi?" 

I hadn't but as I was going shopping in Aldi it had to be tried. I think it's new to Aldi as I'd not seen it before.

Stratford Blue is another cheese made by Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses in Lancashire........ A soft and creamy blue cheese.

From their website............

Something of a dark horse (not literally!), Stratford Blue is really delicate, really creamy and perfectly rich. The blue bite develops with warmth but soon mellows in a sea of creaminess making our Stratford Blue cheese truly unique and unbelievably moreish.

A dreamy blue cheese, smooth in texture and with a distinctive taste.

Using traditional handmade methods, our Stratford Blue cheese it is crafted in open vats, then poured into individual moulds, turned by hand and matured under the watchful eyes of our cheese experts.

There is no escaping it, we are a family business. That’s what makes things exciting, and these family values are the bedrock of our culture. Richard and Annie started it, Jean and Tom nurtured it. Gill and Colin opened it, and the history page is just turning for Matthew and Danie

 

 

After trying it I texted back to son " It's nice, but I think  I prefer Shropshire Blue" .

He said 👍!

We're not great conversationalists in our family!

Violets

 How did Victorian flower sellers sell bunches of violets " Vi'lets, Sweet Vi'lets,  Luv'ly Vi'lets" ?

 It would take an age to pick a nosegay of these tiny flowers and the stems are so fragile - how were they bunched?

And what is the difference between Dog Violet (Viola riviniana) and Sweet Violet(Viola ododrata)?

And which of the two are this year growing well on the bank just along the road from home or are they the result of  hybridisation and not how violets would have been 100 years ago?

I don't think these violets have any scent. Impossible to check properly, and, as they are by the road they are more likely to smell of car fumes or dog wee!

The Romans made wine from violets and used a wreath of the flowers to cure insomnia, gout and wounds.

When I was young violets were common  in the lanes near home, but certainly not so profuse as these here, we used to pick some to put in a meat paste jar, but we always looked out for white violets  that were more unusual to see.

Nowadays they could be crystallised to use for a cake decoration, something I don't have the patience or enthusiasm to try!