The Hump of the Camel

The time of year has come round again when I have to get physical, despite the heat, and mow the wild-flower meadow on the hillside, rake it into neat rows, and (for want of a better means of disposal) burn it off. This depletes the soil of nutrients, encouraging more flowers and less grass next year. Continue reading →

Pretty rough weather here over the weekend. 40mph winds the night before last, together with torrential rain, all strong enough to break a thick branch on the oak tree immediately over our glass-house.

Providentially, the two pieces sagged either side of the edifice, sparing all the glass.It also ended up resting on, but not breaking, our rotary clothes line, and sparing the hammock.

It must have been that which woke me up thinking somebody was up early banging toys around.

I’ll have to get the tree surgeons over to sort it out permanently, rather than clambering out along the bough with a handsaw myself and, no doubt, falling through the glass roof. Continue reading →

Whilst I was researching my “Empires” piece, I glanced at an article which mentioned a study that had shown that, on average, English families with surnames derived from the French language have more wealth than those with surnames of Anglo-Saxon origin. Continue reading →