Snakes Without Shells

Back garden

I've worked in an optical lab in Blackburn for nearly twenty five years now, much of the time I'm on the phone to Swedish franchise holders answering queries. Most of the people in the shops can speak really good English so there arn't many problems. After asking me about the despatch times for a couple of his patients glasses, Bjorn from Sveavagen Sweden moved to some polite small talk.. He said...

You know.... It's like dis, (It's not a spelling mistake I'm trying to capture his Swedish lilt ;-) )

Are you troubled by dose ah... er... snails

No!!...Not snails....

What do you call them... Dose Dose...

"Snakes without shells"

(priceless)

You,ve got to laugh. To be fair I can't speak a word of Swedish so hats off to him.

at the front door

I think the pictures speak for themselves... So Bjorn's ravaged allotment is not alone. According to this months Gardeners world issue Slugs are the number 1 gardeners pest. My outside chilly plants have been scoffed to bits by the little blighters... Unfortunately the garden has the perfect housing for em, dry stone walls, I swear every crevice has a lodger...

But this is not the end of the story, help literally is at hand, we have froggies!!!. Lots of froggies. See also our Mick's blog over at Badylynge

PS: No slugs have been hurt as a consequence, i don't believe in pellets, beer drownings or squishing of any kind, although I have been known to take them for a long walk... All creatures have a place.

Harry

Carlsberg dont do dogs....................

Tea For Two

Follow the noise of Bees to get to know the best places for tea, that's what I did. Passing under the heavily laden branches of a enormous tree I heard what sounded like a thousand bees above my head. Looking up I not only saw but smelt the fragrance of honey wafting from an abundance of yellow tree blossom. Apparently lime tree blossom makes amazing tea so I've got a few bunches drying in my airing cupboard to do a taste test in a few weeks. Mint and lemon balm also make excellent infusions.

Mint tea

Pond Reflections

Elderflower Champagne

I was determined not to let this year pass without making use of the Elder Flower, last year the Elderberry wine went down a treat, so much so that only one bottle remains. Albeit 3/4's. The word is that the elderberry wine tastes so much better if you allow it to mature;-) Fat chance.....

Well I did have a go at Elderflower champagne and the process was... as the Meercat says 'simples'.

• 16 flower heads
• 4 lemons, rind and juice
• 700g sugar
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 4 litres hot water
• 2 litres cold water
• 1 sachet of champagne yeast (not in Hugh's recipe), this is an optional extra as the flowers have natural yeast.

Recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Warning: Be carefull after the bottling up process as the brew can explode with the build up of gas.-

Fractal sky