Reducing Plastic Waste - A Start

 In a previous post, I commented on several unintended consequences resulting from the move away from disposing of waste in landfill (not good) to the increasing use of EfW incinerators. For one thing, the incentive to sort waste and recycle it is diminished; operators are happy to burn as much...

First Garden Snowdrop of 2025

 Every January, I keep a lookout for the first snowdrop flower in the garden to open. This year it happened on 13th of the month.Photo 1: First Garden Snowdrop of 2025 on 13th JanuaryI now have 4 years of phenological data reporting on the first appearance of an open snowdrop flower in the garden....

View from the Rear Window - May 2024

 May - the name derives from separate Greek and Roman goddesses who were both called Maia. The Greek version was the mother of Hermes; the root meaning of maia in Greek is maia  "mother, nurse, midwife". The Roman version was Maia Majesta, who was a goddess of fertility and spring, and...

Spot the Robin?

 Photo 1: Two Robins?A chilly morning (0 ℃) around 10 am and I'm finishing off my cafetiere (home-roasted Kenyan coffee beans) when life started to imitate art. We are indeed lucky to have resident robins here in the city. They brighten up even the dullest day. Snapped through the window on...

Ledbury - Poetic Black & White Town

Photo 1: Looking Down on Ledbury from Dog HillJanuary has been colder than usual with the mean Central England Temperature (CET) in negative territory up to the 18th. Figure 1: Mean CET up to 18th JanuaryThis month's daily temperatures are shown in Figure 2, collected by our backyard Davis...

Black Mould Treatment of Silicone Sealants

Getting rid of the black mould that always appears on silicone sealant is a perennial problem (Photo 1). I've seen lots of claims for homemade remedies, usually involving either bleach or vinegar on their own or mixed with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). In my experience, these may work (partly)...