Quite a quiet weekend, mainly due to continuing horrible weather. I did manage to get the lawns mowed though. And I went and bought a whole load of different potting mixes and soil improver. I'm going to spade over the new bed at the back, and plant some potatoes or something. I've got some ericacious mix for the daphne, some regular potting mix for indoor and patio plants, and some seed mix for ... seeds, duh. I got so much because some of the bags were damaged and were half-price. At the moment the 80-litre bag of soil improver is still in the car, because it's too heavy to carry in. Don't worry, I have a plan...
What else? I've been working a lot on Pinky's new website, which has been frustrating and satisfying about equally.
Today I went to a chiropracter to see about my feet/ankles/knees/hips and he's passing me on to a podiatrist, says I'm a "classic pronator" and will need orthotics, special corrective insoles.
Bertie is fine. He chased a deer the other day -- we went to the usual field in the gloaming, and the deer was standing right out under the bridge. When I've seen them before they've been around the edges. A year ago Bertie would have ignored it, but now he's game to take on just about anything except cows. Alan showed up just a few minutes later and was quite put out -- he's never seen deer in all the years he's been coming there, while "everyone else and their dog" has seen them.
9 July 2002
5 July 2002
I am not paranoid
Today I started work at 11am instead of 5pm, since I am doing my boss's job, and by pure coincidence it is gloriously sunny and warm outside.
The title bar is up HERE stoopid
D'oh, I just noticed why the title thing didn't work. I missed the title bar box.
4 July 2002
Classic Lyrics Server
This has some great numbers, like After The Goldrush.
Well, I dreamed a saw the silver spaceships flying
In the yellow haze of the sun
The were children crying and colors flying
All around the chosen ones
All in a dream, all in a dream
The loading had begun
Flyin' mother nature's silver seed to a new home in the sun
Flyin' mother nature's silver seed to a new home
This has some great numbers, like After The Goldrush.
Well, I dreamed a saw the silver spaceships flying
In the yellow haze of the sun
The were children crying and colors flying
All around the chosen ones
All in a dream, all in a dream
The loading had begun
Flyin' mother nature's silver seed to a new home in the sun
Flyin' mother nature's silver seed to a new home
Dylan lyrics
This is all for me, by the way -- I emailed myself a load of song lyrics once then lost them all in one of my many software reinstallations.
I want to make myself a songbook, want to start singing again. I've discovered that vocal chords are like any other muscle, they get rusty with disuse.
This is all for me, by the way -- I emailed myself a load of song lyrics once then lost them all in one of my many software reinstallations.
I want to make myself a songbook, want to start singing again. I've discovered that vocal chords are like any other muscle, they get rusty with disuse.
This song is one of my all-time favourites. The tune I learned was different from the one in the movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
I am a man of constant sorrow
I have seen trouble all my days
I bid farewell to old Kentucky
The State where I was born and raised
For six long years I've been in trouble
No pleasure here on earth I've found
For in this world I'm bound to travel
I have no friends to help me now
You may bury me in some deep valley
For many years where I may lay
Then you may learn to love another
While I am sleeping in my grave
Maybe your friends think I'm just a stranger
My face you'll never see no more
But there is one promise that is given
I'll meet you on God's golden shore
I am a man of constant sorrow
I have seen trouble all my days
I bid farewell to old Kentucky
The State where I was born and raised
For six long years I've been in trouble
No pleasure here on earth I've found
For in this world I'm bound to travel
I have no friends to help me now
You may bury me in some deep valley
For many years where I may lay
Then you may learn to love another
While I am sleeping in my grave
Maybe your friends think I'm just a stranger
My face you'll never see no more
But there is one promise that is given
I'll meet you on God's golden shore
Carter Family Songs
Oh wow -- I love the Carter Family and this has all my favourites.
Can The Circle Be Unbroken
I was standing by the window
On one cold and cloudy day
And I saw the hearse come rolling
For to carry my mother away
Can the circle be unbroken
Bye and bye, Lord, bye and bye
There's a better home a-waiting
In the sky, Lord, in the sky
Lord, I told the undertaker
Undertaker, please drive slow
For this body you are hauling
How I hate to see her go
I followed close beside her
Tried to hold up and be brave
But I could not hide my sorrow
When they laid her in the grave
Went back home Lord my home was lonesome
Missd my mother she was gone
All my brothers sisters crying
What a home so sad and lone
Yep, they were a cheery bunch. The word "lonesome" comes up in a lot of their songs.
Oh wow -- I love the Carter Family and this has all my favourites.
Can The Circle Be Unbroken
I was standing by the window
On one cold and cloudy day
And I saw the hearse come rolling
For to carry my mother away
Can the circle be unbroken
Bye and bye, Lord, bye and bye
There's a better home a-waiting
In the sky, Lord, in the sky
Lord, I told the undertaker
Undertaker, please drive slow
For this body you are hauling
How I hate to see her go
I followed close beside her
Tried to hold up and be brave
But I could not hide my sorrow
When they laid her in the grave
Went back home Lord my home was lonesome
Missd my mother she was gone
All my brothers sisters crying
What a home so sad and lone
Yep, they were a cheery bunch. The word "lonesome" comes up in a lot of their songs.
Risa Song Lyrics Archive This one seems better, though I haven't had a good look through yet.
Lyrics.com -- Music for your head
Yay! The lyrics to all those songs you want to sing along to.
Yankee soldier
He wanna shoot some skag
He met it in Cambodia
But now he can't afford a bag
Yankee dollar talk
To the dictators of the world
In fact it's giving orders
An' they can't afford to miss a word
I'm so bored with the U...S...A...
But what can I do?
Yay! The lyrics to all those songs you want to sing along to.
Yankee soldier
He wanna shoot some skag
He met it in Cambodia
But now he can't afford a bag
Yankee dollar talk
To the dictators of the world
In fact it's giving orders
An' they can't afford to miss a word
I'm so bored with the U...S...A...
But what can I do?
Today I got a letter from the hospital announcing the date for my op -- 20 August. There was a bit of confusion in that it said I was to present myself at the new hospital at 8am, when I know that the procedure will be carried out at the old hospital. But I cleared that up with a couple of phone calls, and it is the old hospital I'll be going to. Still 8am, ugh, but at least it won't take two buses to get there. After the procedure I'll be shipped out to the new hospital by ambulance.
It's good news, because I'd been expecting to have to wait until September.
It's good news, because I'd been expecting to have to wait until September.
2 July 2002
It rained on my day off so I spent most of it in Ikea. I thought it would be empty, but I'd forgotten that it was a bank holiday plus they have a sale on, so it was in fact very busy.
Main purchases were a new desk for my computer and a little trolley thing for the CPU. The desk is very cute, it's just a white melamine table basically, but with bendy white legs that have big castors on the bottom. I also got a white CD shelf, but I'll need another one too I think. It all looks very spiffy. Yes, I set to and built everything and put up the shelf when I got home. Most satisfying.
The slight drawback is that most of the junk I had squirrelled away in and around my old "desk" (a couple of home-built shelf boxes with a plank on top) is now stacked up on the other side of the room. So one side is all space-age minimal, the other is rat's nest maximal. I have to do some serious pruning and stowing. Sigh.
Main purchases were a new desk for my computer and a little trolley thing for the CPU. The desk is very cute, it's just a white melamine table basically, but with bendy white legs that have big castors on the bottom. I also got a white CD shelf, but I'll need another one too I think. It all looks very spiffy. Yes, I set to and built everything and put up the shelf when I got home. Most satisfying.
The slight drawback is that most of the junk I had squirrelled away in and around my old "desk" (a couple of home-built shelf boxes with a plank on top) is now stacked up on the other side of the room. So one side is all space-age minimal, the other is rat's nest maximal. I have to do some serious pruning and stowing. Sigh.
The perfect holiday for Bertie! I may just volunteer his services as hedgehog exterminator supreme.
ISLAND HEDGEHOGS MAY FACE CULLING
Thousands of hedgehogs in the Scottish islands may face a cull, it was confirmed today.
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) confirmed it was considering carrying out a cull of hedgehogs, which have destroyed nests of native wild birds in the Western Isles.
Environmental experts claim that North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist support important populations of breeding wader birds including dunlin, ringed plover, redshank, snipe, lapwing and oystercatcher.
However, the population of birds is at risk from the growing number of hedgehogs.
Hedgehogs were introduced to the Uists when a homeowner brought four in 1974 and a further three a year later to control garden pests.
There are now thought to be more than 5,000 hedgehogs on the islands.
In a report, SNH disclosed that surveys in 1995 and 2000 found ‘significant decreases by all species except oystercatcher’ and that six years of research has proved that declines in dunlin, redshank, snipe and lapwing were ‘due to high levels of egg predation by hedgehogs’.
Between 1995 and 2002 on South Uist and Benbecula, snipe, dunlin and ringed plover numbers declined by almost 60%, redshank by 40% and lapwing by 30%.
An SNH spokesman said: “It’s not something we would choose to do – it is something of a last resort.
“People who are fundamentalist animal rights people are going to find this horrific – and we understand that.
“But we are already controlling mink in the Western Isles and I would say that we have not had a response about them.
“These are animals that were written about by Beatrix Potter – people superficially might find that it is difficult to comprehend.
“It’s the cuteness factor, there will be people out there who will object to a hedgehog cull purely because they are cute, and not about the mink or crows which are controlled.
“We are quite keen to do something to stop the bird numbers declining as they are – we like hedgehogs too, but on the mainland, where they belong.”
The SNH spokesman said that a decision would be taken by the SNH board at its next meeting near Perth on Tuesday.
Other options include sterilisation or contraception to control hedgehog numbers, and removing them to the mainland.
The spokesman insisted that reintroduced hedgehogs would find it difficult to adapt to territories on the mainland.
He added: “The hedgehogs would be very stressed by that, they are very territorial animals and there are already local hedgehogs on the mainland.
”We feel that quite a lot of hedgehogs would end up dead, so we feel the least cruel thing would be a cull.
“The board will decide on Tuesday whether to go ahead with the cull or not.”
Ends
ISLAND HEDGEHOGS MAY FACE CULLING
Thousands of hedgehogs in the Scottish islands may face a cull, it was confirmed today.
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) confirmed it was considering carrying out a cull of hedgehogs, which have destroyed nests of native wild birds in the Western Isles.
Environmental experts claim that North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist support important populations of breeding wader birds including dunlin, ringed plover, redshank, snipe, lapwing and oystercatcher.
However, the population of birds is at risk from the growing number of hedgehogs.
Hedgehogs were introduced to the Uists when a homeowner brought four in 1974 and a further three a year later to control garden pests.
There are now thought to be more than 5,000 hedgehogs on the islands.
In a report, SNH disclosed that surveys in 1995 and 2000 found ‘significant decreases by all species except oystercatcher’ and that six years of research has proved that declines in dunlin, redshank, snipe and lapwing were ‘due to high levels of egg predation by hedgehogs’.
Between 1995 and 2002 on South Uist and Benbecula, snipe, dunlin and ringed plover numbers declined by almost 60%, redshank by 40% and lapwing by 30%.
An SNH spokesman said: “It’s not something we would choose to do – it is something of a last resort.
“People who are fundamentalist animal rights people are going to find this horrific – and we understand that.
“But we are already controlling mink in the Western Isles and I would say that we have not had a response about them.
“These are animals that were written about by Beatrix Potter – people superficially might find that it is difficult to comprehend.
“It’s the cuteness factor, there will be people out there who will object to a hedgehog cull purely because they are cute, and not about the mink or crows which are controlled.
“We are quite keen to do something to stop the bird numbers declining as they are – we like hedgehogs too, but on the mainland, where they belong.”
The SNH spokesman said that a decision would be taken by the SNH board at its next meeting near Perth on Tuesday.
Other options include sterilisation or contraception to control hedgehog numbers, and removing them to the mainland.
The spokesman insisted that reintroduced hedgehogs would find it difficult to adapt to territories on the mainland.
He added: “The hedgehogs would be very stressed by that, they are very territorial animals and there are already local hedgehogs on the mainland.
”We feel that quite a lot of hedgehogs would end up dead, so we feel the least cruel thing would be a cull.
“The board will decide on Tuesday whether to go ahead with the cull or not.”
Ends
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