Small Echium

As a contrast to the giant Echiums I grow, I decided to try some Echium vulgare 'Dwarf Hybrids'. The green bits are greener than on the giants and the flower colouring is more vivid - turning from pink to blue over the course of a few days.

But they're only about a foot tall :-(

A lot going on in the garden just now - for more pictures, see my other blog.

Another sunset picture

I took this one near Deerhurst in Gloucestershire looking towards the church.

Two Pests

One of the ladybirds that used to be there

The first pest I encountered today was on my Broad Bean plants. The blackfly had arrived :-( . This was especially annoying since earlier in the season, there'd been lots of ladybirds patrolling the plants. So I had to use a pyrethrin spray which might be "organic" these days - it's difficult to keep track.

The blackfly

The next pest was indoors. My phone rang and the display said "Unavailable" - often a sign of trouble. Sure enough, when I answered there was initial silence before call-centre noises and a gentleman from the "Computer Maintenance Department - Windows Operating System". My usual response to these scammers is usually lacking in diplomacy. This time, I grabbed a recorder and played with his head....

Adrian Returns

I've written about Adrian the sound man a few years ago. Things took a downturn recently because a rather "superior" musician who had some connection with the BBC saw Adrian's antique equipment, invoked "Health and Safety" and threw a fit.

The upshot was that for several years, Chippenham Folk Festival had smart-looking equipment at one of the dance venues. It was operated by less-talented people and sounded average at best.

Adrian adjusts his equipment

This year, there was some sort of cock-up and no "official" engineer at all. So, they  turned again to Adrian. If you can see the "problem", you're using your eyes too much. Pop along next year and use your ears!