The day after Brexit thoughts!

Yesterday a friend of mine received flowers and cards of condolence, such has been her long and vociferous dismay at our leaving the European Union. This may have been a little over the top! Others held parties one way or another. We just let the day go by and consciously and deliberately did not watch the news.

In fact I spent a good part of the day helping my daughter to declutter. The problem with helping others carry out such tasks is that you never get around to getting rid of your own surplus stuff. So today I have made yet another desultory attempt to rid my wardrobe of stuff I no longer plan to wear ever, ever, ever again! In the process I came across a brand new sweater, still in its packaging which I must have bought who knows how long ago as a present, presumably for Phil. This demonstrates the danger of buying presents too far ahead of time. How many people, I wonder, lose the presents they purchase in the January sales with next Christmas in mind?

News from the environmental front. We are apparently being advised not to mow our lawns as we might mow dandelions in flower. Our grass (you can’t really call it a lawn as that is far to flattering a term for our garden) is undoubtedly far too wet to think about mowing it for about six months I should say. Neither should we use weedkillers on the dandelions and other flowering weeds. We never do that although I have been known to go around uprooting dandelions if they get too prolific. On the whole though, I quite like the look of a garden full of bright yellow dandelions, at least until they turn into dandelion clocks and blow their seeds all over the place.

This gardening advice is all because of bees. Until other sources of pollen come properly into flower, early arrivals like dandelions are apparently a principal source of sustenance for the bees. So let them grow and bloom. And weedkillers simply kill off the bees.

Better news for or about bees is that the bees of Notre Dame in Paris have not only survived the fire but are thriving. Huzzah!

Bad news for vegans and vegetarians who have facelifts, or even just use anti-wrinkle creams, in this letter published in today’s paper: “I wonder how many of those who use beauty enhancement products are aware that some products are derived from rooster combs or pig collagen. Wake up and smell the bacon!”

 Oops! You can’t be too careful!