Free apples. Health warnings. Eruptions and ancient shipwrecks. And rwspecting graves - even fictional ones.

Last autumn we started finding bags of cooking apples on the wall of a house on out usual route around the village. There was a notice inviting passers-by to help themselves. Yesterday we discovered that the owner of the apple tree has started his giving again, just rather earlier this year. Apple pie coming soon.

It’s another fine day here but not too hot. I did hear rain on the skylight windows late last night but not for long.

Here’s something from the newspapers:

“Warning of likely impact to health service as amber heat alerts issued for swathes of England

Amber heat-health alerts have been issued for five regions of England from 9am on Tuesday until 6pm on Wednesday: the West Midlands, East Midlands, south-east, London, and the east of England.

Amber alerts mean an increased likelihood of health impacts for those aged 65 and older and people with pre-exisiting conditions, although there may also be impacts to younger people too. The weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service under this category, which is below red, the most severe.”

And here’s a photo of people resting in the shade as fallen leaves and parched grass are seen in St James's Park, central London. It seems more parched down in the south than it is around here. However the milkman tells me he has been over to Wakefield and everything is very dry there as well.

In Sicily good old Etna has been erupting again or maybe that should be still. Flights arriving at Catania, Italy’s fifth busiest airport apparently, have been suspended after volcanic ash from a fresh eruption has drifted into airspace. I’ve seen Etna in eruption … rather impressive!, 

By the way, here is a link to an article about a Roman shipwreck which has been found off the coast of Sicily. I wonder what is in the 500 amphorae in the boat? 

In one of the Harry Potter stories, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it seems there is an elf called Dobby. 

When they made a film of the book Dobby was buried  on Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Fans who don’t seem to realise this is a fictional character come to leave stones reading “Here Lies Dobby” despite being asked not to do so by the land owner, the National Trust, because the beach is an ecologically sensitive site. 

There was a plan to lay a very expensive energy cable connecting the UK to Ireland but Dobby fans have protested because it would pass through the site of  Dobby’s grave. So they have rerouted it. Now it goes quite close to some real Bronze Age remains, which  include urns associated with human burial.

Hey ho! We need to get our priorities right!

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!