Lawns and Green Thumb

At our old house we had our lawns treated regularly by Green Thumb. This is a franchise business. For several years and with very little effort on my part (apart from mowing) the grass was very green and totally weed free.

Last week they gave the first treatment to the lawns at our bungalow. Already, the weeds are dying, so the signs are promising. These days there are similar companies fighting for the lawn care business. I have only experience of Green Thumb, who are good. I could probably do the same lawn care treatments myself, but not sure the results would be as good. It is surprising how many people asked me how I managed to keep the lawns looking so good. I just tell them Green Thumb!

DAB radios

I am a fan of AM and FM broadcast radios. Coverage is so much better than my DAB radio which drops out half the time and is really a waste of money.  Give me FM any day of the week.

Well, today I read that OFCOM is consulting on DAB+ which is a new DAB format, rendering old DAB sets obsolete. Personally, I hope they never remove AM on medium, long and short waves, and FM on Band II VHF.

More normality today

Although my stroke still makes me feel sick and wobbly, it was good to do more "normal" things today: after lunch my wife and I took turns to do a ticketing duty at our local Burwell museum and windmill ,and this evening a friend came around to erect some amateur radio antennas. Not yet back to normal, but more steps on the way back to "normality".

Is war in Ukraine a certainty?

No, but the signs are ominous.

As in all conflicts, it depends on who you are listening to. The Russians believe they are in the right to send in troops if necessary to bring stability to the eastern cities. The Ukrainians believe Russian special forces are already at work destabilising the east of Ukraine. NATO is watching in the wings hopng the Russians will calm things, especially with the threat of more economic sanctions. Russia is already feeling economic pain.

I don't much like Mr Putin's stance. He clearly wants to re-create the Soviet Union in some form and is showing the world his flexed muscles. He is ex-KGB and doesn't sound a nice man. Maybe I am seeing a biassed view of the man? Could be.

This could all get out of hand so easily and lead to a major European war, or worse. At all costs, this conflict has to be defused and peace allowed to flourish.

And of course the Russian trump card is gas supply to Europe. Ultimately, the west wants Russian gas and will resist too much clout against Russia so they don't turn this off. On the other hand, the export of gas must help the Russian economy. See http://en.ria.ru/infographics/20090609/155206402 .

(More) birds in Mill Close

In the last few days there have been a few more small birds evident at our new home. There were great tits around today and yesterday my wife noticed a long tailed tit, so the small birds are around after all. It certainly seems harder to attract them than at the old house, but we will continue to try.

The long tailed tit certainly seems more common than a few years back and certainly is a most attractive little bird, more often heard (very high pitched squeak) than seen. Often, especially in winter, there are flocks of these flitting from tree to tree.

London children tragedy

My heart bleeds for the father, 8 year old daughter and the mum who killed her 3 young children last week in south west London.

The young children suffered from a degenerative disease that was slowly killing them as they grew older. For the parents to watch as their little ones grow more and more helpless would be unbearable. In some ways I can understand what she did and why. But oh so sad for the whole family.  One of the worst aspects must be the vicarious interest of the press. The family must be devastated by the recent events.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-27155751 .

Peg feeding because of stroke

Today was the date for my 2 monthly clinic session at Addenbrookes Hospital as part of the follow-up following my stroke last September.

Again it was good news: I can reduce the liquid feed through my stomach peg  by 200ml every 2 weeks, meaning I could be totally free of liquid peg feed in about 2 months' time. This assumes I maintain my weight.  I am already eating soft foods via my mouth and these will increase again.

I still have to take some water via the peg (my liquid intake is too low) but to be free of peg feeds will be a real milestone on my road to recovery.

Recovery from my stroke is taking a long time, but I am recovering, thankfully. Many don't do as well.