Toadflax (I think)

This was growing wild just a few metres from our bungalow. It must have just flowered as I'd not seen it before.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linaria_vulgaris .

EU and BREXIT talks

At the moment the EU seems to want to play "hard ball" with the UK over Brexit. Personally, I think it is in the interest of most in the EU to reach a good settlement.

Many of us in the UK only wanted Brexit so we could keep control over our population: we are a small island with limited space and resources. Like many, I actually voted to remain in the EU, even though it was/is far from perfect.

No, personally, I think the hard EU line is because they are peeved we are leaving and will no longer contribute money to the project. EU nations need our trade. We will be free to trade with the world on our terms.

EU - get real!

WWW

Some people, I know, have a totally irrational fear of spiders. Luckily, like daddy-longlegs and mice, I have no fear of them. Actually, I think they are fun. Certainly here in the UK, they are genrally harmless.

A few days ago we had one about 5cms long (including its legs) in the lounge. It got put out of the window, as we do with those trapped in the bath.

Spider's webs can be beautiful, as this one at Anglesey Abbey today.

Hollyhocks

Whilst we are getting the garden ready for winter (impatiens up) our hollyhocks are still flowering, so these won't be cut back just yet.

Summer started well, but ended up average here in the UK.

Autumn

I'm not quite sure what happened to summer. It came and went very quickly this year, probably as I am older and time seems to slip by. Autumn is now upon us and leaves are starting to fall on the lawns. Every season has something good.

Salcombe and Barbary Pirates

When a child, I lived in Salcombe, Devon. Until reading a Giles Milton book a few months ago, I had no knowledge of the white slave trade that saw many coastal communities in grave peril not that long ago. Barbary pirates captured people and took them as slaves to North Africa. If you lived by the coast and earned your livelihood from the sea you were in danger.

As fishermen in the 1600s, my ancestors were in grave peril.

They are back!

Suddenly, the number of visits to the blog rise. Then I see where they are coming from. Clearly hackers trying to exploit the blog. This seems to happen about once a month.