The Natural World

[Maria Mac]

Latest post of the previous page:

A couple of pics taken off the NW coast of Shetland.

[Maria Mac]

And this one was taken outside the Lerwick museum where the plants in the flowerbeds are surrounded by thousands of tiny fragments of clear and coloured glass. Weird.

[Alan C.]

Maria
where the plants in the flowerbeds are surrounded by thousands of tiny fragments of clear and coloured glass. Weird.

That's what we do with the re-cycled glass Maria, it's all done here so the glass doesn't leave the Island.

[Lifelinking]

Apart from being pretty, does it keep the weeds down?

[Alan C.]

Sorry I should have elaborated more in my last post.
When we do these "formal" plantings (I've been involved in 8 quite large ones in Lerwick) first we cover the ground with a black porous membrane, then cut slits (X) where the plants are to go, then plant the shrubs through the slits and cover the black membrane with the glass beads.
The black membrane stops any weeds from growing and also keeps moisture in the soil.
If you put the glass directly onto the soil, it would quickly get washed down below the surface by the rain.

Maria if you noticed the plantings at the front of the clickimin and at the front of the Isleburgh, they are done the same way.

[Lifelinking]

I think it looks good Alan. Better than grinding it down and putting it in your sarnies.

[Alan H]

Apart from being pretty, does it keep the weeds down?

The other Alan is far better qualified to answer that, but I've used bark in a similar way in the past [---][/---] I think it does help keep weeds down and any weeds that do grow are far more easily pulled out.

[Alan C.]

Alan H
but I've used bark in a similar way in the past

Ah yes, bark is the product of choice "doon sooth" where there are plenty of trees, up here there aren't many trees but LOTS of empty beer/wine bottles You have to use the resources that are available.

[Alan H]

[Alan C.]

Yay! The Shetland croft garden got gold at Chelsea.

The facade of the croft and the driftwood fence were taken brick by brick and timber by timber from here in Shetland.
The whole thing is now for sale on e-bay.
Full story here.

[Lifelinking]

Yay! The Shetland croft garden got gold at Chelsea.

how cool!

[Lifelinking]

The other week my wife snapped this rascal thieving from one of our bird feeders

[DougS]

This was taken by a Dutch friend who took it by holding his camera - in watertight casing, obviously - underwater. The toads promptly tried to hump the camera and his hand! Any resemblance to banned members God and Chris is probably coincidental.

[Maria Mac]

OK, since you've decided to lower the tone...here are a couple of bears at it in Stockholm last year.




I might as well post the lemurs while I'm at it.

[Lifelinking]

A friend sent me an email

Date: Tue, 13 May 2008
Two of nature's most spectacular forces produced an incredible brew in the
skies of Chile as a volcanic eruption met a lightning storm. Tons of dust and
ash from the eruption of the Chaitin volcano poured into the night sky just as
an electric storm passed overhead. The resulting collision created a
spectacular sight as lightning flickered around the dust cloud amid the
orange glow of the volcano. The eruption was all the more spectacular
because the Chaitin volcano, 800 miles (1,290km)south of Santiago , has
been dormant for hundreds of years. The Patagonian volcano began erupting
on Friday and the 12-mile-high plume has left vast tracts of land coated with
a layer of ash.

Not sure where he sourced this story, but the images are amazing

[Alan H]

Utterly amazing!

[Alan C.]

The 4 Oz organic strawberry I've just picked

[Fia]

The volcano pictures are astounding. You can see how people could see such an event as being smitten by god's hand - if you weren't too engrossed in running very fast in the opposite direction

And I'm mightily impressed with Alan's strawberry. Did it taste as good as it looked?

[Alan H]

And I'm mightily impressed with Alan's strawberry. Did it taste as good as it looked?

...and how was the quail's egg?

[Alan C.]

Fia
And I'm mightily impressed with Alan's strawberry. Did it taste as good as it looked?

This morning there was a mini bus from the care centre visiting the charity shop next door, I sliced up the monster strawberry and gave all the old dears a piece, they said it was excellent, and I sold 6 boxes

Alan H
..and how was the quail's egg?

I'll have you know, that was a LARGE free range chukleberry fruit from my neighbor.

[Lifelinking]

I sliced up the monster strawberry and gave all the old dears a piece, they said it was excellent, and I sold 6 boxes

capitalist