leap

It is SO annoying, when involved in a vaguely intelligent discussion with someone, when they begin to engage in verbal gymnastics such that suddenly, even the meaning of words are re-defined, and what should be regarded as questionable assumptions are taken as givens. Mostly I find this happens when talking to theologians or to people with an exaggerated sense of their own moral superiority. When this happened to me the other day I got exasperated and said 'I assumed the world was round, so I went round it, and it was flat, all the way round.'

This is another good response to that sort of person/argument/thing.

Happy Leaping Day

shake it shake it baby

So, there I am, lying abed reading about Soay sheep and sea stacks and puffins and what not, and the earth rocks at 5 point something on the richter scale (apparantly). Me? I feel nothing, zip, nada. It's dissapointing really. My conjecture is that the strata under northern lancashire is a sort of pink blancmange without the kirsch, or that Lancashire folk are just so hard that nothing under a force 7.5 would rattle our flat caps.

spronions

Oh, and I bought a jar of pickled onions today. A sure sign of spring on the way.

fowl ref

We were darn sarth during half term and took in a visit to the Domestic Fowl Trust in Honeybourne. This was an Ahhhh moment. As well as lots of Ahhhh moments there were quite a few CorBlimey moments too. I wanted to bring one of each, or even two of each of every breed home but of course didn't as they wouldn't have liked the motorway anymore, and possibly a lot less than I do these days. No use bringing any chicks back either as non of them had been sexed and sods law determines that any we chose would be male and therefore useless. *SWMBO nods in complete agreement*

This one is wired directly into my brain to increase my mental capacities by a 100%.

This Orpington was the size of a Sherman tank though there is nothing in the picture to scale it by.


Ben wanted that one, obviously.


..and he caught a runaway.


And how about you? Would you like to come live in Lancashire?

wtf

Maybe....wot's the grub like oop north?

We both fell for these dark lovely girls. A rare breed called, called.............oh, it'll come to me tomorrow.

glazed eyes

In between bouts of hibernation, Clodhopper & Son have been renovating this ancient neglected greenhouse that we have acquired. It is 30ft ish long by about 12ft ish wide and is well rotten in places; most of the base timbers are in need of replacement which is tricky. Luckily a fair amount of the glass was salvagable though most of the roof sheets had slipped and needed refitting. I have discovered that I am not very good at cutting glass and I could spend all day sitting in our local glaziers shop just watching him effortlessly cut sheets to millimetre accuracy with never a chip or a crack or anything really. I am told however, that glass brittles with age and is much more difficult to cut than the more modern pliable variety. Funnily enough, I don't find this knowledge terribly consoling as I watch yet another bit of reclaimed glass split at 90 degrees to my cut line. I will finish it in time for the season. I will, I will, I will.

D Day

Sorry. Clodhopper is in hibernation. Just waking up enough to wish you all a Happy Darwin Day *yawn*

Ooooo! The sun is shining. Is spring coming round...Yay!

You may, like me, not know quite what to do on Darwinday unlike StValentinesday when you send your beloved some inane message like roses are red, violets are silly, grease up yer flaps coz here comes my..........

Oh well here's a few suggestions for the day:

1. eat something you never tried before
2. Celebrate by trying to mate with individuals who display favourable survival characteristics. (genetic recombination)
3. go around dressed up as the creatures we have evolved from,
4. Hold interactive species learning 'seminars' etc.
5. Raise a cup of tea in his honour! (He married into the Wedgewood family, it seems only fair to salute with a tea cup!)
6. Take a beagle out for a long walk. Or if you see one, pet it. (better ask first if you may)
7. Get kids to ask their biology teachers about Mr Darwin, just to get things started.
8. If it is winter where you live, do not feed the birds but go watch them a bit.