First proper rain in weeks and Ethical Shopping

 I am VERY glad to see it, though it's knocked all ideas of an afternoon walk on the head as it's really chucking it down.  A shame as my gardener was here today, and he spent the morning strimming the orchard and top of the bank, which he got done before the rain really set in.  The grasses in the orchard were waist high in places!  The lawn will have to wait.  I reckon the garden is sucking it up like a drowning man gasping for air.  One surprise was to find that I have Ox Eye Daisies coming up from the wildflower mix I sowed about 3 years back.  I was SO pleased to see them.  My gardener (doesn't that sound posh!) knows to leave any wild flowers he sees about the place and gave the lawn a really tentative and ragged cut last time as he had to avoid any Violets he saw in bloom in the grass.

Bathsheba, one of my David Austin "Thomas Hardy" roses.  I may try and pick some blooms before the rain ruins them.

Anyway, I have a beef casserole stewing in the oven.  Thought it was just the weather for that, and I'm about to go up and change the duvet cover and put the duvet back on the bed as I was a little chilly around 4 a.m. this morning with just a sheet and the thin hexagon patchwork quilt.  I was glad of cat bed-warmers.

American Pillar, a rambler which is now growing up into the branches of the beech tree above it.

I am not normally an ethical shopper, but having discovered that Brew Dog, who sell the Hazy Jane IPA I particularly like, were embroiled in buying up huge tracts of Scottish farmland for carbon offset - then losing just about every tree they planted in last years' draught.  You CANNOT lessen the damage you continue to do to the planet by planting trees, just for a "clear conscience".  You need to STOP what you are doing that ruins the planet.  Then Tam said, well Nestle are much much worse, and now I've read up on them a bit, believe me I shall never buy a Nestle product again.  Sending their representatives into hospitals in Africa and other third world countries, pretending to be nursing staff and advising mothers NOT to breastfeed but to use their formula milk instead, and then stealing their water supplies and selling it back as bottled water which they cannot afford to buy.  Can you imagine the scale of the infanticide that has caused from starvation and unhygenic water sources?  How do they sleep at night?  So, sorry Munchies, you are my favourite choccies but I won't be buying you any more, or any other product I see Nestle on the wrapping of.

Rhapsody in Blue, which Tam bought for me.

I know that D in Dorset will be SO pleased to see steady rain and grey skies, as like me, she cannot cope with heatwaves.  

I now have my new business cards and very smart they look.  `Not looking forward to having to do accounts again, figures not being my strong point, but hey-ho, it's on a very small scale.

P.S.  Nearly forgot.  I heard a bird screaming in distress this morning, and immediately thought that Pippi had grabbed a youngster, so ran out there shouting at her.  Not Pippi, but a blardy Carrion Crow with a just fledged/young Thrush and when I appeared he flew off with the screaming bird in his beak, hotly pursued by the parents.  It was awful.  Nature red in tooth and claw.  I can watch David Attenborough's programmes with their true life and death, as it is distanced, but to see something like that first hand is another matter.  

I also forgot to mention I went to the Library today to take back the two Kate Ellis books I'd read, found 4 more and ordered another 4, so that should keep me quiet for a bit.  

Ahem, this is very . . . determined . . . rain.  At this rate we'll have flooding!