Hijacking threads on gransnet

That lovely childrens' novel "When Marnie was There" is set in Cley isn't it?! We read it when my girls were little and it started us on holidays there. Lovely beaches. Can be a bit cold being on the North Sea though.

You have made me holiday sick for North Norfolk - we haven't been for a few years now and I've missed it - used to stay at Salthouse and we spent hours in the marshes watching avocets, little egrets, harriers and reed warblers. There's a wonderful deli in Cley. I have a watercolour of Blakeney at low tide over my mantlepiece - I'll have to make do with that until we get there again!

Been on hols too, this thread is getting out of hand I think - hijacking gone mad!
Norfolk beautiful as ever and seething with rampant Hollyhocks. Worth going just to see the Hollyhocks (so many colours from almost black to delicate pale pastels) and also the Marsh Harriers at Blakeney and Cley reed beds.

I've been on my hols for a week and missed all the excitement-

crimson...you are such fun...

..it's quite close to one of those brown signs that denote 'places of interest'. This 'place of interest says 'Secret Bunker'. I always stop singing for a minute to say 'well, it's not very secret any more, now, is it?'. I say it on the way back, too. I'm very boring and predictable....

Our first race meeting of the winter is always at Bangor on Dee [we drive there singing 'didn't we have a loverly time the day we went to Bangor tiddly pom']. On the way there is a small area next the road where someone must have scattered wild flower seed, because it's strewn with wild flowers and looks absolutely beautiful. I wish roadsides everwhere could be as gorgeous.

PS I like it that councils are cutting verges less. It allows the wild flowers to grow and proliferate. They already do that in my garden so scything the cat's ear before it seeds is just a limitation exercise, especially as they appear to be perennials anyway, unlike the orange hawkweed which I do allow to set seed.

But strimmers are so noisy! And they use petrol or electricity. You only need muscles to use a scythe (which we all have) so it's much more environmentally friendly from the noise pollution point of view . Actually you can scythe perfectly safely in bare feet because, by virtue of the handle and how you hold the scythe, the blade never comes anywhere near your legs or feet. Scything also kicks up less hay fever causing dust which is a consideration for me.

I have just done my online tax return! And due to my feeble earnings the IR owes me £600 . Feels like one of the labours of hercules, understanding what the terminology means. Still i always think it is a minor triumph if i can find the logons and a major one when finished.
Got took out to Brasserie Blanc last night. Glad it was not us that were paying as what I had was not great. Apart from the apricot souffle which was.

And I'm scared enough of that. I'd probably cut me leg off with a scythe.

Baggy, we've got a strimmer.

I've noticed that councils aren't cutting the verges and roadside banks so much these day. Cats ear can look gorgeous on a bank in the country. But that's not in your garden.

I love foxgloves. I wish they stayed around a bit longer. They're a bit like the daffs, over too soon.

There's no need for me to choose obsessive plants for my garden. They choose themselves. Common Cat's Ear is particularly obsessive this year. i took a scythe to it today. Does anyone else on GN use a scythe? I recommend them (specially Austrian ones) in a yoga-ish sort of way.

We have lots of foxgloves too because there's a hillside of them just above us. Fortunately I love them.

Much relief in the Wild Garden! I promise to try to behave! 'Seraphic' is not what my family have used to describe me, but it looks good as a pseudonym. The foxglove bit is because i seem to have an obsession with certain plants each year. This year was iris, last was hemerocallis, I've had phlox (a great mistake) and anemone japonica (another). i'm wondering what to obsess on next year.....

Dig

Hello carbon, nice to hear your daughters second birth experience went well. Twins too, I bet you were worried. My first was a breech and my eldest daughter's was a breech, I had mine naturally and she had to have a caesarian, she did insist her second baby was born normally.
My youngest daughter's first baby was in a posterior position. She said she was put off ever giving birth again. Now over three years later she was told her second baby has the placenta in the way of the birth canal. It may move but they said they didn't think it would.
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome means 'the left side of the heart is very poorly formed and cannot support the main circulation (round the body). The left ventricle and aorta are abnormally small (hypoplastic). This is amongst the most severe forms of heart defect. Most babies are very ill in the early days of life and need urgent surgery to survive.'
Enjoy your week away, we look forward to hearing when you are back!

Hi foxglove. But why would we want to rebuke anyone? It is quite possible, nay quite easy, to disagree without there being any rebuking involved - gentle or otherwise.

Wow Carbon. Congratulations!
Hi seraphicDigitalis Visions of a tall angelic foxglove...
I think we are moving forward now after a few blips. Still just a baby forum even tho' we are grans... Testing out how we can disagree without falling out.

Ouch, this is where newbies try to recollect what they've posted, and to wonder if they are the offending one! Is there in place a system where a gentle rebuke might be emailed, so it could be private, then further public action taken if the offence were to be repeated?

Sleepless night, here comes Dig

Faye: my daughter had her first in hospital - horrible experience, ceasarian absolutely against her will after being induced against her will (she says). Next pregnancy she vowed to have birth at home without any intervention. The fact that it turned out to be twins did not alter her determination. So there we all were, she plus partner and three midwives in one room (apparently you have to have 3 - one for mother and one for each baby) and me in next room pacifying two year old. Second twin was breech. Was possibly the worst AND best night of my life!!!!! (both 6lb and identical)
Sorry to hear about your grandson, but don't really know what HPLHS is? I've probably missed some posts.
I've every intention of continuing the debates but we are off to Norfolk on Tuesday to chill out for a few days with friends. Chill being an inappropriate word really - I hope. Walking, bird-watching and wine (have not yet got round to finding out how to put the little wine glass pics in?).........
Back in a week.........watch out Baggy!

Yes it was Baggy that was posting lots of threads and we have communicated about this.
Glad you are still around and hopefully we can resume conversations about environment in near future.
Definitely not in favour of bitching or fighting off-forum!
In the meantime, am finding Gransnet rather too distracting. Got a long self-imposed task list. Hope you had a good birthday weekend.

JessM Yes I am here now for a few mins. Regarding private messaging: I am not sure what to think as there are obviously pros and cons. As I have experienced, it does facilitate people ganging up on others.

JessM Please note that this latest website that has just been posted was not posted by me. I have rarely posted stuff from the net - I think you previously muddled me up with baggy.......as have other people also - its all very puzzling/confusing. Perhaps Baggy and I should have our own private forum ha ha but that would be a bit pointless I think. I wouldn't have dared to put any climate stuff on this thread though!!!!!!!

Since this thread is well and truly hijacked now, I guess I can post anything! So here goes. I'm adding the link to what I think is a very interesting article and weather forecast. Only time will tell whether it is a good forecast. One of the commenters says of it: Incredible, fascinating and just far too logical. Just the kind of thing that appeals to my relentlessly logical brain.

wattsupwiththat.com/2011/07/13/archibald-climate-forecast-to-2050/

I agree helshea....I have been to a mothers group here in the country and I come back and can see you all have been having a right old time... Time for a and change of subject. Who wants to clean up this mess! I for one would like to see the Nuclear/climate change etc debates continue with carbon and baggy back there debating!
I found the mother's group interesting. There was another grandmother who is a also a midwife and had delivered a lot of the home birthed babies there. One mother was expecting baby number 12 and her youngest is 14 months old. She was saying how she had given birth to two of her children on her own, not even with a midwife. The rest of her babies were home birthed and she also home schools them. Her eldest is in his early 20s. She has a lot of energy.. My daughter says she will be having hers in hospital!!
Thanks harrigran, sometimes children with HPLHS have other problems too. I found out last night that my grandson will be having a procedure under anaesthetic next Tuesday. After this procedure they will decide when he will have his Fontan operation which should be his last. We have been lucky he has done very well, just the worry about him, its always at the back of your mind.