Thanks for the soaking hint OH. In desperation I've actually taken the plastic covering off the heap where I think they're nesting and am emptying a watering can full of water onto the top of it every day as another deterrent. And still they come back....... I'm beginning to think we've bred a super...

When we first got married, my husband told me had a total aversion to swede which his mother always used to serve mashed to destruction. So I cooked some for myself one day, serving it with black pepper & butter. My husband didn't even recognise the vegetable in that form, asked what it was and ...

Our regular Burns Night Haggis meal reminded me of this this long term argument about swedes versus turnips, and I'm sure we've debated this before on here but darned if I can find it. However this is an interesting discussion on the topic: m What really amuses me that the food manufacturers will ne...

Birdwatch is a sure sign in this neck of the wood that every single bird will clear off for the duration of the week-end ! We've learned to try and time our sessions for early mornings or late afternoon when the birds seem to have a more regular visiting pattern. I suspect our numbers will be down t...

I've just watched a very unedifying spectacle in our garden. One of our two resident compost heap rats suddening appeared from nowhere and attacked a magpie foraging around on the lawn. It was an absolutely ferocious attack and although the magpie managed to escape, one of its legs was bitten off in...

I don't watch Top Gear, but they seem to spend all their time promoting high end, high octane forms of transport. Perhaps they should run a competition for the most inventive types of green transport which don't require any fuel. I reckon that bicycle/wheelbarrow would be a good contender.

Monika - I do sympathise. We went to a dinner just before Christmas and sat on a table with some lovely people we don't see very often so would have loved a good old chin-wag. Yet there was a pop singer bawling away all through the meal and we had to give up any chance of conversation. Even when he ...

My Mussleburgh leeks survived all the ice and snow, but strangely the torrential rain last week has turned most of them mushy inside. Only the very thick stemmed leeks have survived unscathed. My Cavalo Nero looks OK, but can't figure out how the whitefly managed to survive the sub zero temperatures.

And with the current price of petrol I can see them making a return to fashion.
I'd love to see peoples's faces if I wheeled one down our local shopping parade.
So much cheaper than a Silver Cross pram!

@Nature's Babe @Primrose I'm puzzled by why you think vegetarians might starve. There's a broad consensus that for ecological and health reasons we all should be eating mostly plants, with a little meat now and then. Maybe it's time to dig up the flower borders and grow more no-food-mile food? . I ...

Here's a little test for everybody to see whether you can do better than the Fisheries Minister in identifying fish species.
Ashamed to admit I only recognised 6, so I'd better get back to my Observer's Book of Fishes pretty quickly!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ ... -fish-quiz

I was under the impression that Seed compost contained a lower level of nutrients than other composts because seedlings were only in it for the short time of germination and growing to a certain point before nutrients were exhausted and they were potted on to a more permanent place. But I know some ...

I think all of us are guilty to a certain extent, of increasing either our carbon footprint, or overlooking animal welfare when it comes to the food we eat. I try to grow as many of our own veg as possible, limited by the space we have available, and we do preserve it. We're not huge meat eaters and...

Yes Monika - they're pretty little creatures arn't they? A couple of years ago we had a family of them nesting in a bird box which was tucked away behind a pyracantha bush on our back fence. They were obviously climbing up the pyracantha to get into the box and I had no idea they were there until I ...

MKposhFan - Have never baked a whole squash, but large chunks take between 30 - 45 minutes in a fan oven, using the same temperature as for roast potatoes. If you leave the seeds it, they might possibly impart a bitter taste.