It’s 157cm in height, 69cm wide, and 49cm deep, so it’s not too big, but big enough for me to start growing my seeds. I’m going to focus on smaller crops like spring onions, radish, parsley, herbs, etc as they need less space and I will also get quicker results. Of course these won’t fulfil all my needs and I’ll still get my fruit and veg from Ramsgate town, but it will give me a hobby over the coming months heading into summer.

n.b. It’ll be interesting to see how my grapes cope after a cold winter too, although my chillies are doing well indoors.

p.s. My friend Hannah has just started her own blog, Yummy Mummy, so pop along and say hello.

It turns out this information is completely false and so IOSH have released a statement explaining their viewpoint. Of course if the job is done incorrectly then they could be liable but rather than instructing business not to grit they actually said:

“This is not the IOSH position on gritting public areas. Neither has IOSH issued this as guidance.”

“As a general rule, though, it’s sensible for firms to consider the risks and take reasonable steps to prevent accidents from happening. If this means gritting outside the boundaries of your workplace, then it’s better to do that than to have people slipping over or involved in car crashes on your doorstep.”

IOSH have now issued a second statement and is “urging businesses and communities to do the right thing by clearing snow and ice from public areas.”

So if the bad weather continues then be aware that you can clear snow and ice but just make sure you do the job properly.

I’ve had to put my wellies on for trips outside, which not only keep my feet dry but which also have very good grip, but what about those who are less confident on their feet such as the elderly or infirm?

On one of my trips to see my Mum last week (along with food supplies) she commented that in the past residents would’ve been out there shovelling the snow from the front of their houses but that didn’t seem to happen anymore and I guess she was right. Perhaps we should all be taking a bit more responsibility? Yes I know we pay our council tax for matters exactly like this, but we should also have a social responsibility to make our streets safer if we know that the authorities are unable too.

I suppose this is indicative of the way we live now where we don’t know our neighbours that well, where community has been removed, and where our number one focus is on ourselves and as long as we’re okay then that’s all we need to worry about. Is that me being pessimistic?

Update: Apparently you could end up getting sued if you don’t do a good job and so people are being warned not to clear snow. “If you do nothing you cannot be liable. If you do something, you could be liable to a legal action.” :
Health and safety experts warn: don’t clear icy pavements, you could get sued (Daily Telegraph 9/1/10)

Update 2: IOSH urges businesses and communities to do the right thing by clearing snow and ice and were misquoted by the Telegraph and Mail on Sunday. Blog article here.

This was the cue to all the children to come out and play.

Today we’ve had no more snow and some of the snow is now either thawing a bit, turning into slush, or turning into ice. I had to go into Ramsgate town this morning for a dental check-up and so I took my camera along too.

If you want to see more photos then click here to go to my Flickr set.

A lot of people have been moaning about the snow and the impact it has made on our lives but I for one actually welcome the uncertainty of it. We think we have everything sorted, so clean, processed, refined, and that we are in control of everything but the fact is that  we are  not, and I love it when a little bit of chaos enters our lives and adds a little unpredictability to it.  I feel a bit silly calling it ‘chaos‘ when it’s just a bit of snow, but the fact is that we treat it as such, and many seem to view it with impending doom. Of course, the snow doesn’t really effect me and so I can approach this in a whimsical manner, where as if I had to travel a lot, or didn’t have central heating, then I would maybe be a bit more annoyed.

You can probably link this feeling to this post I wrote last year, and I repeat what I said then: “the world isn’t always a rational, neat place, and nothing is ever under our control”.

Check out the slideshow below and keep an eye out for my “bum tomato”!

Dwarf Firs from the market

I had some business to do down town this morning and whilst down there I had a gander at the plant stall usually located at the centre of town on a Friday for the market. I’ve picked up some great bargains there, notably my dwarf conifers for only £2 each, and so it’s always good to see what they’ve got and today I picked up a real bargain.

Pre-packed vine leaves

They were selling grapevines for only £3 each or two for £5, and so I opted for two and can’t wait the get them planted this evening after work. Nearly every home in North Cyprus (where half my family come from) have grapevines on their property and these are used not only for the fruit but also for the leaves which are used for stuffed vine leaves called dolma. Whenever I’m up in London I will go to a Turkish supermarket to pick up pre-packed vine leaves which are packed in brine, but I can’t wait for when I’ll be able to pop into the back yard grab some leaves and make my own.

I know it will take some time for the vines to establish before I’ll be able to pluck off leaves without fear of killing the plants but the vines will be growing in my new home and having oinly just bought the place I’m sure that I’ll be there to reap the rewards.

( Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images)

I read this article about a white tiger that mauled to death a zookeeper in New Zealand and although shocking, it’s also a plain fact that a tiger is a wild animal, a predator, and will always have these instincts, so when you walk into an enclosure you run the risk of this happening.

What I did find shocking was that the tiger was later destroyed by wildlife park staff which is terrible when this is a rare animal who was only doing what is natural and surely cannot be blamed for it’s actions.

In this news report it criticises the management and handling of animals for endangering keepers. It emerges that keepers there took bigger risks even though the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) bans direct contact with big cats “unless an animal is hand-reared or suitably conditioned”.

I personally feel that the zoo and its keepers have brought this on themeselves and the tiger cannot be blamed.

Enjoying the sunshine

Still enjoying the sun

Sitting on my newly flowered Sage plant

It wasn’t just the butterflies that were enjoying the Sage though as the Bees were out too collecting nectar from the flowering Sage plant.

A bee collecting nectar from a flowering Sage plant

For a few more photos I took of the butterflies and bees head over to my flickr set.

Timberless Ramsgate

I went down to Ramsgate beach again this morning and I can report that it’s completely clear of the timber that covered it last week. I was a little less prepared today and only had my camera phone but as you can see from the photo it looks as if nothing had ever happened.

Even the wood salvaged by the contracters of the Marina Restaurant had gone, but I can report that there is still some wood hidden down there….. *drumroll*

When returning to the car I noticed that some of the metal fencing blocking off a section of the arches had been bent back and look what I found!

Timber!

More Timber!

If you want it your own part in ‘Timber Galore’ then you’d better get down there sharpish before someone else nabs it.