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Cowslips around here have been greatly increasing for the last few years so we have several grass road verges with quite thick carpets. Presumably they seed freely. The waxing and waning of plant and animal species is endlessly fascinating: gold finches are now our most numerous garden bird...

How do you plant your spuds? I mark out the rows then make holes in flat ground with a modified bulb planter and drop in the spud. I then rake adjacent soil to make a ridge above the spuds. No further earthing-up needed. The pics below show Casablanca, planted last week March, coming through. My...

That's a shame Poot! BBC may not be perfect but I rate BBC (which does its best to resist political interference) and the NHS (underfunded but largely free from commercial exploitation) highly as public institutions that I most value. Bring on nationalisation of the railways and water/:poop...

I've glued a piece of soldering mat to the base of my smoker for the same reason.

Yes, bees don't like black gloves. Also, a few years ago I was asked by a lady beekeeper to help trickle oxalic acid midwinter. She was wearing fleece gloves. The bees were enraged and her gloves became covered with ferocious bees.

Shame there are no matchsticks.....

Hawthorn, sycamore, horse chestnut, dandelion - hopefully!

I've never felt safe wearing a jacket: you bend over and the jacket rides up leaving a gap between it and trousers. BB Wear suit with fencing veil for me.

I've never known such a cold April, T currently 8C at 1300. The OSR has been in bloom for four weeks and is now going over. Very little nectar coming in - not surprising as no days have reached 20C, said to be the temperature needed for OSR to yield. The spring honey crop in these parts is...

I love using the phrase ‘old boy’ whenever I’m describing anyone eligible. I’ve no idea if I (83) ever fit the bill in others’ eyes……👴

Oooo, thanks, I didn’t know that! I wonder if this is the same one - Sudbury is about 18 miles away? -as I reported above, we used to hear one about ten years ago and assumed it was in captivity. I must go and knock on the door of the (somewhat reclusive) bird-breeder.

Here is the pic of the Kookaburra on our allotment a few days ago

Yes, never a dull moment here on the arid (apart from OSR currently in full bloom) arable lands of the east. BTW, a few years ago an eagle-owl escaped from the bird breeder's aviary. Amazingly it was recaptured from Thetford Forest several miles away. I don't know the details.

Pic not yet available so I'd better explain - in case folk think I'm prone to tell porkies! A neighbour up the road breeds bird of prey - for falconers etc and I believe takes in injured raptors. He avoids publicity. A few years ago and shortly after returning from down-under, we were delighted...

We saw and heard a Kookaburra on our allotment yesterday. A neighbour allotmenter got a pic so I hope to post this when available - just in case no one believe me............:)

behaviour | bɪˈheɪvjə | (US behavior) noun [mass noun]

Nobody believes me, it isn't fair, you're all out to get me........

Did a complete inspection today. No small bees seen in a very populous colony - maybe they've fattened up overnight - there's quite a flow on - probably OSR in full bloom about 800m distant. Ideal weather, bees busy++, 2nd and third supers added today. Thanks for your thoughts.

Ingenious ophthalmic speculation - surprised that your Spanish Snellen chart measures in feet as well as mms! I was wearing a hat veil so was able to get really close to the bees of both hives - maybe 0.5m.

No, their behaviour was, apart from the much larger cloud, the same as normal bees - hovering, landing, then hurrying into the hive. I don't think they had pollen sacs.