Do you remember the craze (in the early 60s I think) for 'ginger beer plants'. You had to 'feed' it on sugar and ginger (powder), and every few days you decanted the liquid gave half of the plant away, topped up and carried on. It wasn't long before every one you knew had one (like a chain letter). ...

My first hens were Point-of-Lay in March, and laid well through the first winter (6 or more / week)

My second and third batch of hens were Point-of-Lay in September, and the second did OK through the first winter, but the third lot laid a few eggs then moulted.

I probably drink too much tea. A pint mug four or more times a day, and I often fancy a refill.
Drinking hot water is sometimes an acceptable substitute, and nicer than cold.

Mine have an arc, and although there is a perch I think the head/elbow room is a bit small up there. So only 1 or 2 go up, the rest in the nestbox or on the floor. When I let them out these dull mornings they come out slowly then a gap and a thump as Goldie jumps down. Bonnie was still on the perch ...

The one that came up was in the corner of the garden, on a pile of leaf litter under a tree. We also put some at the edge of the field on an old pile of horse muck, no sign there. They were growing on a grass verge, so it might have made more sense to put them in the lawn. The puffball was kicked in...

If you are anywhere near the M60, there are classes on a Friday night at Prestwich (Bury) in the Longfield suite.
I was there last night at an Irish Set Dance festival, and there were flyers on the table.

Not sure about squash, but zucchini / cougette is a small marrow.
I think squash is similar but round (maybe flattish). No idea what it tastes like.

If you keep the ripe mushroom in a paper bag the spores fall out, so you can open out the bag and 'plant' it, I think that's what we did, in a few places. Only one came up. The puffball was just kicked around for a bit, then left in a corner, and it came up the next year and for several years afterw...

I finished picking the apples last week, so mine are back in the orchard, they enjoy perching on the greengage tree that fell over in the wet weather and is now growing sideways. And Jim put some piles of horsemuck round some of the trees, which they are spreading for us. I think they were getting b...

They don't do so well as daffs if you leave them in, some may come up again. I'm not sure if they don't like the cold, or if they just split into lots of little bulbs so not much flower. As a child I was always encouraged to buy my Grandad tulip bulbs for his November birthday. We have some we leave...

Are the mites more common in the South, or am I just not seeing what is there?

With a gas stove this sticking to the roof of the oven is a problem.
Top rung they do, and burn, and are a mess.
Next rung down it's not hot enough.
So the baking tray has to balance on something upside-down to put them half way.

I get that sometimes

I know about the comfort eating thing, when I was caring for Jim's Mum I would slip those fancy wrapped choccy bics into the shopping bag. And went from a size 14 to 18. But some years back I wanted to stop gaining weight. I looked at what I was eating and found that I was always having 2 slices of ...

Also the slabs will stop you getting cold muddy feet while you stand watch them for hours