It's been a few days since I posted last. It's good to see justice being served against all those involved in the recent riots and I hope we never see a repeat of the violence and destruction we have witnessed.
OK, vegetables. I'm having mixed success with my vegetable and herb growing. Certainly the things I'm growing under cover in the conservatory are doing quite well. My herbs are coming on nicely and my watermelon plants and sugar snap peas are showing encouraging signs of growth. The same can't be said unfortunately for my outdoor plot. I am blighted by slugs and they have managed despite all my attempts to get rid of them, to eat all my cucumber plants and have a good go at everything else. I've set into the ground two dishes full of beer (cheap stuff from Asda). These actually work extremely well and are each day full of a new catch of slugs but this isn't enough to catch all of them and I have a feeling they pop along for a beer after munching what's left of my plants and fall drunk into my beer trap.
Where on Earth have all these wasps come from? I have never seen so many of the buggers. My wife hates them and has taken to ensuring the doors and windows are kept closed - which in this mild weather is really quite impractical. I've lost count of the number I've had to deal with in the last week. We have a mutual understanding - she deals with spiders and I deal with wasps and bees. It works quite well and my wife has learnt to keep her weapon of choice, the vacuum cleaner, readily to hand.
We have a couple of jam jars at the moment acting very well as bait. The wasps fly into the jar and fall into the layer of water inside. We must have caught hundreds this way.
I'm in a bit of a rut at the moment waiting for the next step in my recent job application. I know they are getting references at the moment and probably awaiting the result of my CRB check. I know this can be a lengthy process. Mine of cause is clear of any breaches of the law, but most employers insist on doing them, which is both understandable and unfortunate in this day and age. I expect they are waiting too for the reference from my son's Godparents. I suggested they be a referee as I have driven for them and have experience in handling mobility equipment. They have only just returned from a holiday to Cornwall so I expect it will take them a little time to go through their post. In addition, one of their dogs is very poorly and I suspect they will be having to make a very difficult decision very soon. I know having spoken with them recently that they are both quite distraught, and understandably so.
Something unusual has appeared in Cambridge and opened a week or so ago. It's a guided busway that's been built on old railway bed. Essentially it's a specially designed road with raised curbs. Buses drive between the curbs and tiny wheels protruding from the side of the bus guide it along the track. The driver can take his or her hands off the wheel and simply stop for passengers along the route. The busway has been designed to prevent other vehicles from using it and relatively high speeds can be attained. OK, sounds good so far but I have to ask why a tramway wasn't built or better still a railway? The whole thing cost a reported £180 million to construct and there is understandably a level of criticism given current spending restraints. What happens when a bus breaks down? Surely it will block the busway until it can be towed out?
I can't help thinking this is an expensive mistake. I am a big fan of public transport but I'm sure the money could have been put to better use... I won't post any images as a Google search for 'guided busway' will provide all the detail you need.
