Latest Moan From You and Me 2025

Part of the problem with the fires is that California stopping maintaining and literally wiped out the fire breaks they had. If only they had maintained those wide pathways with controlled burns, some of this might have been avoided.

I also cannot understand why they don't have massive sea pumps keeping pressure up through a systems of pipes and hydrants, all on the ready to battle fires or at least stop them in their path. Free seawater is right there at their doorstep and so what if it kills vegetation, not any worse than burning it!

 

Just read about an additional risk that firefighters are facing. In their hurry to leave their properties, owners are leaving behind boxes of bullets. These are exploding in the heat.

 

They say all these wild fires are down to climate change, well it has been reported that some of the wild fires are linked to power cables, that are poorly maintained including the vegetation close to and around power lines and transformers. If electric is going to be the future, then as the population increases, then the grid will need to expand to meet demand, increasing the risk of wild fires in area's that have large forests.

The Link Between Power Lines and Wildfires | WFCA.

 

The local fires we had in 2022 where either stupid people starting them accidentally, discarded bottles or cans magnifying the sun, or scarily arson. We went through a phase where no bin lasted more than a couple of weeks because people were setting fire to them. It got so bad that the council swapped them out for cast iron.

Around here it's not wooden houses we have to worry about but it's very common to see thatched houses go up. I don't know why anyone would want one, they might look nice and quaint but they cost a fortune to rethatch and they are a tinder box.

 

They're not saying it's all down to climate change - but the conditions that lead to fires e.g erratic rainfall and high winds are becoming more common and more extreme. Then if you add the lack of maintenance etc you have today's situation.

 

The story I've heard is that someone started a fire in their back yard, and the wind quickly spread it. Whether that was deliberate arson, or just an idiot burning their rubbish, no-one knows.

Climate change deniers always like to spread stories about arson. But it's odd how the number of arsonists is increasing over the years ....

 

I'm not sure the fires all started from the same source, there are some strange people out there who do copycat things, might even be just stop oil lot or someone who follows their ideas.
I watched the lunchtime news and the news reader interviewed someone out in Los Angeles about the fires, he was carefully wording all his questions in order to get the person to mention climate change, in the end he gave up and brought up the subject himself.

It was very obvious he was going down that road with his line of questioning right from the start.

 

I know some people don't believe, but a lot of us do think that many of the changes in global climate are man made.

 

They may be man-made, but they cannot be solved by enforcing poorly thought-through schemes that enrich the richest.

 

This happens every yr like clockwork. I spend from March to December thinking "I simply cannot cope with any more plants", and then in January, I mysteriously find myself spending hrs (days even) pouring over sexed-up photos of the marvellous things I might grow, with all the attributes carefully worded and the downsides omitted.

Then, worse, I find I want one plant from one site, another from a second, and two more from a 3rd, incurring all manner of postage charges.

The only qu is will common sense kick in before or after I press "submit order"? I seriously do not need another hosta in my life to chase the slugs off all summer. I already have hydrangeas aplenty, and offspring of same waiting for space. I really don't want to start off a new obsession for dahlias. I have failed numerous times already with blue corydalis. And yet ... and yet ...

We shall see. No irreversible action taken so far, but ...



P.S. Is J Parker reliable? Not used them before but they have Philadelphus Pearls of Perfume in stock.

 

I have never seen a good review of plants from J Parker - sexed up photos and poor specimens when they arrive.

 

Thanks, @Obelix-Vendée. The photos do look a tad "glowing" on the site, and buying anything bare root is a bit hit and miss as you receive a dead-looking twig and it might stay that way.

If anyone is interested, Farmer Gracy has free P&P today.

 

They showed a woman going back to what is left of her house, not much, but I'm sure the fence was still standing and I think they even had to open the gate.

 

Those people make me furious @Palustris . If you have a pet, it's your responsibility to clean up after it - not dump it wherever you like for other people to deal with. I'm sick of seeing bags in the grit bins, or chucked in hedges, or thrown into the outside borders of gardens, including mine.

 

Interesting comment hailbopp. I bet Harry will only put up the rich and famous who all have several houses elsewhere. As you say it is the poor that really need the help.