Norm B

Giving them our money to grease a few palms for a smoother brexit. She says it'll be cheaper but we wont get the tax and NI our workers would pay, we won't get the corporation tax if they were made here and it could put British jobs at risk.

That's Mrs May bunging another bribe to the EU.

We don't let the EU build our warships so why let them print our passports? Does seem a bit ironic though.

A long read but very informative.

Took a dead female GCN out of the pond today, I don't know how many I've lost, shall have to wait until they start spawning.

Not dodging anything but as she has bird feeders in her garden I don't want to upset her by dropping magpies in her garden when there are "more discrete" ways of culling them.

What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over. She has no objection to me killing rats in her or my garden but most people see magpies as feathered friends, they don't know they kill other birds and take their eggs and chicks.

Still looking to borrow a funnel or Larsen trap for the magpies, I've got a new vegetarian neighbour and I don't want dead magpies dropping in to her garden as I try to be a good neighbour.

Cleared some twigs and weed off the surface today and found a dead frog and male GCN, it must have been the big freeze that killed them off. I hope that's the last of the damage.

The EA are fence sitters, they don't commit to anything. When a friend of mine informed them of illegal netting they waited until the nets were pulled then swooped and "gave them words of advice", they weren't charged.

Barley straw is supposed to inhibit algae growth, especially in flowing waters, it's not so good in still waters but does inhibit growth local to the bales. Dung, liquid or lumps is supposed to neutralise the water and encourage the growth of water fleas, worms, larvae etc. which fish feed on and the manure also encourages plant growth, again providing feed, oxygen and cover for the pond life. So all in all a very good addition to ponds, if all can be believed.

Hedgehogs and dried meal worms.

The foxes in my garden eat what the cats won't but they get plenty of choice but the cats get there first and spring the trap and I refuse to stay up after midnight. Lamb fat and ham on the menu tonight. Put a rat I'd shot in there last night but still caught a cat but it didn't eat the rat, just pulled it enough to spring the trap. I'm sure they're teasing me.

They receive government funding to do their will, what do you expect?

Now had 5 cats and one of them twice, don't they know they're not meant to be caught, I'm after a fox but they spring the trap first.

That's what kills it for me. 90 minute drive down, 120 minutes back and 8+ hours afloat. I have to stop for a break/kip on the way home, not as fit as I was.

And while on the subject, how can countries that can't feed their own people justify growing tobacco to sell in exchange for foreign currency when they should be growing edible crops for their people to live on?

I was taken to A&E from work suffering from a suspected stroke, someone from work drove and parked my car at the hospital, paying for an hours parking. By the time my wife arrived there was a penalty ticket on the car. I refused to pay it and received threatening letters threatening increased fines, court action , Bailiffs etc. I explained that I didn't park it, I was having an ECG at the time. They said as the registered owner I was responsible, WRONG, in law the person parking the car is responsible not the owner. Change of tack. Legally I must know who is driving my car, WRONG again. How can I know who is driving my car if I am in hospital wired up to an ECG machine or if someone steals it from my driveway while I'm asleep. Next tack, bailiffs will come and seize possessions from my home to cover costs which are now over £300. WRONG again, they need a court order to enter my property to seize goods. I then sent them a letter telling them they had no legal right to harass me over a debt that wasn't my responsibility and any future harassment and I would report them to the police. Funnily enough the letters stopped but I am very careful when I park at QA hospital, I usually drive my wife's car. hahaha phone, someone using two parking places deserves more than a parking ticket. it's how you deal with parking tickets that makes it interesting. I have just had a hello remember us from a councils debt collector as one of my tickets enters it's second year without a penny piece from me. They have no chance what so ever of getting paid, even though they allege they have a warrant to collect, there is nothing they can do to enforce it, not a legal document. Most if not all councils act outside of u k law when it comes to alleged parking offences. And the council bailiffs certainly do. It's all about collecting money. Some are too frightened to challenge them. I haven't found the need to go at them full on yet. ohhh, one day last year there was a yellow boot on me van, turned around and the next minute it found it's way onto the side of the curb, dunno how that happened. The next time though, i'll take possession of it and use it against those who think they have the right to deprive me or my family of the right to travel. Much fun and games.

Cottage on the coast? Sounds like the Dorset estate agents have a new customer.

A few years ago while I was in a tackle shop on a hot, sunny Saturday some scumbag pulled the electric window on my car down in broad daylight and took my wallet out of my jacket on the front seat. I drove straight to the local police station and reported it. A civilian manning the front desk gave me a crime number for my insurance company. No I said, it's a hot day and they won't of had gloves on so there will be fingerprints on the window. Sorry, CID don't work weekends was her reply. On the Tuesday I received a letter from the Chief Constable of Hampshire apologising for me being a victim of crime on his patch and the crime had now been fully investigated and was now closed. Crime on Saturday, letter posted Monday, CID don't work weekends, so how long does it take to "fully investigate" a crime in Hampshire?

Must have been a windy day.

TAT also wanted the beavers removed and the seal culled. Are waters now just for fish and nothing else? Won't be long before TAT want kingfishers culled.

They certainly empty garden ponds of koi.

Several birds are pairing up and the cock blackbird is getting very territorial.

TBH I don't think anyone is doing well with the bass ban, except the bycatch winners. Why can't charter boats have a bass bye catch? I think at 71 I'm entitled to take it a bit easier than in the past.