Anthony Powell

Sharon Kallis wrote: I like what you said about a teacher doing ragrugs- Tim Johnson in England has done some stunning kids projects http://www.timjohnsonartist.com/education-projects/ that are worth checking out- I particularly like his rope making with old plastic bags- they idea of taking old bags that won't break down, teaching kids how to make rope them, and then you can use that rope to make net carry bags- that will last!! teaches a full loop cycle- something practical and useful, Using a plastic bag that only has a few uses before being landfill and the skills our ancestors developed to make carry bags for migratory and hunting purposes...and now we can use those skills again-  and re-purpose with what we find around us. I  think rope making is a skill every person should know how to do. And then having the fun as class of discovering what different materials in your surrounding can be cut up and made into rope. Natural and human made materials are both full of rope making options! This of course then also leads to drop spindling- the same physics apply of two plied yarn and  2 plied rope. My studio mates and I had a show a few months ago of various ropes and yarns dyed with local materials, the lines just all hung off a pole in straight lines, people could handle them- they were labeled so you could learn which was ivy, or nettle, or eel grass, wool or cedar...etc It was amazing how much that show resonated for folks, lots of feedback to how amazing it was- and yet so simple!
So for a classroom- start with rope!!

End note_ I was trying  to find the great photos on Tim Johnson's website of him using different coloured plastic bags for rope making- couldn't find them, but as always spent an inspiring amount of time just looking at his website- a must see! here is a link to  classroom project on disguise- which I think is a fabulous way to reclaim Halloween from being  store bought throw away costumes, check it out here: http://www.timjohnsonartist.com/costume-disguise/costume-workshops/

Sadly Tim Johnson's website is no more.
I found some of his work here: Tim Johnson video and here: artist at West Dean

My old shed's got more hole than roof on top. It has a pent roof, has been much appreciated by local cats, who've basked up there, dozing off, then stretching and exercising their claws on the roofing felt...
Next shed is also likely to have roofing felt. I'm thinking an apex roof would have a steeper roof that they may have difficulty snoozing on. Would I be right? My dilemma - an apex roof would be harder to plumb for water harvesting! (photos from B+Q website)

Mark Scofield wrote:Compost greens and browns at a 1:3 ratio respectively.  Greens are vegetable and fruit peelings, browns are egg shells, cardboard, shredded paper, egg cartons, wood ashes, coffee grounds.  Also consider using biochar, by burning wood twigs in the absence of oxygen.  Make sure the biochar is aged at least one year before using in the garden.

Mark Scofield

9/10 Mark! Coffee grounds appear brown, but qualify as green, being high nitrogen. Derived from their seeds, an active part of the plant needing protein. Like tea leaves, hair and feathers, drought leaf-fall (they've not had chance to willingly give up their nutrients), hay (contains dried leaves). All green.
Browns come from structural and conducting parts of plants, cellulose containing, not needing enzymes for growth or energy conversion.

The vital ingredient of vinegar is acetic acid. The dry version is tricky - melting point 16 to 17 °C; 61 to 62 °F.
Thinking of salt'n'vinegar flavoured crisps (chips), there's salt and vinegar flavouring. Half salt, half vinegar, from the bottle. Make it yourself, or buy.

Rico Loma wrote:I'm showing my ignorance,  actually my best quality, but what's a spaghetti  farm?

It's where spaghetti is grown, of course! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti-tree_hoax

Darren Robertson wrote:Go to the UK's NFC Apple tree identification website. Start a "full id" search. Check the " cultivation" option and then "Pitchers". Then check both lots and some pitchers box. Hit search and you will see all 50 something UK apples know to easily root by cuttings.

Hope that helps.

I'm on National Fruit Collection's website, no option for cultivation... am I on the right site?

Also good: dahlia tubers (sliced, 1/4"), burdock in short lengths. Rolled in sunflower or rapeseeed oil with chopped rosemary, baked in oven

The clothes moth evolved from nests, where they were feeding on feathers. The larvae host bacteria capable of digesting hair, but both moth and bacteria need more than pure wool or feathers: they need dirt (as in filth, not soil) containing other nutrients. So the means of degradation are out there.

Ra Kenworth wrote:I grow mine from seed and it didn't ask how many already fruiting and there's a big discrepancy

Edit:
I only have 2 acres so everything must be small.

Over a dozen apple trees from seed but none are bearing fruit yet and it has been 8 years. I might get a backhoe in next year and if so, relocate them. The spot has grown over and now I have a better spot for them

The 2 Hawthorne which I thought were apples for years are beginning to fruit!

Ra: I've grown apple pips too. Having a much smaller plot than you, I've got to restrict the size of them. Two pairs were growing close, so I've been training and pruning - the leader of one to run down the trunk of its neighbour, and vice versa. Growing downwards is reckoned to encourage flowering, and 1.5 years after the work, one of the plants flowered and fruited on the down-growing wood. Hopefully others will produce this year.

Otherwise, I've 4 old trees from when we moved here: Kidd's Orange Pippin, Ingrid Marie, Annie Elizabeth, and Wallace Street my own seedling on own roots, not too large and fruiting nicely. A seedling came up that dropped its small fruit early - that's commandeered for grafting onto, so that's got Wisley Crab on it. Then a raft of small trees that I've grafted with interesting and tasty trees from the local area, mostly feral seedlings.

Jen Anderson wrote:I live in the desert where plantain and others are not always at hand.  I have a bee allergy that requires an Epipen and trips to the emergency room.  I started putting clay mud on the bites.  The clay would dry and suck out the poison and all I needed was two days of benadryl.  Using clay has allowed me to live in a very remote area as a beekeeper and not die!!  Woohoo!  I carry a form of clay mask with me that I purchase online because of how quickly I need to apply it, just in case I am not near a clay deposit.  I still keep Epipens handy just in case...

You may be able to purchase a clay-based cat litter, marked as 'clumping'. It needs a good bit of hydrating to get it anything like clay, probably help to crush it first.
Does the dry desert air help the clay to dry out, or is body heat enough? I'm thinking of the cool, humid UK climate... Thanks for the tip!