Wet again - Solomon Seal

Yvonne wanted to rescue some Solomon's Seal before the caterpillars annihilate it. One keeps a wary eye out for them but each year, before you've noticed them, they have stripped the foliage down to skeleton stems. And all that remains to do is cut them back because the bed looks so unsightly. Feeling artistic, she put a single stem in an empty liqueur bottle. I think it looks pretty good.

The lighting could have been better but it was an awful day weatherwise and flash wouldn't have looked good. The rain has persisted from mid-morning and steadily got worse. Yvonne was going to ramble this evening from Felley Priory with a group led by Joan's Chris but she rang him and chickened out. She made the right decision because it's chucking it down right now as I look out of my window. It isn't stopping the blackbird singing though. Strange creatures ! It's that yellow-rimmed eye that transfixes you.

Madeline reports that gales are forecast for Wales, and I heard the item just before the 6pm News. I hope they are not too severe. She suggests 'Blogging' my ad-foiling item 'Radiogandy's personalised Adblocker - free to members' and PM-ing the full lexicon of IT words to WUmembers who ask for it. It's a nice idea but I sense myself losing interest in the problem. There is no doubt that I lack the stamina for 'trouble' that I once had. Ah well ! There are compensations. Main meal was Chicken Casserole with odds & ends thrown in together with a good handful of fresh tarragon from a sheltered tub where it has overwintered, admittedly covered with fleece during those frosts. French Tarragon is essential; Russian Tarragon - plants of which, Garden Centre's have the audacity to sell - is rubbish and shouldn't be tolerated.

Peter came round and reported finally achieving success with Severn Trent, about the manhole cover. I don't know what he said or what he threatened but they came and fixed it late morning. It was only a half-hour job ! So why we were supposed to wait until 6th June, god only knows.

Bob seems to be having 'puter-problems'. Since the inauguration of XP his 'window' is too small. I've told him the recommended way of fixing it, i.e dragging the edges out and closing via 'File'. He will have a go and come back to me. His other problem is an inability to send pictures either by Picasa or GMail and he keeps being asked for 'username' and 'password' which, when entered, don't work. I've never been asked for either, in either. I have to sign-in to Google Talk but Bob isn't on that yet. Maybe he will have to reinstall or check his settings or something. We shall work it out.

I think I am going to abandon Serif PanoramaPlus 1. Another hour and a half wasted on the wretched programme again today - without a successful result at the end of it. Yvonne has just looked at the Solomon Seal picture and says "It's not very clear, is it?" I know she is right but it's too late to change it now. I'm about 'putered-out' for today. See if I can raise Ray and then radio, read, glass of milk, piece of choccy and noonoos.