Where is Florence?

Florence decided that as Dougal was blipped yesterday, it must be her turn today. Florence is not very good at reading and writing so she has asked me to write this for her.

Florence says, today, me and Dougal have played in the garden all day. I climbed very high into one of the trees and almost could not get down, but I managed in the end; Dougal stayed down on the ground. I have caught and eaten two mice today and eaten one that Dougal caught; I think we have caught five between us today; plenty of time to catch a few more.

Mum says that she has blipped me more times this year than she has Dougal so we both have to be in the picture today; can you see me?

Love to all my cat and doggies friends, with special hugs and purr-kisses to KB



I have now identified this, it is a Thorn Apple, (Datura stramonium); I identified it by the seed heads, which have now appeared. One appeared in one of the pots on the veranda some while ago and grew every year until recently when it failed to grow. We now have several of these growing in various parts of the garden. They are also known by the common names of Jimson Weed or Devil's Snare.

It must be handled with care as all parts and particularly the seeds are highly poisonous. It belongs to the Solanaceae, a family that includes potato and tobacco; many members of this family contain toxic substances. It is believed to have originated in the Americas, but is now found around the world. The seed remains viable for many years, even when buried and then grows when the ground is disturbed. Our ground has certainly been disturbed this year, especially by the builders who have wrecked much of the garden, at least the steelworkers do not cause damage to the property or garden.