There cannot be a crisis this week

my diary is already full

This sun must be creating havoc with all those blippers out there with too much choice!! Well I hope it is creating havoc with everyone, warmth, out for walks, it's been great here in Somerset today.

After one of those days of not a lot going on but plenty of ferrying people around to various places without the opportunity to actually appreciate any of those places. Hubby and I had the chance to go for a beautiful walk along from Uphill towards Brent Knoll (the hill we climbed on Sunday) Usually we walk out across the beach but today went through the saltmarshes which had dried to the extent that it was comfortable and we weren't worried pups would get stuck anywhere. (Because if he can .... he will)

Long tailed tits, goldfinches, wrens, popping out everywhere, a few low flying ducks but not an unusual water bird in sight. Along the drainage gullies I was astounded to see how many teazles there were. They do grow well down here but I have only seen the usual few along the country lanes.

They are linked primarily with the cloth industry. Having being used since Medieval times nothing man made has ever come close to being used as a successful replacement for the way it gently raises the nap of whichever natural woven fabric it is applied to. If it becomes entangled the hook of the teazle would break without damage to the cloth, wheras an unforgiving plastic or metal equivalent would tare and rip the cloth with no damage to itself.

Well into the second half of the twentieth century the real teazle was still considered indispensable for the manufacturing
of high quality cloths for uniforms, fine quality knitwear, fabric made from cashmere, llama and mohair; speciality cloths such as billiard cloths and tennis ball cloths The same is still true for some of these cloths to this day.

Birds feed on the seeds which come from the head of the teasel, and one plant can produce up to 2,000 seeds, so they can really feast on them. That could be why there were so many hedgerow birds about tonight.