Benji, Rhododendron and a Funeral

Decided to take Benji out for the afternoon.We went down to the markets and had a wander around there. Not a lot happening and the mist was only just clearing away. Bought some  cakes and some chocolate and decided to have a look down the beach to see how that was. That was fairly clear so the Benji and I went for a wander along the beach then had a spot of lunch at the beach cafe. We sat outside – of course – and I had a burger and he had a sausage roll. I had a plain ole long black coffee while he had an  ever so pretty bowl of their finest water. LOL – it was quiet and the girls made a fuss of him.  We had a good walk before the drive home.  We were at home for a little while before we drove to the car wash and gave the car a bath.

The weather has been – as expected – cold – but no rain and other than the little bit we had during the week, we have not had any rain for a few months and our farmers are a tad worried. At the moment this is going to be the driest June on record. I don’t know if the rain will raise the temperature or lower it, so I suspect it will still be cold either way.

At the moment I still have no landline and so we are totally reliant of the iphone. I hope that will change in a few days and we can have a landline back. Well,  around here things can change quickly. Last night the heavens opened up on us and we had heavy rain the whole night. Don’t know if this enough to alter the stats but I hope it was enough to keep the farmers happy and allow them to get seed planted. Also, this morning I had an SMS and an email from my ISP and my landline will be restored, hopefully by the weekend, but certainly Monday. All good stuff.

A recent post by Tippysmom had me thinking of home.  The family took Tippy to Roan Mountain and the rhododendron  gardens. I will say right at the start that I love Rhododendrons and

think they are a most beautiful flower. However, in many places in Europe and especially in Scotland, they are regarded as an alien invasive species and there are calls for their total eradication in Scotland. In some of the islands off the Scottish Mainland, the plant has been eradicated and  banned from ever being brought on to the island.  Rhododendron Ponticum is  the result of cross breeding by the Victorians who wanted it as ground cover for their Grouse, which the English and Scottish Gentry hunt in shooting parties. However, what they created was a    species that has perfectly adapted to suit the harsh Scottish climate. Yes it is a beautiful plant with the most beautiful flowers, which cause people to wonder how such beauty could pose an serious problem to the Scottish environment. It is a problem that has been building up over years and it needs to be addressed soon. “There can be only one” and the  Rhododendron has to be that one. It takes over everywhere it goes, driving out other plants and species, and thus the wildlife that feeds on them. Trees die and their seeds  cannot take root in the  ground. The Scottish Government is considering enacting legislation that will allow the destruction and eradication of the plant in much of Scotland.

I came back from Adelaide and  spent a sleepless night creating an order of service, printing and proof reading, picking up a few faults and reprinting, then on the morning of the funeral from 6:45am ( Funeral at 1 pm) open up the church; photocopy, collate, fold and leave for the Clerk, the completed  Order of Service for the Funeral of our dear friend and one of the longest serving members of the church.  By the time the funeral was over and the after funeral food and Coffee/Tea at the church, I was in serious need of a sleep and anxious to close up and get home. Saturday and I took Benji for his walk and stayed home for the rest of the day – pottered around the garden. It was  a good day.