Hello there, if you ARE there. As you may or may not know I am the supreme Champion of Gardening Club International, but even we experts are, now and then, seeking help and advice.
OK ... can ANYBODY tell me what these are? Yes, I know they're some sort of FLOWER. Why wouldn't I, the Champion, know this ... err, well, maybe, perhaps, or possibly I might be embellishing the truth to say that I'm the Champion. In fact it would be more truthful to say I'm NOT really the Champion, of anything. So, ignore the dahlias and concentrate on the clump of greenery with quite a few little white and pinkish flowers. Any ideas? When I first saw the green leaves popping up all over the place I thought it was the dreaded GROUND ELDER. But though I pulled a good few of these 'weeds' out I left some to develop as I am NOT a champion gardener at all. And it seems I was right to leave some in. Other greenery turns out to be what I call the Chinese Lantern flowers, which I quite like, so they can stay. But the much taller greenery and its small blooms are a mystery to me. I quite like them. They will remain in place. What might they be, that's the question. Aye, there's the rub, I've no blooming idea! HELP!
Sunday, 6th September 2015. A beautiful sunny day. Perfect for a day of remembrance at Wickenby Airfield in Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire: Bomber county during WW2. Bomber Command created RAF aerodromes in this historic county of England. Huge swathes of farmland turned into concrete runways, huts for airmen, control towers, hangars and all the necessities for the RAF to prosecute the war against Hitler, the Nazis and all who aided and abetted that regime in the early 1940s. RAF Wickenby, home to No. 12 Squadron and No. 626 Squadron and all who served there during the war. Average age of the Lancaster bomber crews: 22. Of all who flew on operations many were injured. Many died: 1146 was the total death toll. Religious belief is not for me. But I attended this tribute to those gallant young men who never made it back to Wickenby in those dark and dangerous days. It was an emotional time for many, and I was one of them. I listened to Anne Law speaking of a crew who made it through 31 operations but on their 32nd the dice rolled against them. All seven crew members died when a night fighter shot them down. After Anne's reading of that one operation and the 'Last Post' was played I know that many a tear fell as that mournful last note faded out. I made another very amateur video, drastically cut down to a few minutes of the hour-long memorial service. After the closing tribute a lone Tiger Moth made a couple of fly-pasts to end a memorable afternoon, the weather adding its own tribute by staying just perfect.
Jack of all trades, master of none. Left school at age 14. RAF at age 18. Back to civvy Street in 1956. Went to work as a trainee settler in Sth London credit office, then onto betting shop management in early 1960s. Left to join Customs&Excise in 1972, mainly London, Wales and Southend on Sea. Took early retirement. Moved to the Scottish Borders in 1995 and have loved it!
