Moan, Moan, Moan - 2012

[johnw]

Had a nasty run in with a burdock yesterday. Can anyone help?

johnw - +24c and sunny

[Maggi Young]

Yikes!  That is really scary!

Only got the one dandelion at the minute, John.... think you will need more to make a decent brew......

[Maggi Young]

Almost as bad as this I saw recently......

[johnw]

Good grief Maggi, I have to sit down after that one.   

Mine was an innocent garden creation in the grass section of the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens a few weeks ago.

johnw.

[Lesley Cox]

However did that little dog cope with that horror? Was he able to be rescued? Porcupine quills leave a poison behind don't they, or maybe they go septic. I can't imagine how this little chap could bear it. Or is this, somehow, a "contrived" picture? I have to hope so.

[Maggi Young]

He was rescued, Lesley, but sadly this sort of thing is not uncommon as dogs and porcupines really do not mix.
 It's a long and painful business to get the quills out and sometimes not always possible to remove all completely. The barbed quills are the tricky part and they can be dirty and so infection can be a problem, even after the removal of the quills. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-19124242

or if that doesn't work for you : http://lolways.com/default.aspx?tabid=55&ModuleId=422&EntryId=1753&Title=Dog-vs-Porcupine-Quills

[Roma]

I've lost Meconopsis in the past with winter wet but this poor Meconopsis superba could not cope with the summer wet this year. 

[David Nicholson]

For the particular attention of those on the  Eastern side of the country (or indeed anywhere else) who are alleged to be having record highs today.

Here the sky is black, the wind is roaring around, it's pouring down and 15C. One of the worst weeks of the Summer(?) so far and boy have there been some bad weeks.

[angie]

David it is the same here, no wind but pouring of rain, this summer has been a nightmare. Yesterday we got a dry sunny day and I had to cut the grass. I love cutting grass as I sing away to myself ( nobody hears me above the lawnmower ) but its been a challenge  finding a day that this job could be done. The days that it hasn't been raining we have had the haar.
We built a little extension onto our house to let more sun and light in and this is what it looked like on Tuesday this week.

Angie 
Hubby has a golf day out today, he,he.

[ronm]

House and gardens looking lovely though Angie, despite all of the challenges.

[Brian Ellis]

Well we have just had a shower David, and you can't get much more easterly than us!  Mind you it is horribly humid

[David King]

In fact the sun is now out and it is raining at the same time.  Was just going to cut the lawn too!  Still humid though.

[Anthony Darby]

It's that time. James is trying to plan his year 12 courses. To do two sciences, but which two? He's no idea what he wants to do. Chemistry and Physics or Chemistry and Biology. If he plans to go to university, will one open more doors? Argggghhhh! He enjoys computer programming, so there's one subject, and having had 12 lessons, he's mastered the guitar, but music's out. He like's geography, so wants to continue with that. Maths and English are compulsory, so that just leaves two of the sciences!

[ashley]

Chemistry+physics vs chemistry+biology probably makes no difference unless he's likely to study physics or related subjects at university.  I'd suggest going with his preference, or else physics over biology if he likes maths & computer science.
Are modern languages other than English not part of the core curriculum

[Gerry Webster]

By & large I would agree with Ashley, not much difference though its more than 10 years since I did the job & I don't know what admissions tutors look for these days. When I retired a detectable pulse was deemed sufficient as an entrance requirement for most science degrees.