Dear Kate
Thank you so much for inviting me to the recent launch of your book, the Wildlife Gardener. It was lovely to see you again as it has been quite a while: another book launch if I recall* Such a shame we didn’t have time to catch up & have a good natter but huge thanks to your mum for being so kind to a bit of a Billy-no-mates.
I have had a really good browse through the book & love it. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in nature as a very readable & doable volume about our wildlife & how we should & could all be trying to do a bit more to encourage as wide a variety of these creatures as possible into our gardens. It has certainly made me think about my own garden & what I can do in some small way to make it more user friendly for wildlife even though it is a very small urban patch. We already do a bit with bird feeders, a bird bath, pond & many plants & flowers & certainly attract a fair amount of birdlife. Whilst I am not sure I can go so far as to grow a clump of nettles in the garden & really don’t want to attract foxes, there are lots of other things I can do. I have already instructed my husband to get hold of some logs & make an insect hotel. (I won’t repeat what his reply was…..along the lines of ‘do it yourself’.)
Now, deep breath, I have to make a huge confession, I feel I must cleanse my soul, ease my wildlife conscience by telling you of something I used to do. OK, I was a child, but really it is no excuse for the heinous crime against nature I committed, not once, but several, possibly many times……………….I would fish tadpoles out of our pond (there were masses she says desperately) & I would squash them or leave them in the sun to fry………………there I have said it. I am truly sorry for what I have done & hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I certainly feel better for sharing this load although I am not sure you will!
Hoping to remain your friend
Bx
PS Are we allowed to squish vine weevil grubs without guilt?
PPS Oh yes, & lily beetles?
*You are certainly far from being bad tempered.
When I were no but a lad I was given a tadpole. No ordinary tadpole; a bullfrog tadpole (yes I know this is frowned upon these days). This tadpole spent the first three years of its life as a comma, getting larger in font by the year. It's rapid growth was in no small part due to it being spoon fed (literally & metaphorically) tadpoles of its rather smaller cousin. I now realise how wrong this was on so many levels.
ReplyDeleteConfession is good for the soul.
Now we both feel better.
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