WILD FLOWER CHALLENGE - CORN MARIGOLD AND VISITOR

Although it was the "Girls About Town" programme on the radio this morning, I still had time to go and have a wander around in the garden - wearing my pink robe, of course!

The wild flowers are looking magnificent and there are so many of them - if it was left to me, I would have them all over the garden - but Mr. HCB still enjoys growing his veggies, so as I am winning the battle about not cutting the grass so often, think it best not to “rock the boat” asking for a complete wild meadow garden!

After doing a collage yesterday, I decided that I needed to choose just one shot for today, for Wild Flower Week, hosted by Miranda1008, and this beautiful little Corn Marigold won the day - when I looked, there was a tiny insect on it too, doing a great handstand or maybe even a  footstand, so that was a bonus.  However, I have put a collage of all the wild flowers in as an extra.

We looked in Mr. HCB’s British Wildlife book but couldn’t find anything matching this insect, so I asked Mr. Google and it would appear that it is a male “Sphaerophoria scripta hoverfly” - so now we all know!

We had a good programme this morning, the first hour with our guest, Carol Gibbon, who was telling us about a new charity venture - a shop “Survivor@SWA”, being opened in the middle of the Town Centre - all proceeds from which will go to Swindon Women’s Aid, a domestic abuse service for residents living in the area. The abuse service operates 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, and supports both female and male victims of domestic violence and abuse.  Carol was very enthusiastic about this, and said that no-one will be paid, all the workers will be volunteers and she is hoping to build a great team.  Better get sorting out again - and find things that no longer “bring joy” to take into the shop.

We were joined in the second hour by Tyler, a student from a Swindon college, who had just popped his head round the door to say “Hello”, but as Jo and I were on our own, we told him he could come in and be an “Honorary Girl About Town” and he was delighted.  He said he had been coming into the Radio Station for two years and had done some presenting and interviewing - at present he was working on a series about the television programme “Friends” - so he was quite at home with us.  We chatted about lots of different things with Tyler, particularly about Glastonbury, which Jo and I both said we had watched, from the comfort of our armchairs!  Tyler told us that he hadn't been to Glastonbury, but he was a big Kylie Minogue fan and had enjoyed seeing her on the stage - so Jo played a Kylie song for him, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" - in fact, he was very knowledgeable about a lot of the music played on the programme.  I think he may want to come on the programme again!

Just about to listen to the radio now and hear what my Street Challenge sounds like - it's been a challenge adapting my Blips for radio listeners as there is no photograph to look at - so I have to paint a picture.  I did tell them this morning that for many of the recordings, I actually went back to the street, as somehow it made it more authentic.  It’s a busy life being retired - good job I’m feeling much better.

“What a lonely place it would be 
     to have a world without a wildflower!” 
Roland R Kemler