Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail. 29th October 2016
Firework Fear
As much as I love aspects of autumn such as the beautiful leaf colours, crisp sunny days and the bounty of sweet chestnuts and conkers, it also has a dark side for me. Fireworks.
Yogi, my terrier-ist is absolutely terrified of them (and thunder and gunshot – equally unhelpfully autumn also heralds the start of the shooting season).
I am sure that it is no coincidence that the 2nd of November is also National Stress Awareness Day!
I tried a download and CD with sounds of gunshot, thunder and fireworks and recommended to use to acclimatise your dog to the scary sounds gradually but she slept through them all – on full volume.
A friend has recommended a ThunderJacket/Shirt, which fits the dog tightly and the gentle, constant pressure apparently has a dramatic calming effect for most dogs if anxious, fearful or even over-excited. It has good reviews – based on surveys completed by more than 2000 customers, over 80% of dogs showed improvement in symptoms when using the Thundershirt but I don’t think it would be practical to keep it on Yogi all the time and there is no telling when the fireworks or gunshots are going to occur.
For now, I have braided her a long lead which I keep her on for our walks and I have also constructed a den for her to retreat to behind the sofa of an interrupted evening.
If you have similar problems with your dog, do ensure they have an ID tag on their collar and are chipped (which is also now a legal requirement), should they run off. Keep gates closed and your pet on a lead when walking. Prevention is far better than cure. And if you do have any tried, tested and successful remedies, do please let me know.
Noble Nerines
Whenever I am asked what my favourite plant or flower is, I always struggle. I believe every plant has an attribute – even those we call weeds have medicinal properties. But one of my favourites at this time of year has to be the joyous Nerines with their cheerful pink blooms held high in the face of winter.
Despite being referred to as the Cornish or Guernsey lily they are neither a lily nor from Cornwall or Guernsey, but originate from South Africa and I remember being overawed by them growing in the wild on the verges outside of Cape Town.
Nerine bowendii is the hardiest of the species and is a beautiful autumn flowering bulb, which will lift all beds and borders at this time of year. They also do well in pots and can be containerised permanently. If viable, bring them inside when in flower for brilliant and long-lasting houseplants, and move them outside again when they’ve gone over.
You will be able to buy them potted up in bloom at the garden centres now or as bulbs to plant in the spring.
Wicked Winter Prediction?
I’m not sure about you, but my October just seems to have evaporated! It just whistled by. I think for gardeners or outdoorsy people it is largely because it has been such a user-friendly month weather-wise, with beautiful crisp sunny days. No surprise then that it was the driest October in Wales since 1978. That’s the good news .. and the bad? Do you remember the winter of that year?
It is in the history books as one of the top ten worst winters of all time and the last really bad winter we had.
It was the coldest winter since 1962-63 with the first cold spell of this winter beginning in the last week of November. The autumn of 1978 had been very mild and fairly dry and November 1978 was very mild up to the 24th. Then a change happened in the weather pattern with icy winds bringing snow showers to the north and west and later to the east. As 1979 began, the whole country was engulfed in blizzards and deep snow.
I hasten to add that this is an observation and not a prediction unless of course, we do have an awful winter, in which case, I will claim it as a prediction!
Pumpkin Fach!
And finally, I have already carved out my pumpkin for Halloween in a rather traditional manner but was chuffed and inspired to receive this picture via an email from Max Boyce. Too late for me to recreate this year Max, but I will definitely be more creative next year. Diolch.
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