Peck Off, Cream of the Crop & Shell Out for Easter

Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
20^th March 2021

Peck Off

I have had a rather irate blue tit tapping on my windows at the cottage for a week or so. If he hadn’t have been quite so frantic, it would have been funny. He sounded as though he was trying to get my attention at first but then it became obvious it was more of an attack than attention seeking.

A friend reported that a blackbird has also been pecking the rear window of her car whilst it was on the driveway. It is purely territorial behaviour and they are actually attacking their own reflection as they think it is another bird – and a threat. Of course, every time my friend drove off in the car, the blackbird probably thought he had been successful in scaring the ‘other bird’ off.

These seemingly bonkers birds will either have built, or be planning to build, a nest close to the window they are rapping on and are defending it from what they perceive to be another bird. Many birds at this time of year can be seen ‘attacking’ windows, wing mirrors, wheel hubs and even sunroofs.

I did start to feel a bit concerned for my poor old blue tit, it must have been exhausting, but these activities are difficult to stop. Placing cling film or non-reflective cellophane on the outside of the glass or reflective surface may work but can cause other problems, and often the bird will just move to another adjacent window or surface and resume its attack.

I haven’t seen my blue tit for a few days now, which means he has probably been distracted by more pressing projects like nest building or maintenance, and preparing to rear its young.

Nature, I just adore you.

Cream of the Crop

One of the things I have missed the most during the various lockdowns is being able to go to the beach. The seaside has the most restorative qualities, for both body and mind. Mountains are good too, and it is all to do with ions. Negative ions actually create positive feelings and are therefore very good for you. Odourless, tasteless, (as everything is for me still, following my clash with COVID), and invisible, these molecules are inhaled in abundance in certain environments – including mountains, waterfalls, and beaches. Once in our bloodstream, negative ions are thought to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin. This in turn helps to lift depression, reduce stress, and boost our energy. Think of it as the Natural Health Service.

But the coast also has many other health benefits, and the sea around Guernsey has inspired the founder of Maiiro, Katy Rowe, to create the most effective organic, vegan and sustainable skincare products. The word ‘Maiiro’ is derived from the Guernsey French word for sea and reminds me of the advice I was once given: “Go into partnership with nature, as she does more than half the work and asks for none of the fee.”

During my ‘yoof’, nature provided a great, no-nonsense, low maintenance, skin-care regime with lots of fresh air, exercise and vitamin D. However, as I amble into my more mature years my ‘natural glow’ has raged into rosacea and my ‘laughter lines’ have become ruts.

Well, I say they are laughter lines but my brother reminds me that ‘nothing could have been that funny!’

Realising that my skin would benefit from the same nutritional assistance I now give the rest of me, I discovered Maiiro. Harnessing the special powers of seaweed, amongst other things, the marvellous Maiiro products can only be described as a super food for skin. I have been using them for a couple of months now and am thrilled to share that my ‘raging rosacea’ and menopausal ‘thin skin’ has returned to that enviable feel-good ‘natural glow’. A friend used to say, ‘It takes guts to get out of the ruts’, but I can now say, ‘It takes Maiiro to get rid of the ruts’.

And just as our skin is our own packaging, the packaging of the Maiiro products is the best have ever seen.

Find out more about their products and their story, including their great, deep-green credentials, at www.maiiro.com and get 20% off orders by signing up to their newsletters.

In the same way that I have recently learned that health is the new wealth, I have also realised that it is worth investing in your skin, as it’s a great asset.

Shell Out for Easter

Easter is early this year – I’ll probably write more about it next weekend – but how’s this for an alternative Easter present, with time to prepare? Sow some sweet pea seeds, or edible peas if you prefer, in an eggshell and give as a gift that will give again in the summer. Obviously if you sow the seeds now, they won’t be as advanced as the ones in the photo – unless you have magic peas – but it’s still nice for the recipient to watch them grow or just as a project for little green fingers. They will also have to be planted outside once the threat of frosts are over, but you simply crush the eggshell and plant the whole thing. You could sow other seeds too … marigolds do well, I tried them last year. I suppose the trick is creating the appropriate message. Hap-pea Easter is the obvious one but maybe ‘Have an eggsellent Easter’, or ‘cracking Easter’ would be suitable for other seeds. Let me know what you come up with.