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16 October 2014

Claremont


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Fletcher Saga 18 August 2008

We've been having really good weather these last few weeks. Maureen has cleared out her greenhouse; it's really the old coal shed but with the original leaky roof replaced by clear, corrugated plastic one. I've converted the old outside lavatory, which is fairly good condition, into a "potting shed". After whitewashing the interior walls and roof it now seems much less gloomy. In there I've put some lettuce plants we were given, they seem to be thriving, and I've put a few cauliflower seeds and radish seeds into small pots and they seem to be growing OK. One day in July it was so hot that it actually melted the tarred road outside the Fire Station. We're not used to these temperatures!

Mike & Sheila's ducks have raised a brood but one duckling has been brought up by one of their hens and refuses to go anywhere near the duck pond despite the best efforts of Mike & Sheila to encourage it. If the duckling strays too far from its "mother" hen the hen just clucks and the duckling scurries back.

Although we're basking in sunshine we've an eye on the winter so we bought a couple of portable electric lanterns to cope with any power cuts. They are the "wind up" type which will also run from a 12 volt car battery. They should prove very handy and experimentation has shown that about a minute of "winding" will provide around 30 minutes of light.

I went over to Kirkwall on the Friday before the County Show and the weather was fine and warm. Of course on the following day it poured down in the afternoon. It was my first visit to mainland for some weeks and I was surprised to find that Orkney Ferries have moved into the 21st century and the ferry fares can now be paid on board by credit or debit card instead of the old system of either cash or cheque. Whilst in Kirkwall I visited the "new" Tesco store (previously owned by various groups including Presto, Safeway/Morrisons and Somerfield) and noticed that it's still mostly the same staff who've been there through all the changes of ownership. There was some controversy when Tesco announced that they were going to buy the store from Somerfield and even more controversy when Tesco announced that they wanted to build an extension to the store. The store was closed for several weeks when Tesco took over which, apparently, caused quite a bit of congestion in both the Co-op and Lidl stores.

It's our custom to listen to the "Book at Bedtime" on 成人快手 Radio 4. However, at the beginning of each episode the announcers have developed the annoying habit of telling listeners what's going to happen next instead of just giving a resume of what's happened in previous episodes. Yet another reason for me to shout at the wireless.

It's the next month. All of the events are on mainland but on Thu 11 Sep and Fri 12 Sep there is a special event on Stronsay which centres on the 200 year old mystery of "Stronsay Beast". I've booked our tickets, if you're interested in the event I've posted the details on the

Margareth has yet another "mystery" plant! In the photographs below, just at the back of the Mother in laws tongue, is a pot containing four huge (Spanish onion size) bulbs. Out of each bulb grows about a 3ft long "snake" which then branches and produce little white dandelion-like clocks. It does not have leaves and the flowers are tiny, about the size of a garden pea (a pea in the pod not the pod). Margareth inherited this plant 4 years ago and says that she has done nothing with it except neglect it, it gets water from the capillary action of the bench it sits on and lives in an old 8" plastic glue pot. What is it?

Mystery plant photo 1

Myster plant bulbs

Mystery plant foliage

Mystery plant flowers
Posted on Claremont at 16:55

Comments

Your duck story made me smile, Bruce, I wonder why that one duckling attached itself to a chicken. The mystery plant: I've never seen anything like that. I think you should keep an eye on your friend Margareth, you never know what she might be getting up to with all these strange plants... :-) I hope someone can come up with an answer as I too would like to know what it is. The bulbs are very odd, not like onions or daffy bulbs. The flower stems made me think of fennel.

Jill from EK


That plant looks like a variety of "Sea Onion" They are very hardy, as your friend has suggested. I think they like to be pot-bound. Mine have never put out the frothy fronds Margareth's have, but maybe I just haven't had them long enough (4 years), or haven't got them in a big-enough pot

Anne Slater from Ardmore, PA (just west of Philadelphia)


Those plants are very strange. Are you sure they're from this planet? Hope you are well. Cheers Karen

Karen English from Memphis


Fennel is a very good guess, but its flowers are not white (if I remember correctly). Stumped. Now, Barney from Swithiod would know: he has a passion for solving plant mysteries (personally, I like old fashioned murder and mayhem). # Tar melted in Stronsay, too, did it now Fletcher? Happens regularly in Coll, as you may have heard. Global warming. Next, sea level will go up and there will be fewer islands to blog from, I fear.

mjc from IN, USA


Carol from IBHQ: why does Claremont's posting not have the real date on List blogs?

mjc from IN, USA


It looks like what I call "Sea Onion". Hardy, doesn't like much water, seeds itself with little miniature sea onions that emerge mysteriously from the soil next to the mother-plant. Mine have never produced the frothy fronds that Margrethe's have.

Anne Slater from Ardmore, PA, USA


The current saga was begun in draft form on 30 July and finally published by me on 18 Aug

Bruce Fletcher from Stronsay


Thanks Bruce. Is the sea onion not only edible, but even tasty? Not comparable to Locmariaquer oysters, surely? The long lost truffle of Stronsay?

mjc from IN, USA


WOW!!! Amazing!!! Sea Onions!!!! Has anyone else got them apart from the Botanical Gardens!! My husband finds them uninteresting as they dont do anything!!! I am not sure what he expects them to do. I must look up the propagation they dont look like they are potted in anything!!! Do they grow in the sea?

Margareth from Stronsay


For mjc from IN, USA: DO NOT EAT IT! It's poisonous - similar effect to digitalis

Bruce Fletcher from Stronsay


Margareth, ask hubby what he expects the bulbs to do. We are waiting. # Thanks Bruce: there I thought the sea onions would become the poor American's truffles.

mjc from IN, USA


Unfortunately Orkney Island Council do not seem to visit the Island prior to the annual resurfacing work but form a schedule from an office desk. The patch of highway you refer to has been devoid of gravel for the last three years. On occasions the roadmen spread sand when it gets too sticky. You never know it may be resurfaced next year or the one after. e

John from Stronsay


Google for "Bowiea volubilis" and you'll find all you wanted to know (and more) about the sea onion

Bruce Fletcher from Stronsay


Hi Bruce, Having seen your link a number of times on beachat I have finally found the time to click it - Looks like the weather up at the far north is better than in the deep south of the UK!! John 29/30

John from Totton, Southampton, Hampshire


I have had mine 29 years passed down from GreatGrandmother.It is a sea onion and likes water and plenty of light.It splits into another onion about every 2 or 3 yrears.they can grow huge.Mine is 14"across.They can climb but the leaves die and another comes out right behind it.It is very interesting I wish I knew more about it.I can't find anything.This is the first place that I have.Glad someone else has one

sharon from Asheville,NC




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