The Wordsmith's Forge

... while your country is on fire is a bad idea. Cause Australia these days? Tinderbox.

Australian Parliament Rejects Carbon Trade Plan
Rob Taylor, Reuters: "Australia's parliament rejected a plan for the world's most ambitious emissions trade regime as expected on Thursday, bringing the nation closer to a snap election and prolonging financial uncertainty for major emitters."

I was intrigued by this article:

Research Breakthrough Will Lead to More Accurate Weather Forecasts
More accurate global weather forecasts and a better understanding of climate change are in prospect thanks to a breakthrough by engineers at Queen's University Belfast's Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT).

I've been blogging a lot about politics because the currents are pretty fierce right now. That's starting to get on some people's nerves. Part of my responsibility is spreading news, so I don't want to stop doing that. But I also don't want this blog to get too depressing and fricative.

So, another option is to increase the amount of positive, noncontroversial news. When you find things that are uplifting and encouraging, please consider sending them my way and I'll try to mention more of those here. I'll file them under the "good news" tag.

These are the current activities of flora in my yard.

Near end of bloom: red clover, feverfew, blue lobelia, naked lady lilies

Full bloom: petunias, marigolds, moss rose, snapdragons, zinnias, white clover, million bells, tomatoes, pink echinacea, white echinacea, milkweed, Queen Anne's lace, black-eyed susan, Mexican hat, tickseed coreopsis, yellow raspberries

Beginning bloom: thistle, compass plant sunflower

Green fruit: Criterion apple, birdgift apple, tomatoes, yellow raspberries

Fruit starting to ripen: yellow raspberries

Ripe fruit: rugosa roses, blackberries, tomatoes

The blackberries are winding down. There are still a few left, though.

The yellow raspberries are just beginning what looks like a great crop if nothing wipes it out. There were so many ripe today, I could see them from the house! I picked about a third of a bag. Their fall crop is always heavier than their summer crop. This is the first time I've been able to pick more than a few at a time, though. I'm delighted because these are my favorite raspberries, ripening yellow to pink with a notable apricot flavor. Also they bear berries high on the tops of straight canes, instead of along canes that arch down to the ground, so it's more convenient to pick them without needing to reach shoulder-deep down into a nest of thorns. They are not as rapid to establish and spread as other varieties, and require a bit more coddling, but they are sooooo worth it.



Queen Anne's lace curls up its flowers into little baskets after the petals fall off. Here you can see, sort of dimly, the seeds beginning to form.



Also my thistle is starting to bloom, ferocious fanged and clawed plants up to shoulder high ... topped with dainty pink-purple flowers.