Fashion Alert!
Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood says global warming will make L.A. uninhabitable in 25 years. In other words, long after most of her customers and models die of drug overdoses.



Jail Transfers
California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill to transfer thousands of non-violent felons to county jails... so, most of the Lakers are not eligible.



They Have a Fantasy
Unions across the U.S. marked yesterday's anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination with rallies comparing their demands to MLK's dream... which would make sense if MLK had been dreaming of 4-day work weeks and free Viagra for union retirees.



Toyota Troubles
Experts say Toyota will likely lose marketshare to Ford and GM because of the nuclear accidents in Japan. Toyota counters by saying that people who buy their irradiated new cars will save thousands on heating costs!



Corn Soars
Corn prices are at a three year high... which explains why OPEC is trying to invade Nebraska.



April 5th


1923: Firestone begins production of balloon-tires… and starts spreading nails along roads all across America.

1933: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 6102 "forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion, and Gold Certificates" by U.S. citizens. People with lots of fillings begin trying to escape the country.

1992: Alberto Fujimori, president of Peru, dissolves the Peruvian congress by usng military force… and lots of hot water.

Things look up if you look down

One always feels that spring is late around here, but if you look around (and step lightly), you may see it. I saw the first crocus more than a week ago, but this is the first one that I "own". Lots of them were just "crawling" around when we visited our summer cottage yesterday.

Just like a newly opened egg for breakfast.

A fragile beauty - don't step on it!

OOTS: Almond Blossom with Bees

If the above YouTube video isn't working you can watch it here.



March 'roared out like a lion' so I'm really pleased I was able to capture the glorious almond blossom hanging over the pavement round the corner from our house before it was turned into confetti. The air was alive with the hum of honey and bumble bees all crowding in to drink their fill of the available nectar. I was happily just standing under there taking it all in when I realised I had my camera with me to capture it to share with you :)



It's also a great way to introduce this month's Out on the Streets, where I invite you to share the plants and flowers which can be seen publicly in your neighbourhood. I'm planning on telling you about the Green Flag scheme for our public parks and perhaps showing you a little of the public planting I found on College Green in Bristol last Saturday. You can choose to share whatever you like, as long as it's in the public domain.



If you'd like to join in but are unsure of what to contribute, you might like to look at the Out on the Streets and the Public Planting labels for inspiration. I'm particularly looking for good planting ideas whatever the season and/or planting using edibles. Those of you in the UK you might like to tell us how the spending cuts are affecting what the council is planning for your neighbourhood this year.



Mr Linky is set up below ready for your contributions. Do please remember to paste in the link to your specific post rather than your blog's URL, so we can still get to see your contribution after you've gone on to writing about other things :)



I'll also be using Mr Linky to post in any news items I find instead of my usual roundup post. I'm just about to start on my Census work, so I'll be pushed for time to write posts containing lots of links. I've found quite a few items to share with you the past couple of weeks, which are worth a look at.



So, see you soon, Out on the Streets!

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