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episode 612    PRIVATE JACKSON SKEOCH SHOWS US HOW TO MAKE A CANADIAN ARMY BED

alan skeoch

July 14, 2022

“Please just whisper…the GIANT HOGWEED might hear us and then try

to get us….deadly plant.  I wonder if John Wyndham used giant hogweed  

when he wrote Day of the Triffids? Hush!”

Quite pretty when in full floor stage.

Charlotte McLeod wrote a book with Giant  hogweed in mind.  The book

jacket cover says it all.

RETURN OF THE GIANT HOGWEED

“Marjorie, The GIANT HOGWEED is back..now ten feet tall.”

“Where?”

“Same place where we thought it had been killed.”

“How come, Andrew put on overalls and mask and spent a day

cutting and bagging the cursed plant…then he poured poison down

the throat of the roots…the giant hoqwwed seemed gone for the

last couple of years.”

“Well the cursed plant fooled us.   Hid for a couple of years. Now it 

is back worse than ever.”

“Some say the hogweed plant can hide for 15 years then pop up.”

Giant hogweed can blend in to its surroundings until it reaches full flowering stage.

Hogweed plants are now higher than our ATV.  Seems we just noticed the plants.  But “Vroooom!” ….plants are ten  feet high.

the hogweed patch is on the far left…hardly noticeable right now..July 14, 2022.  Those gloves are not

enough protection.  Need full body armour!

The return of Gint Hogweed was a mystery until I found a short note saying the seeds of giant hogweed can remain dormant for years and

then suddenly germinate.   The giant hogweed patch in the farm fencerow cannot be ignored for as much as 15 years.   Yesterday these picture were taken and

the plants are higher than ten feet already.  That growth happened fast.  So fast that we did not notice until now.  Now 10 feet high…may grow to

15 feet and even higher.  Getting rid of the plants

is not easy….need to cover all flesh so that no sap gets access to flesh.  Particular danger to the eyes.  Do not try to be heroic when destroying

the plant.  Hogweed will get you before you will get hogweed.

WHERE DID GIANT HOGWEED ORIGINATE?

Giant Hogweed was a natural plant in the Caucasus Mountain region of Asia.  Victorian gardeners and scientists brought the seeds to Kew

gardens in the early 19th century.  From there seed companies began selling the seeds as curiosities. It took some time before the

danger was noticed.  Now considered one of the most dangerous plants on earth.

Biology

Seeds may take several years to germinate and are viable in the soil for up to 15 years. During the first year, the plant produces a rosette of leaves up to one metre high. After 2 to 5 years the plant produces flowers. As it grows a large root, thick hollow stems and large lobed leaves are formed. The stems of the plant are covered with reddish-purple flecks and stiff hairs filled with sap. Sap may also collect in the hollow stem bases. Giant hogweed flowers once in its lifetime, unless the flower clusters are damaged before opening. Once the plant produces seeds it dies. Each plant can produce up to 120,000 winged seeds (typically 50,000). Seeds dropped in streams can float for three days. They can move long distances via water in ditches and streams. Seeds can also be spread up to 10 metres by the wind.

Photo courtesy of Ron Black, NDMNRF

Natural resource impacts

There is evidence that Giant hogweed can shade out native plants, although scientists have not done extensive research on its impact in Ontario or Canada. In the United Kingdom it grows in areas bordering lakes, streams, and wetlands and causes rocks, soil and other material on stream banks to fall into streams. This threatens salmon spawning sites. Similar impacts may occur in Ontario.

Health concerns

The clear watery sap of Giant hogweed contains toxins that can cause severe dermatitis (inflammation of the skin). You can get severe burns if you get the sap on your skin and the skin is then exposed to sunlight. Symptoms occur within 48 hours and consist of painful blisters. Purplish scars may form that last for many years. Eye contact with the sap has been reported (in the media and by various web sites) to cause temporary or permanent blindness. However, evidence of permanent blindness linked to exposure to Giant hogweed cannot be substantiated by any existing research. Coming in contact with Cow parsnip and Wild parsnip can cause similar reactions.

EPISODE 611   “1931…What have you got for 1931 or earlier, ALAN”

alan skeoch

July 8, 2022

WHAT A privilege to sit in the front row of a jazz concert like no other.  Feels like we are 

selected to a private concert.  But it is not private .   Every Friday night

for the rest of the summer there will be music for anyone who can bring a portable chair

and find a spot on the front lawn of Benares.  Concerts begin at 7 p.m. and end around 9 p.m.

while the sun is still shining. Get there early if you can.  Cost?  If you are a little short on cash, the night will be

free.  But it would be better to fork out $10 per person to help keep these concerts

rolling.   A t half time volunteer Friends of the Museum with baskets will give you the chance to support 

professional musicians.    

A DIFFERENT PERFORMANCE EVERY FRIDAY

NEXT WEEK, July 15…   LAURA FERNANDEZ…pianist, singer, songwriter.

sponsored by Friends of the Mississauga Museum

“Marjorie. the Octokats are almost ready.”

“You could help drag our lawn chairs across the grass.”

“I am carrying your purse, “

“How did I ever marry such a person as you”

“Just good luck.”

“Where will we put the lawn chairs?

“Right up front.”

“Unfold a chair.”

“Is unfolding difficult?”

“Not for me, maybe for you”

“Best you do the unfolding then.”

“Too busy taking pictures.”

“Love conquers all, I read somewhere.”

Then it all began … with the winning smile of the band leader

This is Roxy, the best behaved person (dog) at the jazz concert.

Certainly the biggest.

HOW TO GET TO BENARES…

Benares Historic House

• 1507 Clarkson Road North, Mississauga, ON, L5J 2W8
• Tel: 905-615-4860 x 2110

History

Benares Historic House was built in 1857, although parts of the home and several outbuildings date back to 1837. The house was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1977.

Benares was home to four generations of the Harris and Sayers families. Today, more than 95% of the artifacts on display are original to the Harris family and the home. These include furniture, dishes, letters and pictures.

The house and most of its contents were donated by the great-grandchildren of Captain Harris (Geoffrey Harris Sayers, Dora Sayers Caro and Barbara Sayers Larson). It was restored to reflect daily life in the World War One era and opened to the public as a museum in 1995.

Why Benares

Varanasi, also known as Benares or Banaras, is a city in northern India on the banks of the Ganges River. It’s the holiest of the seven sacred cities in Hinduism and Jainism and also played an important role in the development of Buddhism.

The original owner and builder of Benares Historic House in 1835 was Edgar Neave. He named the property “Benares”. At the time, naming a property after a travel destination was common practice.

EPISODE 608      GIN, WHISKY AND CHILD ABUSE  — DARK ENGRAVING

alan skeoch

July 2, 2022

At the same time this engraving popped up but was not printed as an Episode.  Notice the connection between alcohol

and child abuse.   If you want more graphic material on the Home Child movement then consult

Dr. Barnardo…the trail you will then follow will be upsetting. Be warned.

SOME readers will remember this cartoon.  Others will find it new.

The full story of the abuse and more abuse of the Home Children has yet to be told.  Perhaps I should

tell all I know and put others on the trail.   It will not be a pleasant unravelling.   One summer I flew to

Liverpool and was given access to some of the records.   What an eye-opener … I could have spent

a lifetime there.  But my access was terminated as I have no family root in the Home Child story.

I did learn more than I wanted to know about Alfred de brissic

 Owen however. (spelling ?)  Strange that his role in the Home Child movement in Canada

has never been explored.   Nasty.

alan