Yes, the silly season is definitely here – today’s mistletoe news includes a press release from Lambeth Council revealing a “secret mistletoe database” for the Borough that ensures local mistletoe is safe from Mistletoe Rustlers. Hmm… I think most informed mistletoe rustlers will probably be working outside of Lambeth – the borough’s probably fairly safe as there’s only one mistletoe location there anyway… But it’s a good news story – convincing enough to make it to the South London Press
Other mistletoe news today includes a revelation in the Norwich Evening News that the late great Ronnie Barker always wanted to grow mistletoe, and that he obtained the necessary know-how from Maureen Larkin of Loddon.
Meanwhile, I spent much of the day with Sustain (the alliance for better food and farming) at an inaugural meeting of a steering group for a new national orchard conservation initiative. Can’t give details yet – can say more once things, especially funding, have settled – but it looks like good news for traditional orchard conservation, which includes, of course, mistletoe on orchard apple trees.
All a distraction from what I should be doing – completing my input to an overdue £11.3 million lottery bid – now due to be submitted next week, and the Open University course on complementary medicine I’ve been studying this year – for mistletoey reasons naturally. That’s due next week too. A bit of bad planning coming together…
Will post other news on mistletoe bugs, balls, and other mistletoe matters soon.