The Killing Guilt

[Andestine]

P.S. Just realised that you'd be one of the illustrators too, so working both sides of the fence might be a bit too much (forgive my ailing mind).

Do you know anyone who could organise things?

[Norfolk Girl]

Unfortunately the local company I chose to print my little ant books didn't do a very good job - including making mistakes and it wasn't cheap.

Don't know if anyone else has been more successful.

[Andestine]

Originally Posted by flower_girl

Thanks for the bumblee advice.

It reminded me:

When I was a teenager, I brought one of my first boyfriends round to my parents home. We were sitting in the garden when my mother came out with a pot of vasaline and cotton bud sticks and then proceeded to 'help' the bumblees to get rid of thier mites.

I was so embrassed!!

However, now I have grown up... and I am very likely to do something simular myself!! Although I often take a hard stance on conservation that nature should take its course - I still do these crazy little things that make me feel better. Like saving worms...

My mother had another habitat of relocating cinnebar moth caterpillars when they started to run out of ragwort. And now I find myself doing the same!!

What lovely heartwarming stories I would have loved to have met your mum. Mine encouraged me to be kind to animals too. When I was at school she used to take a deckchair and a load of food down to a Town beach and sit there all day alone surrounded by birds

I know what you mean about saving things. It makes us feel like much better human beings somehow. And why not? The poor little things only have one life and a short one at that.

Hang on to your mum's techniques. They'll come in useful for the new 'book'

Cheers,

Andestine

[Kittiwake]

Originally Posted by Andestine

All good points Lori

I just really like Norfolk Girl's idea and would be happy to do a couple of illustrations for it. Beyond that I know nothing about publishing, and money's something I don't need, so if anyone else like yourself who is much more clued up about the business side of things could work that side out it would make a nice balance

When this thread first started, I was nurturing a snail that I'd semi-crushed the night before. Wracked with guilt, I'd placed it on a bed of leaves in a casserole dish (sorry... that sounds a bit like Masterchef doesn't it ). Sadly, it didn't recover but having searched the web for info, I learned a lot about snails and the likelihood of shell regrowth after various degrees of injury.

As someone who habitually rescues sorry-looking moths, spiders, snails, slugs etc, I'd be well up for this writing project - and, as luck would have it, I'm a professional writer/editor!

So, who would be interested in forming a "project team" for a bit of a brainstorm session to explore what's viable? I have a couple of ideas for different formats.

[Andestine]

I'd be honoured if you would put my name on your list

I also worry that through my ignorance I may be doing more harm than good in some of my rescue attempts; or that I could be doing more, or something more efficiently. It would be so good to learn more from people who specialise in studying the creatures we're trying to help. As you say, it's an education, and the smaller lifeforms are so endlessly fascinating

(A nice piece of synchronicity in your name. My first post to the bird forum here a few days ago was about a sick Kittiwake I helped to rescue a while back. Isn't life strange ).

Looking forward to seeing how this all develops. This is sounding like a great project to be part of, and I know that lots of other folk here will feel the same.......when they wake up, of course

Thank you Kittiwake

Cheers,

Andestine

[tcvarlh]

Originally Posted by ChrisR

Kites are pretty common along the M4 corridor these days - it's only a matter of time before they are regular visitors to London too ... though I think the Dolphins might be harder to see there

Wait 'til global warming really hits us!