Sunday on the plot

Sunday 6th June
The rain last night has wet the soil and made the plants perk up standing to attention like solders on parade.
The air is fresh and we keep having small showers but not enough to fill the water butts.
I took Barbara out for lunch at the garden center in the village its nice food and makes the day seem like Sunday I lose track of what day it is with not working on Fridays (still not used to it yet).

Spent the afternoon on the plot setting up the watering system for the green houses.

The first one is a micro system that cost about £10 with all the bits I still have some bits left over (as you do) the tomatoes are set in B&Q builders buckets 99pence each when I bought them.

This one is made up with hose pipe and soaker hose it looks like it will be the best but I will have to wait and see.
The Tomatoes are set in the ground with Chilli's along side of them.
Cost about £12.

This bed has courgettes ,Runner beans, peas, and Garlic / dill

This bed has the Broad beans in the bees were out around the flowers when the rain stopped.

The beet root needed the water and has grown over night.

The bed next to the beet root will have leeks in it in the next week or so.

I have had the first new potatoes out of the bags in the green house Ive put them out side now so I can get on with the tomatoes and chilli's.

I try not to be tied to the garden if I can as its a simple life that I'm looking for.

I have been doing some work for the wood work show at Springfield's Thursday were putting the stand up.

I plan to be there Thursday and Friday I have other arrangements for Saturday and Sunday being the good ladies Birthday and that.

I rang my daughter this morning It seems that my grandson Finley and all the family have been laid up with the colds and Flue that's going around.

He started to crawl about he was after the dogs food this morning she has to keep a close eye on him now he so quick.

Well I have to go as I have to get all my things ready for work as I have to meet a gang starting a new job tomorrow at Moulton then in the afternoon I have a asbestos awareness course its the second one in a year but the new company wants everyone to go on it.

Life is so simple if you go with the flow as I have started to do, You get no work done but you don't get stressed about anything.

Saturday nights walk

Friday and Saturday was hot and heavy here so I decided to take the dogs out late on the way down the drain bank there was 2 couples having a BBQ on the drain bank they had chairs and every thing laid out this was 8.30pm .

This was the 9.05pm from Skegness well it was when I see it on its way to Grantham that one was for the train spotters out there.

The walk on the bank was cut short because as you can see the cows had got out of the bank further along and were heading towards us we walked up to the white marker on the left then came back.

The cows were more interested in eating than chasing us but blue had to go near to have a look then bark and run back to us.

The flag iris have started to come into flower all along the drain and the barn owl was hunting along the drain banks he came with in 20 meters of me then turned along the hedge row into a field.
It was late when we got home and it started to thunder and lighten the rain soon came down quiet heavy the dogs were not to happy and hide in the corner of the utility room and under the table in the kitchen.

The garden needed the water it was to dry before.

solar water heating

The solar panels are working so well this time of year the water is so hot you would scold your self if you put your hand under the tap for long.

We had these 2 panels fitted in 2007 and have had hot water from April to November most of the time .

They are installed by genersys they hold 1.5litres of fluid in each panel and even in winter they warm the water from cold so most of the time we save money. http://www.genersys.com/

You tend to become complacent and I am not one of those people that reads the meter weekly but we do use less Gas than we used to even in the winter.



The panels are set in the roof of the garage and look like a window in the roof we have a roof that faces directly south so we have the sun most of the time when it shines even in the winter.

People asked about the pay back time and do you have a pay back time on a boiler you don't but I know that my gas bill has dropped even as the price of gas has gone up I would hate to think what the gas bill would be now and the cost was £4.000 it would not give you much interest if it was in the bank anyway and that would be taxed.( don't start me off about that)

It has been a lovely day today but first thing I had to take the truck into Fossitt and Thorns for a new cat on the exhaust as the pipe had broken off where it comes out of the cat.

£250 lighter which I thought was not bad as both the manager and my self was thinking about 3 to 4 hundred pounds so not bad .

I will take the dogs out later when it cools down they have been flat out on the tiled floor and I will cut the grass later.

26th May Fenland woodturners Competion night

The Fenland Wood turners have 2 competitions a year and the members that are in the hall on the night have 1 vote and its the members that pick the winner so that's the fairest way to do it we feel.
Each competitor brings the item to the table in a bag and walks away the committee members then put out the items and put a raffle ticket at the side of the item the members then vote by putting the number they think should win on a bit of paper when everyone has voted the committee or 3 members that have not entered count the votes.
This competition is an open one to members so can turn any thing they like some competitions have been for clocks, tea cups and candle sticks .
There is a 1st 2nd and third prize.


The competition winners were from the left 1st The winner was made by Robert Pues 2nd was Barry Cummings and 3rd by John Walker.

The first was made out of Ash and was stain with ebony dye with a high polish, 2nd was made of Yew 3rd was made of Yew, sycamore,

Club and committee member Trevor Blackburn had the Lathe going and later members were having a go thread chasing.

The 2nd lathe was manned by member Neville Richardson who had the thread chasers out so any member who was thinking of buying a set could have a go before they buy a set as they can be quite expensive.

Thank you Neville.

As well as the competition the members bring items for the ideas table.

Left to right 3rd and 2nd

Other entries to the competition

Nice salad bowl with servers made from ash

Left to right 1st and the clock on the right was forth but no prizes are given for 4th it is a circus clown.

The Pictures are not very good the items look better in the flesh (wood) so to speak.

Nobody tried the cakes all made from wood in paper cake cases.

From the left the member who made the wooden bowl out of small bits of wood makes large vases and urns he has more time and patients than me.

The plate on the right has pierce work on the edges was made by a female member of the club who has won the competition a few times and keeps the male members on there toes.

The false ivory screw top pin box that was made and given to the club by John Birkley was auction off for £10 the money going to the club

If you would like to see the competition work they will all be on display at the Wood working show at Spring fields center at Spalding from the 11th June to the 13th June entry is free 10am -4pm all days and the wives can always go shopping round the center.

The Wood working show has all the main trade stands.(Free Parking)

See web site for details http://www.wws1.co.uk/

The fenland wood turners will be there showing some of the items they make come and have a chat I will be on the stand Friday and setting up Thursday ask for Alan.

Saturdays walk

First thing this morning It was foggy had my lights on going down the bank for the walk its 8.00am and the air is cool and damp.
The water is still and the walk started well its 3.5miles in full if you go to the old farm yard but if I go to the gate and back its 3miles we did the full walk this morning.
The only thing that stops me going further is the cows some times they are near the gate so we come back.
I heard my first cuckoo this year at about 8.15am today.

The mother duck sneaked along the opposite bank so the dogs and myself would miss her.

As well as the egg shells left on the Drain bank I often find these sweet corn husks where they come from who knows but they are fresh it may be that the badgers clear out the setts the birds may pick them up and drop them later.

These sluice gates are shut when the water behind them is low but when the water builds up in the dyke's behind the weight of the water pushes it open and the water flows out with no power used.
When the water in the drain at the front is high the water stays in the dyke.

It looks like a few of these could do with a good clean out.

This is an owl pellet at the side is a twenty pence to show the size it was mainly made up of fur and feathers with a few bones these were near the owl boxes.

So that's what happened to the ducklings.

I found a 2 dead moles this morning I would say that a fox was about in the night they tend to kill moles and not eat them.

para glider

In the last post I had no idea what the guy was flying well its a powered Para glider sooner him than me, heights don't bother me but I like my feet on the ground.

on Wikipedia it says they weigh between 45 and 80 lbs and fly between 15 to 45MPH and has a seat that folds down when in the air.

You control it with a toggle in each hand and has a hand held throttle.

It can fly at about 500 feet or up to 18000 ft and more.

when I returned to the truck it was hot and the fog had cleared it look like a day filtering the wine and gardening later.

Thursday night walk

I have just about got over the cold I had I have felt quit rough at times last Sunday was probably the worst. The dogs have been inside for most of the day due to the hot weather they lay on the tiled floor in the Kitchen for cool.
They are booked in for a trim next week an they need it it costs about £20 each but its worth it .
So I decided to take them out for a walk at 8pm down the drain bank it was lovely and cool with a lot going on. First there was the guy with the well I'm not sure what it is he is often about on nice days it looks like a parachute with a big fan strapped to his back it must have a name but I don't know it, you can just see him in the photo he was going away from me.
If you double click on the photo to make it larger.



We went on about half the walk we normally do and stood and watched the fish spawning in the reeds for about half an hour there is some big fish they looked like Bream big slabs of fish the water was alive with them the dogs yes both of them sat and watched from the top of the bank until blue decided he wanted to go in the water to play.

By the time we had come back to the truck the sun was setting it must be the ash from the volcano making look so red.

Friday 21st May walk

I got up early this morning to take the dogs before it gets to hot we started about 8.00am along the bank and what do you know I snagged my t shirt on the barbed wire at the gate Lots of people have moaned about it and its the second time I have got caught on it so it has to go.

Its hot at this time of day so it will be a hot day gardening the crested grebe have the right idea every time I go to take a photo they dive.

Its sad to see 1 of the fish had died as you can see he is a large Bream I'm not very good at weights but I would estimate 3 to 4lb .

We sat and watched the fish in the reeds It is great to see them with the sun on the water you could just make them out there were lots of big fish I mean big fish.

I finely got the photo of the Crested Grebe on the surface of the water he had his mate with him so he must have been keeping his eye on her. it was to hot later so I went for a trim at the barbers no 4 so ready for the summer.

This afternoon I made up some tanks for the green house you fill the tanks and the pipes are connected to soaker hoses for the tomatoes. Show you the photos when they are done.

The water in the hot tank is to hot to ho;d your hand under the tap. The solar panels are worth the cost at this time of year I will do a story on they to morrow with photos.

LSSSC May agm meeting

The agm for the Lincolnshire smallholders and self sufficiency club was held at Ferry Farm Fiskerton which is owned by one of the members.
Its a caravan camping club site and the agm was held there last year.

The meeting was short and new officers were elected for the treasurer and programme officers.

every one that goes takes some food for the table and Barbara made a banana cake for me to take there was lots of food and Patrick took some wild Garlic soup which was very nice.
Over food it was nice to catch up with members you have not seen for a while and swap ideas and advice.

I had a word with Ivor he has had a grid connected 4kw set of photo voltaic panels fitted and connected to the meter he said he is more than happy with it.

I then came home and did a bit of work on the garden and took the dogs for a run.