Catching upafter the holidays

Sunday night I had a walk down the drain bank with the dogs late on as you can see by the photo it was late a pair of swans with 2 signets were near the car park.

sorry I have not told you about the holidays as I have been trying to catch up with every thing you have 2 weeks away and the garden looks like a jungle.
work is not going down very well I have just about got back into things as I had someone looking after my jobs I do seem to be back on track.

I have just been on a course for 2 days with an over night stay in a hotel so not a lot done this week on site today meetings tomorrow and Fridays I don't work . well only on the ponds and garden.

This is the cabin or shed down the ponds the wasps have been eating the paint and wood off and making nests with so it looks really tatty but it needs a coat of paint over it and it will be okay.

The dogs love it down there I aim to stay down one week end to see what wild life is there.

Toffee just chills out when he is there he looks hard done by.

This year the weed seems to be taking over i will have to drag some out before the winter.

This is what I call the old pond it was the first one to be dug so I have been told by the guy who owned it before me.

A side view of the old pond with bird feeder (empty this time of year)..

Blue is still swimming he does all day he sleeps well at night.

Below is the new pond with the island new (last one dug).

The other night I took the dogs down the drain and forgot the camera as the cows were half way down the bank we started to come back when the other side of the drain 2 foxes came out of the long grass I watched them for about 5minutes and then 1 nipped back in the long grass the other one sat and looked across at the dogs running about straight apposite me and me with no camera.

There has been some Polish lads Fishing down in one place for 3 nights with the kids.

It seems to keep them happy I don't know if they do any good most time they say only small ones.

The owl has some young as most times when we go down he has been hunting and is on his way home with a vole or small bird.

I will call it a day now maybe I will catch up with the holidays Friday.

Wednesday 30th June Wood turners

The fenland wood turners meeting on the 30th June had Chris and Rita Norton from Norfolk.
Chris Turned wooden fruit and Rita Painted some of the items.
The painted Apples are some of the best I have seen it was a very enjoyable Evening there was 48 people turned up and some were on holiday.
I forgot my camera so pictures of the finished fruit for you to look at Sorry.
Chris and Rita are a good double act and work well together.
She is always putting him right a bit like the female voice on a sat nav.


Friday 2nd July 2010
I took the dogs done the bank tonight, the fishermen were out in force tonight.
I took my camera tonight and caught this sunset back at the car just shows how flat it is around here.



I also noticed these little frogs were moving about in the long grass they were about 15mm in size or half inch to us older people you can see by the blades of grass.

This one was just looking up at me the dogs never noticed any of them.

I also see the Barn owl flying while I was having a word with the fishermen.

The owl had a vole or mouse in its talons when it come back along the drain he must have some young at the pumping station down the bank there are some owl boxes attached to the side of the pump house.

I will have to tell you about the holiday later as I want to jump in the shower as I have been on the garden all day.

Friday11th June 2010 woodworking show

I am sorry for not being on here lately as we have been on Holiday in Suffolk for 2 weeks and I have not been online till tonight.

Any way on with the blog I will tell you more about the holiday on Thursday night.
The wood working show was a good show and I helped out with the stand Thursday and Friday.
here are a few more items that came in on Friday 11th June 2010



This bandstand Clock is the biggest I have seen and was made by Ron Pannell from the Fenland wood turners Club. Which meet on the last Wednesday of the month which is tomorrow night at the Spalding common Community Center at 7.00pm

This is an inside out fruit stand but I have no idea who made it but it was well done.

Ron's clock stands 2 feet high and stands out on the stand above all the other Items.

The segmented work was done by Stan Knowles he must have some patients more than me I know.


A gentleman came on the stand on the Friday and said he wanted to have a word I thought I recognised him but was not to sure.

He was my cousin I had not seen for years it was great catching up he left his number so I will have to ring him and catch up some more a small world I must say.

Work was hard yesterday catching up after 2 weeks but the lad I left in charge did a good job but he said he was pleased I was back he now knows that I do a lot more than riding about in the car.

His words were I have aged in 2 weeks and you have a sun tan you got the best deal.

(but he learnt a lot).

I have to go as I have bits to do for tomorrow night at the club as i have left i till the last minute as I always do.

The springfields woodworking show

I helped out at the woodworking show at Springfield's Exhibition center next to the shopping area.
The fenland wood turners have a stand at the show it is to promote the club .
These are some of the items that will be on show more will be bought in by members Friday and Saturday.

Some of the larger bowls and platters.

Some of the items were in the club competition at the last meeting in May.

The 1st 2nd & 3rd winners are on the middle shelf.
The organisers have given the club a larger stand than last year.

We had to wait till 12.00 noon before we could put the stand together , The chair is a rocker and is made by a member.

The other 3 items are made of very small bits of wood all glued together he has made lots of these bits .

The show is on until Sunday 13th June 2010 opens at 10.00am and shuts at 4.00pm.

http://www.wws1.co.uk/

Springfield's events Centre, Springfield Camel gate,Spalding, Lincolnshire,PE12 6ET

If you fancy going it is free car parking, and free entry now that's not bad for these days.

I will catch you later I am bush whacked.

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.