Tag Archives: Environment

RSPB tour.

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8°C, NE cool breeze. Grey.

I rode kona Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 15.18km, time: 01:06:21, pace: 4:22min/km, speed: 13.73km/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/2816224618

I’ve had a filthy stinking cold. Today, day 10, sees me not fully recovered and I’m wary of ramping up the exercise to quickly. Too quick and it all comes back.

It was good to visit the RSPB ‘visitor centre. There were knowledgeable volunteers there who pointed out an Avocet and a Spoonbill. The latter is a funny looking bird, more so because they look so serious with that absurd spoon.

I came away with some plans in mind: put up some House Martin boxes and maybe remove brick from the gable end. That will make it possible for bats nest in my roof. Some people worry about House Martins because for a short time of the year, they drop guano. That is a problem easily solved by fitting a window box. The window box holds nice plants and the Martins drop regular fertiliser.

Life in pot

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15°C, rain

Three months of rain would suggest that summer is as good as cancelled this year. All that water has driven the garden wild, it’s a jungle out there. I have some work to do this weekend with the nearest thing I have to a machete.

It’s no normal summer when a little 5″ pot can stay wet without once drying out. Such conditions seem to suit the curious little guys who live in there.

After work each day, I visit their pot to see how they are doing. This picture shows today, they are taking form. Last week they were barely more than the little bits left over when you have rubbed out a pencil mistake. If you waggle your finger in the water they scurry back down to the silty layer that has collected at the bottom.

Starting from the day we break up for summer, the sun has promised it will put in a sustained appearance. I must make sure their little world remains habitable for the charming little dudes. Presumably, they must be larvae for some flying insect. Let’s see this through.

Mynydd Mawr again

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24°C, Sun

Very hot in the mountains this time. This time we could see from the summits, the vistas were vast and far ranging. Some have said it is possible to see Ireland from these peaks.  Thought sceptical at first, I conceded, though still await that view myself. Two litres of water is simply not enough for days like this, I’d need a 3 litre water pack but that’s quite a weight, and there is no water on the peaks, the rock is very dry, there are no springs and no ponds.

Camper’s tip: to conserve gas when cooking rice or pasta- boil as normal for 10′ then switch it off and let stand for a while, then put the gas back on to re-heat. Much of the cooking, especially with whole-grain, is re-hydration, so some standing time is as good as continuous heat.

Pond hole

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16°C, clear blue

The hole is finally dug, shaped, measured and levelled. It has liner underlay and awaits the liner itself now. By the time that was all done, I was too tired to start the delicate work of placing the liner in measured amounts and adding water, in measured amounts. Actually, there isn’t that much water about right now. We’ve only had a few days rain in the last month and none is forecast. Can I use tap water?