Quite a busy day

This morning I made a start on polishing the R1250R.

I say "made a start," as I soon found out how many components are now made of plastics rather than steel or aluminium. The surfaces also range from gloss paintwork to matt and satin black, hence a variety of alternative cleaning products will need to be added to those already in the garage.

At this point I have to say that I am delighted with the performance of my motorcycle air dryer. Previously* the bikes would have been left with annoying watermarks that needed to be polished away. The dryer has left the gloss surfaces beautifully mark free, and a delight to shine up with a coat of Autoglym super resin polish.

At lunchtime I popped up to the surgery to have a consultation with the GP about my knee. It has been a month since I injured it and any improvement has been slow.  The GP has booked me in for some physiotherapy and indicated that it may well take a while to recover. He has also indicated that a scan may be needed if there is no significant improvement after physio.

In the afternoon 30% and I headed over to Weston Subedge to get a quote for a pair of hardwood gates, posts and fittings. After much faffing around with suppliers of aluminium gates, we have decided that good old timber is going to be far more straightforward to install, and will definitely be in keeping with the style of the property.

On our way home we took a detour and popped in to Littleton Auctions to take a look at a couple of lots. One of these was a rather nice oak refectory table, and we are likely to be bidding on-line tomorrow.

After a short snooze on the sofa, I dragged the lawn mower from the shed and got the back lawn mowed before deciding that that was quite enough for Friday.

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* I would have left them to air dry, or given them an half-arsed wipe over with a damp chamois leather.  The hot air dryer is fantastic, as it pushes virtually every drop of water from all the nooks and crannies around the engine and bodywork.

I was going to mow the lawn

My plan for today was to mow the lawns.

Obviously I wouldn't be able to start until the grass had dried off a little, so I needed something to occupy my morning.

I have been wanting to clean my bikes for an age, but I know that, once I start, it will occupy me for several days. Despite being retired, it surprises me how challenging it can be to find time for those time consuming projects.

Anyway, I had all morning to myself, as 30% was away to a Coven coffee morning, so I unwound the hose and made a start on the R1250R.  As I became more and more involved in washing my bike, I became less and less keen on mowing the lawns.

To cut a long story short. I got the BMW washed and dried off with my new motorcycle dryer, and then did the same again to the Moto Guzzi Stornello.

I now have two grime free bikes and the next step will be to give them a damned good polish.*

As for the lawns ... they can wait.

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* That'll take a good few days.

Post Script: 

My day wasn't as stress free as one might assume. Half way through cleaning the BMW I heard the dogs barking at the gate. I wandered over to see what the fuss was about and saw a woman videoing the dogs. I jokingly said "no photos please," and ended up on the receiving end of a full blown Karen style rant about how dangerous TB was.

There was no way that I was prepared to be bullied and threatened by a complete stranger whilst stood on my own property, so I politely, but bloody firmly, pointed out that the dog was on my own property and was not harming her in anyway.

She then attempted to imply that I should have the dogs locked up as she had been attacked by a German Shepherd when she was a girl, and my dogs were scaring her.

She then wandered off down the road threatening to report me to the dog warden.

I returned to my bike cleaning and was quite upset by the incident.  About fifteen minutes later I saw her coming back up the lane. I was absolutely prepared for another argument, but she had come back in an attempt to make peace.

I said that I was sorry that she had had a bad experience with a dog, but that was nothing to do with me or TB. I also asked her to consider how she would feel if I had turned up at her house, started taking photos, and then tell her how she should behave there.

She took this well, and after explaining that TB was a rescue, and actually a very friendly dog, she asked if she might meet him. I went and called him from the house and put him on a lead. A successful introduction followed and she now feels able to walk past the house with less concern.

I am pleased that this was an amicable resolution, but she can fuck off and find another walk if she shouts and threatens me because of her fucking insecurities!

How Many!

When we visited the Malvern Autumn Show last month, one of our objectives was to purchase a quantity of daffodil bulbs to plant up in the orchard.

We didn't want anything fancy, as the orchard sward is far from manicured. We just wanted some bog standard daffodil bulbs to dot about and provide a bit of early spring colour next year.

30% advised that there were large bags of bulbs on sale at the local Nursery, so it was agreed that we would get them from there, rather than lug them around the Three Counties Show Ground.

About a week ago my dear wife turned up with the aforementioned bulbs and I noticed, not one, but two huge nets of daffodil bulbs. The labels didn't state the quantity, but my guess was that each bag held close to one hundred bulbs.  For the mathematically challenged, this meant that I needed to plant close to two hundred bulbs.

I do have a bulb planter. It looks like an over-sized apple corer, and is supposed to remove a plug of soil, so the bulb can be inserted to a depth of about five inches. The plug is then replaced ... job done. I did try it in the still dry orchard turf and rapidly decided that I would be suffering from a repetitive strain injury of some description if I used the bulb planter.  I can report that my next action was to hide it in the dark recesses of the potting shed, hopefully never to be found again.

My revised plan was to use a spade to cut around three edges of a small turf, around 1' square. I would then slide the spade under the turf to separate it from the ground. It could then be peeled back. I would be left with a patch of bare earth to plant four or five daffodil bulbs. The flap of earth could then be put back in place and gently firmed in with my boot.

So, for the past couple of days I have been using this method to plant the daffodil bulbs up in the orchard. Thirty five flaps of turf were peeled back, and approximately one hundred and sixty bulbs have been gently inserted in to Mother Earth.

After all of that effort, they had better look bloody amazing in the spring!

In other news, Grubby Jason and his crew turned up on Tuesday morning to kindly repair and repoint the brick edging of our patio.  The hot dry summer had caused the soil under the lawn to shrink back and this had disturbed the edging. I was pleasantly surprised that he was willing to sort out this problem, as most companies would have said, "what do you expect, it's been caused by the weather, not our workmanship." 

I can also report that the dishwasher has died and a new one has been ordered.

Never ever do a good deed

30% had invited Dot 'n Dave over for lunch today.

As we were tidying the house, I finished a miscellaneous job and asked what I could do next. 30% mentioned that there were a couple of prescriptions that needed to be collected from the village surgery, and I accepted this side mission.

In the time to had taken me to change in to a clean pair of jeans, this trip to the local surgery had suddenly morphed into also filling a large bucket with mulched hedge clippings, and taking it, along with half a dozen eggs, to Mummy Sheila.

I filled a builders bucket with mulch, grabbed the eggs, loaded both in to the back of 30%'s car and headed down in to the village. The prescriptions were collected and, a few minutes later, I pulled up outside Mummy Sheila's house.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I opened the car's hatchback and discovered that the bucket had overturned and a several litres of mulch were now liberally scattered around the boot.

I muttered several expletives under my breath, scooped as much mulch as possible back in to the bucket and dumped it and the eggs outside Sheila's back door.

Back at home I spent a good while vacuuming the back of the car, and can now report it relatively free of mulch. 30% came out whilst I was vacuuming and asked if the bucket had overturned.* You will be amazed at the self-control I exhibited by answering with a simple, "yes."

So there you have it. How offering to pop down to the local surgery turned in to a free mulch delivery and car cleaning service. If you are going to do a good deed, make sure you know the full extent of the deed before offering.

Lunch with Dot 'n Dave was great fun. They are both about to head off to Tunisia for a holiday and they were on good form.  This was positive as Dave has recently made the very difficult decision to give up motorcycling.** I absolutely understand how he feels as I am aware, at the age of sixty one, that I probably have little more than a decade of riding left.

It may seem a little cynical but I did express an interest in his 50th anniversary VFR 800. Apparently the original owner had already asked for first refusal if Dave ever sold it, so it remains to be seen whether another Honda will be joining the CBR in the garage.

That was about it for Monday, although I will report that I spent a good while persuading our dishwasher to wash dishes. That does not bode well.

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* She does have a knack of asking redundant questions.

** He is nearly 80.

Does this look like a Tesco Store?

 30% headed out for a wicker weaving course this morning, leaving me home alone.

My reserve of bottled honey was running low, so I spent most of my day processing a couple of batches to keep my little road-side stall supplied.

Let's just ponder on that last sentence, particularly the words "road-side stall." What do those three little words conjure up in your mind?  A large out of town supermarket, with a huge car park, and associated petrol station and cafeteria?  No, road-side stall doesn't suggest that to me either. 

Let's ensure we are all on the same page. My road-side stall is a little wooden stand. It is about 2' high and has a flat surface about 18" by 12". On it is placed a clear, lidded, plastic box. The box usually contains four jars of honey plus an empty jar that has two pound coins in it ... change. There is also a little slate sign that indicates the product and the price.

It's very much a serve yourself, honesty box sort of arrangement. It is not part of a multinational grocery conglomerate that will cater for most of your nutritional needs.

So why on earth does it seem to attract a regular stream of people who ask whether I accept Apple Pay, or have a QR code that they can scan to pay so that they can "do contactless."?  My honey is four quid a jar and I even leave a couple of quid in the box so people only need to bring along a fiver or a tenner to make their purchase.

Today I had a chap turn up in a van and he was quite insistent that I allowed him to buy honey and pay without using cash.  I pointed out that it was cash only, and he responded by listing a list of alternative cashless payment methods. He then went on to ask if I offered a discount if he bought three jars.

I politely pointed out that I didn't offer a discount as my supply was limited, and that demand for my honey often exceeded what my three hives could produce. I eventually conceded to accept payment by Paypal, and gave him my email address. 

He decided to purchase a couple of jars for his mum, paid and showed me his phone screen to demonstrate that the payment had been made.

I wandered inside and my phone alerted me to an incoming email. It was Paypal informing me that the £8 had been received and that they had deducted 53p for using their electronic payment facility.

And people wonder why I only accept cash!

Chilly!

The wettest parts of storm Amy seem to have blown across the midlands during the night, and Saturday was dry, but chilly and very windy.

This morning I headed over to the Cotswold Shooting Ground for a morning of clay shooting with Bubbles and Ben.  The wind made even the simplest targets tricky and I finished up with a score of 41/80. I could crow that I had beaten Bubbles on this occasion, but he was shooting his side by side. If he had been using his over and under he would have wiped the floor with me.

The afternoon included a trip up to the local GP's Practice for our flu jabs. This was very efficient, and we spent more time chatting to an acquaintance outside, than we did registering and baring our arms for the injection.

We then headed over to Mummy Sheila's for a chat and a coffee, before heading home via the Nursery, where we picked up a bag of seed compost.*

Although Saturday was dry, the weather never warmed and we both decided that it was definitely and indoors sort of day. We read, we snoozed, and hoped for better weather tomorrow.

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* 30% has taken some Coleus cuttings. They have rooted in water, and now need to be potted up. The big question is; can she keep them alive through the winter?

Head in a book

Storm Amy was blowing in, and the day was wet and windy.

Both of us were disinclined to go out, unless it was absolutely necessary. As a result I spent most of the day with my head in a book, although I did drive over to Bromsgrove in the early afternoon.

This was a case of killing two birds with one stone, as I needed to pick up a couple of bags of layers pellets from the Feed Store and also needed to get my air rifle re-charged at a nearby gun shop.*

So that was it for Friday, head down in a book, but I am now able to take pot shots at vermin too!

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* When TP was house/dog sitting last weekend, he decided to shoot at a few targets up in the orchard. He was unaware that the air rifle has a pressure gauge, and continued shooting until he had emptied the rifle's cylinder.  He was also unaware that, once the rifle is totally empty, it is impossible to recharge it with the provided stirrup pump. It needs to be taken to a gun shop, where they recharge it from a 250 Bar cylinder!

Waving her off

I briefly mentioned the visitation from my in-laws in yesterday's Journal entry, but covered little else. If I am truly honest it was a very lazy day. We lunched with Mr & Mrs Tweedy and caught up with each others' news. After their departure, 30% and both retired for a monumental nap. I can report that I did manage to wake in time for my Tai Chi session .... but only just!

Today was a day of random little jobs.

At eight o'clock sharp my phone alerted me to the fact that my local motorcycle workshop was coming to collect my CBR 600 today. This came as a bit of a shock, as I was convinced that the bike was being picked up tomorrow.

I hadn't got a clue what time to expect them, so I whizzed outside and extracted the Honda from the garage. I left her sat on the drive, awaiting their arrival, while I carried on with my day.

As I've already mentioned, it was a day of random little jobs. I pumped up the 5 Series tyres, and then wandered in to the workshop where I used a hot air gun and rag to remove the wax and propolis deposits from my syrup feeders. These were given a final wash and left in the sun to dry.

Lunchtime came and went, and there was still no sign of Arden Motorcycles' van.  I gave them a call to ascertain their ETA, and it seems that their computerised reminder had disappeared in to the ether. This wasn't a problem, as my call jogged their memory and they headed straight over.

The CBR was wheeled in to the back of the van and I was left wondering how long it would be before I saw her again. I hope it's not too long. I hope the bill isn't too huge, and I hope the weather is decent when I go to collect her.

In the afternoon we walked the dogs across the fields and then tidied ourselves for the Italian Night at the Redditch Catering College Restaurant.  We had a lovely evening and some rather good food. As is usual, the portions were enormous and we really do need to scale back our consumption of the antipasto.

If ever proof were needed

Last year I made reference to The Black Cow of Doom, a sinister beast whose appearance foretells dread happenings.

Well, this morning I woke, dressed and wandered downstairs. The sun had risen and I made a start on my early morning chores. I picked up the honey box and wandered out to place it on my stall in the lane. As I walked out of the gate I heard a loud lowing from the field across the lane. I looked up and saw her silhouette against the horizon.

Oh my Christ, it was the Black Cow of Doom!

A shudder ran down my spine, as I suddenly remembered that 30% had arranged for Mr & Mrs Tweedy to  join us for lunch today.

If ever proof was needed that the most sinister of bovines foretold dread, this was it.  

My day was going brilliantly, then the BCoD appears and reminds me that my mother-in-law is coming for lunch. Suddenly my day is not going so well.

If you need further evidence, I checked on my Durham Early spring cabbage later in the day, and they are now growing beautifully.  Clearly the BCoD foretells the demise of caterpillars too.

Never underestimate the power of this beast.

Bits 'n pieces

I think that the bees have taken down all of the syrup that they will need, so I headed up to the orchard and removed the feeders from the hives. They were dumped in the carport, and will be put through a dishwasher cycle at some point in the next couple of days, before being put away in the store room.

My plan for today was to mow the lawns at the front of the house, but they needed a few hours of sun, to dry off the dew, before that could happen.

I therefore called Whiffler down from his bed and finished his clip. He now sports the early stages of a Miami clip, and looks quite smart. 

I do have one comment about clipping the old boy.  Whilst being clipped he stands there quite patiently and tends to look quite hunched and tired,* but as soon as I had finished he was jumping around and wanting to play with me. He is an old dog,** but he can still be quite boisterous, just in smaller doses nowadays.

The afternoon started with a trip to Screwfix to pick up a replacement airline. I had noticed a split in mine a couple of days ago, and the 5 Series tyres could do with a few more psi.  I then dragged the mower from the shed and tidied up the front lawn.

With the lawns tidy ish, I headed to the workshop to install the appropriate fittings on the new airline. Unfortunately I was a little heavy handed and managed to split the nut on end of the line. Fortunately Screwfix had another line in stock, and I headed out to pick up the replacement.

I can now report that I have a rather nice new airline hanging by the compressor in the carport and the BMW's tyres still need pumping up.

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* Which basically reinforced my decision to retire him from being a model at the Grooming School

** He's eleven now.

Learn something new every day

My plan for today was to make a start on the lawns. However, at this time of year they need a good couple of hours for the dew to dry off, before they can be mowed.

This meant that I had the morning free to find other things to entertain me. 

The clippers were found and Dog #4, aka The Rat, was summoned from her bed. The next hour was spent giving her an approximation of a Lamb Clip. She looks a lot better, but I am undecided whether to leave her like that, make it a Miami Clip, or shave the whole damned lot off ... Watch this space.

Since I had the clippers out, I also tidied up Whiffler's face and rear end.  He is due for a complete clip, but that was enough for this morning.

The afternoon saw me getting my step count up, with the mower around the lawns at the back of the house. They look much tidier, but two factors made me leave the front lawns until tomorrow.

Firstly my knee is still quite tender, and I am trying to avoid overdoing any exercise. Secondly, after about an hour of mowing, the mower's self propel mechanism failed. I finished the job by pushing the mower around and then consulted the internet to find out likely reasons for the failure.

The cognoscenti on YouTube suggested that the drive belt was likely to have slipped off, and provided a detailed video showing how to put the belt back on.  This all seemed quite straightforward, and, at this point, I should mention that it was a twenty four minute video, of which I watched about four minutes in total.

I soon had the mower upturned on the drive, and deployed my trusty socket set to remove the blade. The plastic cover was removed next and it was apparent that the drive belt had indeed slipped off. I soon had the belt back on the pulley wheel and the mower reassembled.

I now have to ask why the hell someone produced a twenty four minute video of a job that took a first timer less than twenty minutes to complete? I dropped the bloody woodruff key twice, once in to the guts of the mower, and it still only took me twenty minutes!

Usually I am quite a patient person,* but there was no way I was going to watch a tedious chap prattle on for nearly half an hour, when the salient information I needed was divulged in a fraction of that time.

Perhaps I am a lawn mower savant?

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* Please ignore 30% scoffing in the background.

A quick catch up

We been out and about for the past few days, hence the lack of Journal entries.  Here is a quick summary of what we've been up to.

Friday was spent at The Malvern Autumn Show at the Three Counties Show Ground.  We had a lovely time wandering around the floral and vegetable exhibitions and the many craft and retail stalls. We also met up with Hobson and TB's breeder, as she was hosting a Parti Poodles stand at the World of Animals exhibition. She was keen to hear how TB was settling in, and was delighted that everything was going so well.

We came home with a selection of tulip bulbs, and realisation dawned that I should have purchased a load of compost when I visited the Nursery on Thursday. Oh well, we need daffodil bulbs too!

Now on to Saturday and Sunday ...

This weekend we had arranged to pop down to Aston Clinton for an overnight stay with C&S. TP had agreed to come home and look after the dogs and chickens, and he arrived home nice and early. We had time for a quick catch up on his news, before we headed down the M40 towards Thame.

As usual we had a lovely, lazy time with C&S. The afternoon was taken up with lunch and conversation, before we settled to watch the Women's Rugby World Cup.  A bottle of fizz was opened at half time and several more bottles were consumed, along with a fine venison casserole, before we eventually retired to bed, very late.

Sunday morning was, unsurprisingly, unhurried. Many cups of coffee were drunk and a fine English Breakfast, or more accurately, brunch was scoffed before we headed home.

It is fair to say that we were both a little hung over, so Sunday afternoon was mostly taken up with an extended snooze.

I'm certain I will be more productive tomorrow.

Insect pests

 Before you ask, "Yes the wasp sting is still itchy this morning"

Thursday was spent mostly in the garden.  I pushed The Beast up to the orchard this morning and finished mowing up there.  It looks much tidier and the optimist in me is hoping that I won't need to mow it again until next year.

I do have slightly troubling news. The Beast has been a little temperamental on the last couple of times that I have used it.  It has cut out and, initially, been reluctant to start. When it finally does start it will only run for a few seconds before dying again. This suggests that there is either a problem with the fuel or with the carburettor. If the mower is left for ten or twenty minutes it will start and run with no problem. 

Perhaps it is trying to tell me that I should have a coffee break?

Anyway, the morning saw me finish up in the orchard. In the afternoon 30% and I planted out the areas that I cleared at the beginning of the week.  The planting was mostly focussed on dividing up some of our established herbaceous perennials* and using them to fill the gaps. Although, a few impulse buys did find new homes out there too.

I just hope that the weather stays mild and allows the plants to establish before winter sets in. I also hope that we get a little more rain next summer too.

Final job of the day was to whizz up to the nearest Nursery and purchase a spray bottle of insecticide. I then liberally doused my row of spring cabbage ... I still can't see what's eating them but I'm suspicious it may be caterpillars?

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* Heleniums, Michaelmas Daisies

Ouch, you little sod!

Most of my mornings start in much the same way.  If I am up early enough, I will have a leisurely cup of coffee and browse the news headlines, before heading outside to let out the chickens.

This morning seemed to be no different. I exited the back door, grabbed a watering can, and filled it from the outside tap. I was about to go and top up the chicken's feeder when I felt a sharp sting at the back of my neck. I reached around and found a bloody wasp had taken a dislike to me. I dislodged the little bugger, but it was determined to have another go. I managed to swat it at the second attempt and crushed the little bastard underfoot. 

So I now have two throbbing wasp stings on the back of my neck!

As a beekeeper I get sting occasionally. Usually I am wearing a bee suit and gloves and the stings are minor.  The pain subsides within a few minutes and I forget all about them within an hour.  

Wasp stings, on the other hand, are completely different. When I've been stung by wasps previously I have found them to be very painful and I end up with an inflamed lump that can last for a day or two.  I hate the little fuckers. They sting for no reason, and they are a real pest in the apiary.

This wasn't the best start to my day! 

Right, I've finished my rant about this irritating member of the Hymenoptera, and will now recount the rest of the day.

The weather was fine and I was home alone, so I decided to drag The Beast from the shed and attempt to make the orchard look more presentable.  I spent a couple of hours heaving the mower over the uneven ground up there and by lunchtime I had cut about sixty percent of the grass.

The weather was warmer than I thought and I was absolutely shattered when I wandered back to the house for a sandwich.

It will come as no surprise that a snooze on the sofa followed lunch. 

I woke feeling relatively refreshed and decided it was time to attend to item #2 on today's to-do list,

I grabbed my helmet and new motorcycle jacket from the wardrobe and headed out to the garage. I needed to pop over to Arden motorcycles and arrange for my CBR 600 to be collected.* I decided that the R1250R was well overdue for a run, so selected it for my conveyance to Alcester.

I spent a few minutes sorting out a date for my Honda to be collected and then decided that I should put a few more miles on the BMW's odometer.  I had a fast run down the bypass to Evesham before taking the twistier roads back home.  I didn't go far, but I did have fun.  I say it every time,  "I really should ride my bikes note often".

I went to Tai Chi in the early evening before settling down after quite a busy day. 

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* It needs a light recommissioning, including cleaning and refurbishment of the carburettors. I spoke to the chaps at Arden back in July, and we had agreed to defer the work until their workshop was a little less busy.

Fair Game

Yesterday evening 30% mentioned that she had received an odd message on Facebook.  A few minutes later she advised that an acquaintance* had been shooting and had come home with a brace of duck and a few partridge. He then went off to play football and, unfortunately for him, managed to sustain a serious shoulder injury. He was no longer able to dress the birds and wondered if we would like them.

It therefore came as no surprise that my plans for this morning had been upended, and, after refuelling my car and collecting top soil and soil conditioner,** we headed over to collect the birds.

The rest of the morning was spent dressing a brace of mallard and two brace of partridge. I can dress poultry properly, but I am not overly keen on plucking and gutting birds. I therefore took the easy route and simply filleted the breasts of each of the birds ... That is where all the meat is, especially on a partridge!

They are now tucked away in the freezer.

In the afternoon I used the top soil and manure to rejuvenate the areas of the herbaceous border that I cleared yesterday.  I then gave them a good watering and will leave them for a day or two before planting.

I had been gardening near the veg patch and wandered over to take a look at the Durham Early spring cabbage. Something has been munching little holes in the leaves, but I can't identify the culprit. They are netted, so it is unlikely to be pigeons or mice. It could be slugs, but the row of Savoys alongside them is untouched? I scattered a  handful of slug pellets around the young plants, and will be keeping a close eye on them. I hope it's not bloody caterpillars.

It is my aim to finish feeding the bees this week, so I also made up another six litres of syrup during the course of the day and topped up the feeders on the hives. That should be enough now. I'll remove the feeders in a week or two, and let them settle down for the winter. 

That just about covers Tuesday's comings and goings.

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* He was actually the chap who purchase The Pile from us back in 2021.  He has subsequently separated from his wife and taken up with a new partner in the village. I describe him as "an acquaintance" because on the couple of occasions I met him I found him to be an arrogant twat.  The Pile was sold again when his marriage ended, but I don't really know the new owners.

** This is a polite way of saying rotted cow shit 

Mostly gardening

 First task of the day was to finish de-nailing the last few lengths of pallet wood, and stack them in the carport.

We then decided to spend the rest of the day in the garden.

Both of us had found the hot, dry summer quite demotivating from a gardening perspective. However much water was poured on to beds and borders, and in to pots and planters, nothing looked particularly good. Especially when the garden was viewed with a parched, brown lawn in the background. The summer hasn't encouraged us to do more than the bare minimum.

Since the rains returned at the beginning of the month, the garden has totally changed. The lawns have greened up, provided that you don't look too closely, and some late colour has appeared in the beds and borders.

And, it seems, our gardening mojo has returned.

This morning we finally got around to emptying the load of horse manure from the trailer.  This was spread in a deep layer in the veg patch alongside my row of possibly parsnips.  

Whilst we are still in the veg patch, 30% has recently taken down the bean stalks and supports, and has mentioned the possibility of me building another  two raised beds.  I think this is a great idea, as I find them really good for vegetable growing. They seem really easy to weed and water, and have produced some prize winning produce.  I just hope she is either really prompt, or really tardy when it comes to ordering the oak sleepers ... I really don't fancy building the beds in the middle of winter.

Lunch was taken and we headed in to the afternoon.

The plan was to dig up the Heleniums split them and replant them in the border, alongside the path that leads to the orchard.

That was the plan. What actually happened was that the Heleniums were dug up and split, and a number of new plants are now potted and sitting in the cold frame. I then spent the next couple of hours cutting back dead flower heads, digging, weeding and removing plants that are way too vigorous for their own good.*

It seems that the beds will need refreshing with some rotted manure and top soil before the Heleniums can go back in the ground. That can wait until tomorrow.

The final item to report was a trip in to Redditch. 

30% had found a gentleman advertising a little used motorcycle touring jacket for £40.**  It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but at that price it was definitely worth a look.  We soon found the chap's address and the jacket was in "as new" condition. It fitted really well, so cash was handed over and hands were shaken.

It is an Alpinestars touring jacket in a restrained bronze colour way.  It is not made to the same quality as Halvassons and Lindstrands motorcycle gear, but I can't complain for forty quid. It'll do until I find something I really like. 

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* Sedums, Mint and Day Lilies come to mind!

** I have had my Lindstrands jacket for many years and have loved it. Unfortunately it is now well past its best, and is looking quite scruffy. It is definitely due for replacement. I have to say that not a single zipper has failed, but some of the lining has started to come adrift, and the velcro fasteners have abraded parts of the outer jacket. It's a sad goodbye.

Last inspection of the year

 As mentioned yesterday, the first job this morning was to syphon a few litres of water from the Bubble Machine, and replace it with a similar quantity of Severn Trent's finest.

I can now report that The Chatsworth is operating as I originally envisaged, although I reserve the right to add a squirt of washing up liquid if the floor in the greenhouse needs washing.

It was reasonably warm this morning, so I put on my bee suit and headed up to take a quick look in the hives.  There is not a huge amount to report. They are all looking very good, and I have no concerns about their ability to make it through the winter. 

Each of the colonies now has two or three frames of brood,* with the remaining frames** becoming filled with stores. I will feed them a few more litres of syrup over the next week, as each of the colonies has a frame or two that hasn't been completely filled. I didn't see any of the queens, but I could see that they are present and still laying.  There is no longer any need for regular inspections and I will not open up the hives until I need to remove the Apistan strips in a few week's time.***  

Having satisfied myself that the bees are doing well, I turned my attention to tidying the carport. The stone trough had been delivered on a pallet and I spent the rest of the day dismantling it. Generally this involves a lot of effort, but produces nothing more than a large pile of splintered kindling.  However, on this occasion, the pallet came apart quite easily and I now have a decent quantity of reclaimed softwood ... I just need to find a project to use it now.

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* The queen will reduce the size of the colony in preparation for autumn and winter.  Most of the drones have already been ejected from the hives, as they place an unnecessary demand on the colony's stores over the winter.

** A BS National brood box holds eleven frames in total.

*** The feeders will need to be taken off at some point, but that is non-invasive. 

The bubble machine

The weather was forecast to be heavy rain from about eleven o'clock onwards. I planned my day accordingly, and whizzed around the last area of unmown lawn, before the heavens opened. It was a ten minute job, and I soon had the mower tucked away in the shed.

I then cracked on with the job I had been looking forward to ... assembling the new water feature in the ornamental greenhouse.

Conscious that my back has been giving warning twinges recently, I was very careful in the manoeuvring of the heavy stone trough. I soon had it sited in the greenhouse and the pump and grill installed.

Our morning was then interrupted by a visit from 30%'s brother and sister. They had come to collect a bicycle that was going spare, and an hour was spent catching up on each others' news.

By mid morning they had gone and I returned to the little water feature. I soon had it up and running, but a mildly frustrating aspect was that I had to remove the stones a couple of times to adjust the flow rate of the pump.

After a few attempts, I had it running to my satisfaction and I am rather pleased with the sight and sound of the little bubbling fountain.

I know the glass is filthy!

That was the point at which I made a beginner's mistake.  The inside of the trough had a slight film of algae and I decided that a glug of bleach would soon clean that up and keep the water sparkling. I added a little bleach and wandered off leaving the pump running.

About ten minutes later I went back to check on my latest creation and learnt that even an incredibly dilute solution of bleach will foam very easily when agitated ... The top of the water feature was now totally obscured by a mass of bubbles, easily 12" in height. 

We both had a good chuckle at my water feature cum bubble machine and I added drain water feature and replace water to tomorrow's to-do list.

The predicted downpour turned out to be little more than a few light showers, but I had already decided to spend the afternoon with my head in a book. An inaccurate forecast was no reason to change my mind.

This evening we headed over to Evesham to join Bubbles and Bobbyn for a meal at The Orchard Beefeater. Their company was fine, but the meal and service was really not very good. 

I ordered calamari for my starter and was startled to see small gristly looking lumps that were clearly overcooked. I tried one and was horrified to find that the chef had dredged a tablespoon of salt over the dish. It was inedible and had to be sent back.

That basically took the shine off the entire dining experience, and the best I can say is that the sea bass was mediocre, edible, but far from amazing.

So that was Saturday. My bubble machine is an absolute triumph, whilst the dining experience at the Orchard Beefeater is most definitely not!

Mostly Mowing

 This morning I spent a few minutes clipping The Rat's face. 

It makes her look completely different, and it also made me realise that she really could do with her body being clipped too.  However, that would take a couple of hours and I really needed to work in the garden today.

The weather is forecast to get very wet tomorrow, and then become much cooler at the beginning of next week. The recent mild weather and light showers have really helped the lawn's recovery and they really do need a light trim, before the weather worsens.

As a result I spent the day alternating between mowing the lawns and suffering from hypoglycaemic events.

I can report that I did all of the lawns, except for the small area in front of the garage.*  It looks much tidier, and I think the light cuts are encouraging the grass to thicken up.

I can also report that I was very tired after a day striding up and down with the lawn mower.

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* With luck I'll get that done tomorrow morning, before the heavens open. 

Avoidance, not evasion

I forgot to mention that the Tai Chi autumn term started yesterday evening.

As is usual, I was reluctant to go, and then thoroughly enjoyed the session. Our group has a few new members, and it will be interesting to see how many of them stay for more than a few session. And I was delighted to see that JH didn't attend the session.*

Anyway, that was Wednesday, now on to today.

Today was not particularly busy. That is not to say that important things didn't happen, it was just that I didn't have a very hectic day.

First job of the day was to grab the clippers and spend twenty minutes tidying up Hobson's coat. It really didn't take much effort. I did a quick whizz around his rump and then tidied up around the back of his neck. The final job was to change blades and clip his face. 

I'm not exaggerating, it only took twenty minutes and he was no trouble at all. I don't use a grooming table or any restraints. I just get down on the floor, at the same level as the dog, and carry out the clip. I am amazed that the Groomer couldn't finish the job.

Anyway, he now looks quite presentable and I plan to tidy up The Rat at some point this week too.

Today's main event was our annual review meeting with our Financial Advisor.

We spent a couple of hours being taken through our portfolios, recommended changes and tactics for avoiding paying more tax than is absolutely necessary.  I have reached the point where I will need to dip in to my retirement savings in the near future, and the FA has come up with a cunning way to do this whilst limiting tax liability and preserving as many of my Premium Bonds as possible.

Our FA is a lovely chap and he regularly reminds up that we are two of his easiest clients to manage. Apparently we have made some sound financial decisions, ** and don't spend rashly. 

I should also note that TP might do well out of this in a few year's time, as we need to think about minimising his future Inheritance Tax liabilities.

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* I wouldn't wish anything terrible upon her, but I would be eternally grateful if she never, ever attended another Tai Chis session ever again ... Mindful, she isn't!

** More by luck, than judgement!