I have had some trouble yesterday not only with having access to my blog but also my mail. It must have been Google as later on last night things went back to normal. I managed to get on my blog with no trouble at all. Anyway I am pleased that things are hopefully as I like them.
Today we had some rain, not a lot but enough to stop me from working in the garden. Not that I can do too much at the moment as it is still early in the year and many frosts can still happen.
There is an old saying which goes like this.
"As many fogs there are in March as many frosts there be in May". I hope this doesn't occur this year because we had a few foggy mornings recently.
I saw my postman friend today, I have been looking out for him for the last few days. He sets Foremost first early potato seeds. As I grow Arran Pilot I thought I would try a Foremost to see if they are worth growing. First I asked him if he had set his new potatoes, he told me he had just set one row, also some Spinach, incidentally I do not care for the taste. He also told me he had yet to rotovate the rest of his garden, which is huge. I guess well over an acre, mine is a little less than 1/5 of an acre. He agreed with me that the ground is still not quite dry enough just yet. He is off work tomorrow so with the windy weather he hoped to dig in his manure. With the rain we had, I still think he will be able to do that.
My mate is calling tomorrow, first time in ages, I have some tomato seedlings for him. I wouldn't normally give them to him just yet as they are so small but it will be at least 3 weeks before he will be here again. Still they will be alright in his conservatory for a couple of weeks. More soon.
Tuesday, 18 March 2014
Monday, 17 March 2014
What trouble I have
Heaven alone knows what is going on but first my e-mail contacts have just disappeared. I have found a way round this so there is no problem.
I tried to access my blog. What a lot of trouble this has been. I bet I have spent 30 minutes going round and round in circles. Thank goodness I think I now have the correct page to write my latest blog.
What has normally happened is that I get a request to sign in or it says New Post. Today however just nothing at all.
Anyway here goes.
Theses last few days have been pleasantly warm for mid March. So much so that over the last few days I have been preparing the ground for the Spring sowing of vegetables.
On Friday I set two small beds of Little Marvel peas. I also planted out my broad beans I set in pots several weeks ago. On Saturday I set the last of me early potatoes, the other ones I set in the greenhouse. I also sowed some broad bean seeds. Probably the last ones I will sow this year. I have sown a few carrot seeds in the polytunnel. I don't think I will sow any seeds outdoors for a week or more because it says the weather will turn cold later in the week. Today I did a little more of the block paving. I am trying to do a little now and again so it doesn't get out of hand. I also trimmed the leylandi hedge most of it is dead, that suits me as it is a pain. More soon.
I tried to access my blog. What a lot of trouble this has been. I bet I have spent 30 minutes going round and round in circles. Thank goodness I think I now have the correct page to write my latest blog.
What has normally happened is that I get a request to sign in or it says New Post. Today however just nothing at all.
Anyway here goes.
Theses last few days have been pleasantly warm for mid March. So much so that over the last few days I have been preparing the ground for the Spring sowing of vegetables.
On Friday I set two small beds of Little Marvel peas. I also planted out my broad beans I set in pots several weeks ago. On Saturday I set the last of me early potatoes, the other ones I set in the greenhouse. I also sowed some broad bean seeds. Probably the last ones I will sow this year. I have sown a few carrot seeds in the polytunnel. I don't think I will sow any seeds outdoors for a week or more because it says the weather will turn cold later in the week. Today I did a little more of the block paving. I am trying to do a little now and again so it doesn't get out of hand. I also trimmed the leylandi hedge most of it is dead, that suits me as it is a pain. More soon.
Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Dentist
This morning I went to see my Dental Surgeon. It is a nice place to go and the Dentist is fantastic and English too. I had a telephone call yesterday reminding me that I had an appointment today. Can't think of any other service that reminds you of an appointment.
Over the last few days I have finally had some joy with workmen. On Sunday the man who did some of my fencing came to give me a price for some work but he told me it would be mid May before he could do the job.
The other work was to find an electrician I have had a job finding one who was willing to do the work.
The other Saturday morning I went to the local pages and found an electrician who lived local just 5 miles away. When |I rang him he told me he couldn't visit me until the following Tuesday morning. I thought that was fantastic. The good news though finished there. He duly arrived early Tuesday morning only to inform me on inspecting what I wished to have done, that he could not do the job. The work in mind was to re-site my inverter from the loft to a cupboard.
Last summer as it got hotter my inverter became less efficient, so much so that I thought perhaps it was my inverter. However I am not one to just sit and do nothing I went online and found that my inverter was German made and the 2nd. most popular inverter in production. Anyway I decided to investigate further. I found more by luck than judgement an American Professor who stated that most installers of solar panels site the inverter in the loft, the most convenient place to site them. This he commented was the worst place possible as the loft is the hottest room in the property in the summer was the loft and it would affect the performance the hotter the inverter became.
Anyway I have decided to invest in moving my inverter just to see if it really will make a difference. Mind you it will not be moved into a cupboard until April I do hope it makes a difference. More soon.
Over the last few days I have finally had some joy with workmen. On Sunday the man who did some of my fencing came to give me a price for some work but he told me it would be mid May before he could do the job.
The other work was to find an electrician I have had a job finding one who was willing to do the work.
The other Saturday morning I went to the local pages and found an electrician who lived local just 5 miles away. When |I rang him he told me he couldn't visit me until the following Tuesday morning. I thought that was fantastic. The good news though finished there. He duly arrived early Tuesday morning only to inform me on inspecting what I wished to have done, that he could not do the job. The work in mind was to re-site my inverter from the loft to a cupboard.
Last summer as it got hotter my inverter became less efficient, so much so that I thought perhaps it was my inverter. However I am not one to just sit and do nothing I went online and found that my inverter was German made and the 2nd. most popular inverter in production. Anyway I decided to investigate further. I found more by luck than judgement an American Professor who stated that most installers of solar panels site the inverter in the loft, the most convenient place to site them. This he commented was the worst place possible as the loft is the hottest room in the property in the summer was the loft and it would affect the performance the hotter the inverter became.
Anyway I have decided to invest in moving my inverter just to see if it really will make a difference. Mind you it will not be moved into a cupboard until April I do hope it makes a difference. More soon.
Tuesday, 11 March 2014
No electric
On Friday evening about 7.00pm. the electric was cut off. I hurriedly found a candle and lit that. I also put the battery radio on so it wasn't too bad. About 40 minutes later the phone rang. I immediately thought that this should not happen as when there is no power you can not use the telephone. Anyway I lifted up the receiver and it was an automated message informing me that that this was an automated message and told me how to access it. The message came from Western Power informing me that there was a power interruption and that the estimated time for reconnection would be 8.30pm. As it turned out it was just after 8.00pm.
On Sunday the fence man called to give me an estimate for some fencing. He is very busy and it will be in May before he can fit me in.
I have also been trying to get an electrician for a few weeks, this guy told me he would call yesterday afternoon. I decided to go out in the front driveway and do a little cleaning of the block paving. The east wind was though cold and I kept going inside to get warm.
On one of my outings I saw this Woman walking her dog so I spoke to her. It turned out that she lived 3 doors down and she remarked that she had lived here for 3 years and this was the first time she had seen anyone at my property. I told her I keep myself to myself. We talked for about 20 minutes then off she went with her dog. Soon after the electrician came and did a survey. He told me he would do the job but it would be in April. Still I have a date when the work will be done. More soon.
On Sunday the fence man called to give me an estimate for some fencing. He is very busy and it will be in May before he can fit me in.
I have also been trying to get an electrician for a few weeks, this guy told me he would call yesterday afternoon. I decided to go out in the front driveway and do a little cleaning of the block paving. The east wind was though cold and I kept going inside to get warm.
On one of my outings I saw this Woman walking her dog so I spoke to her. It turned out that she lived 3 doors down and she remarked that she had lived here for 3 years and this was the first time she had seen anyone at my property. I told her I keep myself to myself. We talked for about 20 minutes then off she went with her dog. Soon after the electrician came and did a survey. He told me he would do the job but it would be in April. Still I have a date when the work will be done. More soon.
Friday, 7 March 2014
Tomato
I went this morning for further tests at the Surgery. Unfortunately for me things were not as straight forward as I had hoped. My B.P. was very very high and another Doctor was involved. So now I am on a monitored watch. I think it is because I did too much work over the last few days. I think I am still a young guy and this is not so. Anyway I will now take it easy for some time.
I was watching the local News on T.V and a photo of J. Arthur Rank came on screen. It bought back to mind when I was in my twenties around the early 60s. I used to frequent a Road House a few miles out of town and there were a mixed bunch there. One guy I became friendly with was someone who worked as a personal Valet to a landowner and his Wife was J. Arthur Rank's Daughter. Her name, he told me was Urkie. I told him I had never heard of such a name. He laughed and told me her name was Ursula and that was her nick name. She could be a bit sharp he told me.
As I worked on the railway at the time the land which the Landowner owned had a railway running through it. It was a small Branch Line which went to a local Ironstone drift mine. I had heard from a few Drivers that if the Lady was on her horse and the gates were closed. Severe swear words would be uttered from her. I guess this was Ursula.
I now intend to have a restful week end. More soon.
Wednesday, 5 March 2014
Painting done
I have in total 35 fencing panels.10 out in front of my Property. Each one is 6' wide and 3' high. In the rear of my Property I have 25 each panel is again 6' wide but this time 5' high. As you will see I have a large area around 210' in length and about 48' wide. You will notice that I painted some panels that I had originally erected on the opposite side. Unfortunately I ran out of my creosote mixture. So I do have some Ronseal Fence Life 5 litres in all. I hope to have erected 8 panels in total along the border at the bottom of my garden so I hope this will be sufficient.
To be honest, I am buggered having worked these last few days but I am very pleased with the outcome. You will notice how black looking the mixture is. I originally bought what was called Golden Creosote but it was the sump oil that changed the colour. I expect that this is the last time I will ever paint the fence panels.
Today I tried to do a little digging of my raised beds, well one of them anyway. The ground is still sodden and my shoes had to be scraped and then washed, they were so clogged up in muddy soil. I did though set a few shallots. All I did was dig a hole and drop them in, making sure I protected them from the destructive Blackbirds, they pull them out if they are not protected. More soon.
Tuesday, 4 March 2014
Money
Today as usual I went to the Post Office to collect my State pension. What was unusual though was that when I entered the place was almost empty and nobody was waiting to collect their money.
I went to the counter and when the cashier gave me the money, she placed all of the notes in the correct way. I told her that it was years since that had happened and then proceeded to tell her this tale.
It would be in 1969 0r 1970 when I first went to the Midland Bank to deposit some money. I had about £5 of pennies and I think £200 in £1 notes. The main notes in those days were 10/- and £1 notes. The Banks issued paper wrappers which had stamped £100 on the wrapper.
Anyway I handed the bag with the money. The coppers were weighed and ticked off. When he came to the notes the teller asked me if this was the first time I had banked. I answered that it was. He then informed me that for this time only he would accept my money and proceeded to give me a little lecture. He told me that whenever I deposited notes, I must make sure that all the noted faced the correct way. He then took the wrapper off and placed the notes in the correct position. He then had a damp sponge which all tellers had. He then dipped his finger on the sponge and quickly counted the notes. To be honest I was a little embarrassed as I could understand the time it took to sort out my money and just how quickly he then counted the notes.
To be honest though he was very nice to me, always correct in those days. He called me Mr. as I did to him. This was how it was in those days. The cashier told me that things in those days were very strict. Much different to today. I call the cashiers by their Christian names and they also call me by my Christian name. She went on to tell me that when it was quiet the cashiers sorted out the notes and put them in the correct way. They are not sorted out this way these days. Mind you at my Bank although I call them by their Christian name they address me as Mr. More soon.
I went to the counter and when the cashier gave me the money, she placed all of the notes in the correct way. I told her that it was years since that had happened and then proceeded to tell her this tale.
It would be in 1969 0r 1970 when I first went to the Midland Bank to deposit some money. I had about £5 of pennies and I think £200 in £1 notes. The main notes in those days were 10/- and £1 notes. The Banks issued paper wrappers which had stamped £100 on the wrapper.
Anyway I handed the bag with the money. The coppers were weighed and ticked off. When he came to the notes the teller asked me if this was the first time I had banked. I answered that it was. He then informed me that for this time only he would accept my money and proceeded to give me a little lecture. He told me that whenever I deposited notes, I must make sure that all the noted faced the correct way. He then took the wrapper off and placed the notes in the correct position. He then had a damp sponge which all tellers had. He then dipped his finger on the sponge and quickly counted the notes. To be honest I was a little embarrassed as I could understand the time it took to sort out my money and just how quickly he then counted the notes.
To be honest though he was very nice to me, always correct in those days. He called me Mr. as I did to him. This was how it was in those days. The cashier told me that things in those days were very strict. Much different to today. I call the cashiers by their Christian names and they also call me by my Christian name. She went on to tell me that when it was quiet the cashiers sorted out the notes and put them in the correct way. They are not sorted out this way these days. Mind you at my Bank although I call them by their Christian name they address me as Mr. More soon.
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