The summer is clinging on. It is still hot enough to get sweaty digging spuds even in a polo shirt. Trailer duty as usual today. The stable folks are having a manege built in the paddock by their house. Much fun had leaning on the fence chatting whilst the bloke tries to get on with digging a hole. Work...I could watch it for hours. I also came away with a big bag of cooking apples.
Back at the lottie work to do. Bed1 from which I harvested the peas last week is now sporting a green fuzz. The weed seedling are enjoying the nice weather. I decided the first job should be tidying the grape vines. I ended up with more vines on the ground than on the wires. Not quite true but they got a savaging. There are quite a lot of grapes on the vines. I tasted a couple. Pure acid. They could be gooseberries. More chateau Rawdon I think. The sun was hot on my neck whilst I busy with the secateurs.
No more excuses. I got the trays out and set about digging up the spuds. The soil is perfect despite the bit of heavy rain we had earlier in the week. Luckily a new lottie member came a had a chat so I had a reason to stop for a few minutes. He is repairing his fruit cage. The net needs securing for the winter. I think he got tired of the constant bang as the stapler drove home yet another staple hence the break for a chat. The spuds came up easily and are a good size. I did not slice that many with the spade. I was pleased to note that there was very little blight in evidence. A very occasional tuber would be effected. The soil was so light and moist I even raked it over so it ready as a seed bed.
On getting home a had a little job which was to nip over to my neighbour's garden and harvest the Pears and Apples from his minaret trees. I do this every year. He likes the idea of the fruit trees but would rather me have the fruit than let it rot on the floor. I have a about two hundred Apples and about thirty Pears. The Pears are going for wine. Not sure what to make from the Apples.
Degsy got a little TLC as a fixed the indicator that was not indicating. I even had a little time the pack the empty supers into the garage for the winter and wash the oily patches off the drive.
Showing posts with label Landy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Landy. Show all posts
Saturday, October 05, 2013
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Who's Idea Was That?!?
What a vile day. The rain is relentless. It is not quite cold enough to sleet so the rain is cold and blown on a bitter wind. No allotmenting for today you would think. The manure trailer needs collecting and emptying. Horses don't stop pooping because the weather is rubbish in fact they produce more as they eat more to stay warm. I trundled of in Degsy, window wiper doing their best to keep up with the rain and water thrown up from the deep puddles. When I got to the stables the ponies where standing in the stable block keeping out of the rain. I put them in their loose boxes before opening all the gates to get a trailer hooked up and pulled out into the car park. I secured the gates and let the ponies out. They stayed put. They obviously did not fancy being outside today.
I trundled up the the lottie. The trailer was made extra heavy by all the water soaked up in the muck. I had been thinking of what to do with the hedge that borders my plot. The hedge is the border tot he allotment site so keeping it growing and full serves several purposes; shelter from the wind, habitat for the birds and beasties and security/privacy for the plot. The Willow we felled last year have grown back from the stool. In coppicing parlance the stool is top of the stump from which the new growth springs. The stools have thrown out dozens of new sprouting leaders. Each one has made 10 feet [3m] of growth. It is impressive in less than a year. The Willow obviously enjoyed the wet conditions during the summer of 2012. I drove Degsy round to the access path on the outside of the hedge boundary. There I dropped the tailgate on the trailer and shovelled the manure onto the base of the hedge. The soil in which the boundary hedge grows is utter rubbish. When the allottments were laid out a good job was made of the fencing and planting of the perimeter however nothing was done to improve the soil into which the hedge was planted. The "soil" was just blue clay from the landscaping of the ex-coal mine the allotment sit on. Over years I have put a mulch of manure under the boundary hedge. Ten years on the hedge is pretty well filled out and has many stout bushes and small trees. The hedge is mainly Hazel, Hawthorne, Willow [who's idea was that?!?], Dog Rose and Field Maple. This called an English mix. The Hazel tassels are out and the Hawthorne is beginning to bud. It was hot work shovelling the heavy wet manure and being dressed up to keep the rain out. H calls it "boil in the bag" work. A trailer load of muck does not go far on the hedge.
I skipped through the hedge with seeds to fill the bird feeder. I checked in on the bees. Although there was no movement I could feel the heat and smell the bees when I took the roof off. I saw that they had been at the candy. So room for cautious optimism that the bees have weathered the winter so far.
I trundled up the the lottie. The trailer was made extra heavy by all the water soaked up in the muck. I had been thinking of what to do with the hedge that borders my plot. The hedge is the border tot he allotment site so keeping it growing and full serves several purposes; shelter from the wind, habitat for the birds and beasties and security/privacy for the plot. The Willow we felled last year have grown back from the stool. In coppicing parlance the stool is top of the stump from which the new growth springs. The stools have thrown out dozens of new sprouting leaders. Each one has made 10 feet [3m] of growth. It is impressive in less than a year. The Willow obviously enjoyed the wet conditions during the summer of 2012. I drove Degsy round to the access path on the outside of the hedge boundary. There I dropped the tailgate on the trailer and shovelled the manure onto the base of the hedge. The soil in which the boundary hedge grows is utter rubbish. When the allottments were laid out a good job was made of the fencing and planting of the perimeter however nothing was done to improve the soil into which the hedge was planted. The "soil" was just blue clay from the landscaping of the ex-coal mine the allotment sit on. Over years I have put a mulch of manure under the boundary hedge. Ten years on the hedge is pretty well filled out and has many stout bushes and small trees. The hedge is mainly Hazel, Hawthorne, Willow [who's idea was that?!?], Dog Rose and Field Maple. This called an English mix. The Hazel tassels are out and the Hawthorne is beginning to bud. It was hot work shovelling the heavy wet manure and being dressed up to keep the rain out. H calls it "boil in the bag" work. A trailer load of muck does not go far on the hedge.
I skipped through the hedge with seeds to fill the bird feeder. I checked in on the bees. Although there was no movement I could feel the heat and smell the bees when I took the roof off. I saw that they had been at the candy. So room for cautious optimism that the bees have weathered the winter so far.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Tree fellas
Poo trailer run today. That was a harder than it sounds. Last night was the the spring meeting of the allotment society. Good company, chat and Guinness. I had a flat tyre when I went out to Degsy. I got the stirrup pump out and set about pumping air in which is not what you need with a headache. I managed to get enough air into the tyre to get me to the garage for a proper inflation. I think it is just a slow puncture as the tyre stayed up all day. The tyre issue made me a little late for the trailer collection but since I now have a key for a gate Angie was not inconvenienced. I had a little time on my hands I went over the Apiary. I unhitched the trailer in the coppice before driving Degsy across the meadows. The sun was bright and the air temperture was about 13C with a light breeze. Just for a change the wind did not have a bitterly edge. Spring must be on the way!
The River Mease, that borders the Apiary, was a higher than normal but no where near flooding. I could tell as I approached the hive that all was well. I could see bees coming and going. I took up position against the fence and watched the bees for quarter of an hour. I popped the lid off the hive and saw that the bees had broke out of the cluster and were helping themselves to the candy I had put on the hive a few weeks ago. I noted that the bees were not bring in any pollen but the bees were flying freely and with purpose. Some time bees just fly round the hive but these bees were flying off into the counryside hopefully to find a source of pollen. Time was passing so I left the bees, collected the trailer and went to the lottie. Working at half speed I spread the trailers contents on the top end of the boundary hedge. The I trundled back to the house and had a spot of lunch.
Alan came round at the appointed hour. We put all his chainsawing gear in the back of Degsy and set off for the lottie. I had not taken the trailer back to the stables so Sankey tagged along too. I parked Degsy up on the track at the back of the lottie. Alan got togged up for chain sawing. Alan and I stood back and wondered just how we were going to drop the seven, thirty foot Willow trees. They have been standing over my lottie for many years but last year they got the better of me. The roots have invaded my plot and sucked all the water out of the plot. The bed next to the Willow was Peas and Beans and they did not do at all well. It surprising just how much shade they cast too.
Having pondered the situation Alan set about trimming back the smaller side branches. I cleared the brash Alan created. Slowly we worked down the trunks clearing space to work. It was not long before Steve turned up. So now we were three fellas felling trees. Steve had ideas about what to do with cut down trees and brash. He cleared away and broke down brash even further. As we got going DaveP and his lad, Harry, turned up. They mucked in with Steve to make "habitates" for bugs and beasts. They are no more than tight bundles of brash hemmed in with pegs into the ground.
There were a few trees that were tricky to fell. The difficult bit was that the trees were in the hedge and the hedge has two fences, a timber one on the inside and a wire rabbit fence on the outside face. When we dropped the tree we had to make sure we did smash either fence. To control the fall of the tree we tied a rope to the tree as far up as I could climb and the other end the Degsy's bumper. As Alan cut through the tree I backed up Degsy which directed the fall. Once the tree was on the ground Alan trimmed off the branches and chopped the trunk into lengths. Again I cleared branches and trunk to the track side. Steve, Dave and Haz kept clearing the brash but we left the trunks where they lay.
Haz was put in charge of brewing up. Eventually brews were made using his Kelly's kettle. Click HERE for their website. Steve had brought cake with him that his missus had made, Lemon drizzle cake. Very nice and a very welcome sugar rush. We had broken the back of the job. After the brew we cleared away the last of the brash. We then tackled the logs. Alan cut then logs into smaller lengths. The rest of us loaded the logs in the the trailer. It was surprising:
a. How small a pile the brash made when cut up and stamped down
b. How much wood was in the logs.
We packed up Alan's chainsaw gear, hooked up the trailer and headed off home. I had a brew when I got home with Alan. Having decanted Alan's gear from Degsy to his car Alan headed home and headed off to Dave P's to drop off he logs. Logs tipped I trundled off to the the stables to drop the trailer. The ponies were just on the other side of the hedge and completely uninterested in the trailer returning. On the way home a went via the lottie to empty the scraps bin from home that had been in the back of Degsy all day. I fed the birds and took a few pictures of our handy work. The trees were out of proportion for the hedge and now, despite the gaping hole in the hedge like a missing tooth, it somehow looks better. I am going plant Hawthorn, Hazel and Holly to replace the Willow. And now I am done. I parked Degsy at home and went in for my tea completely satified with the day activities.
The River Mease, that borders the Apiary, was a higher than normal but no where near flooding. I could tell as I approached the hive that all was well. I could see bees coming and going. I took up position against the fence and watched the bees for quarter of an hour. I popped the lid off the hive and saw that the bees had broke out of the cluster and were helping themselves to the candy I had put on the hive a few weeks ago. I noted that the bees were not bring in any pollen but the bees were flying freely and with purpose. Some time bees just fly round the hive but these bees were flying off into the counryside hopefully to find a source of pollen. Time was passing so I left the bees, collected the trailer and went to the lottie. Working at half speed I spread the trailers contents on the top end of the boundary hedge. The I trundled back to the house and had a spot of lunch.
Alan came round at the appointed hour. We put all his chainsawing gear in the back of Degsy and set off for the lottie. I had not taken the trailer back to the stables so Sankey tagged along too. I parked Degsy up on the track at the back of the lottie. Alan got togged up for chain sawing. Alan and I stood back and wondered just how we were going to drop the seven, thirty foot Willow trees. They have been standing over my lottie for many years but last year they got the better of me. The roots have invaded my plot and sucked all the water out of the plot. The bed next to the Willow was Peas and Beans and they did not do at all well. It surprising just how much shade they cast too.
Having pondered the situation Alan set about trimming back the smaller side branches. I cleared the brash Alan created. Slowly we worked down the trunks clearing space to work. It was not long before Steve turned up. So now we were three fellas felling trees. Steve had ideas about what to do with cut down trees and brash. He cleared away and broke down brash even further. As we got going DaveP and his lad, Harry, turned up. They mucked in with Steve to make "habitates" for bugs and beasts. They are no more than tight bundles of brash hemmed in with pegs into the ground.
There were a few trees that were tricky to fell. The difficult bit was that the trees were in the hedge and the hedge has two fences, a timber one on the inside and a wire rabbit fence on the outside face. When we dropped the tree we had to make sure we did smash either fence. To control the fall of the tree we tied a rope to the tree as far up as I could climb and the other end the Degsy's bumper. As Alan cut through the tree I backed up Degsy which directed the fall. Once the tree was on the ground Alan trimmed off the branches and chopped the trunk into lengths. Again I cleared branches and trunk to the track side. Steve, Dave and Haz kept clearing the brash but we left the trunks where they lay.
Haz was put in charge of brewing up. Eventually brews were made using his Kelly's kettle. Click HERE for their website. Steve had brought cake with him that his missus had made, Lemon drizzle cake. Very nice and a very welcome sugar rush. We had broken the back of the job. After the brew we cleared away the last of the brash. We then tackled the logs. Alan cut then logs into smaller lengths. The rest of us loaded the logs in the the trailer. It was surprising:
a. How small a pile the brash made when cut up and stamped down
b. How much wood was in the logs.
We packed up Alan's chainsaw gear, hooked up the trailer and headed off home. I had a brew when I got home with Alan. Having decanted Alan's gear from Degsy to his car Alan headed home and headed off to Dave P's to drop off he logs. Logs tipped I trundled off to the the stables to drop the trailer. The ponies were just on the other side of the hedge and completely uninterested in the trailer returning. On the way home a went via the lottie to empty the scraps bin from home that had been in the back of Degsy all day. I fed the birds and took a few pictures of our handy work. The trees were out of proportion for the hedge and now, despite the gaping hole in the hedge like a missing tooth, it somehow looks better. I am going plant Hawthorn, Hazel and Holly to replace the Willow. And now I am done. I parked Degsy at home and went in for my tea completely satified with the day activities.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Literary Appreciation
Today I had a lie in so I was up at 9am. I had my usual breakfast. I read my book a while. I came to a decision on what I would do today. The poo trailer was still at the lottie, I had a number plate in the garage and spuds in the ground. There's a plan. I went to the lottie and emptied the poo trailer and in the process buggered up my back. I soldiered on very annoyed with myself. I had decided to to dig up the remaining Charlotte spuds. Bending down did not hurt my back so I plugged on. The soil is still on the dry side of moist. The spuds came up clean. I dug the three rows up which leaves nine rows of Cara left to be dug up. I went round the Calebrese one last time and found another dinner worth of heads to harvest. They are pretty much spent. The Calebrese have performed very well over the year giving me three harvests. I will be planting them again next year.
I dropped back in at the house. I removed the number plate off the trailer. Using the old number plate as a template I drilled holes in the new number plate. Holes sorted I screwed the number plate back on the trailer. The trailer now has the number plate of Degsy. I had picked up a trailer safety strap at Melton market the last time I was there. The "strap" is a plastic coated steel cable with ring at one end and a carabinar at the other. I just had the loop the wire through the ring to secure cable to the trailer. The carabiner hooks onto Degsy when the trailer is hooked up to Degsy.
I have been reading a book by Pete Brown about beer. I have come to appreciate the pub, its history and even the unspoken rituals more than ever. I had run the trailer back up the the stables. Whilst in the area I popped over to see the Bees. H came with me for the ride. The Bees were flying freely despite the colder nights we have been having. On the way back we spotted that the front door of the Railway Inn was open so we stopped. We sat in and had a pint, me a Guinness and H had half a Pedigree. Just in the sense of literary appreciation you understand.
I dropped back in at the house. I removed the number plate off the trailer. Using the old number plate as a template I drilled holes in the new number plate. Holes sorted I screwed the number plate back on the trailer. The trailer now has the number plate of Degsy. I had picked up a trailer safety strap at Melton market the last time I was there. The "strap" is a plastic coated steel cable with ring at one end and a carabinar at the other. I just had the loop the wire through the ring to secure cable to the trailer. The carabiner hooks onto Degsy when the trailer is hooked up to Degsy.
I have been reading a book by Pete Brown about beer. I have come to appreciate the pub, its history and even the unspoken rituals more than ever. I had run the trailer back up the the stables. Whilst in the area I popped over to see the Bees. H came with me for the ride. The Bees were flying freely despite the colder nights we have been having. On the way back we spotted that the front door of the Railway Inn was open so we stopped. We sat in and had a pint, me a Guinness and H had half a Pedigree. Just in the sense of literary appreciation you understand.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Cecily
I have been waking up early these days but H was still up before me. H was off to Donnington le Heath, click HERE for the website, to take part, as a actor, in a medieval day. Her alter-ego is Cecily. When I had finished at the lottie I popped over to see her to lend some support. I drove there in Degsy. He needed a run after being stood her a few weeks.
Back at the lottie I decided to tidy up the plot and harvest some more spuds. I took down the bamboo frame for the French beans. I just left the vines on the soil. I went through the Pumpkins and harvested the fruits. They are not so big but big enough. I got the wheelbarrow and chucked in the spent bean vines. Pumpkin vines and Sweet Corn stalks. The ended up in the big compost bin. The compost I made last year just have had seeds from Don's Huckleberry plants. They grew very nicely but they are weeds. I worked through the top end of Bed1 cleaning up the Huckleberry plants, other weeds and the remains of the Pumpkins, Beans and Sweet Corn. The soil is still as dry as a bone but it makes weeding easy.
The nice job was to harvest the grapes. Not as many as last years as they got hit with a late frost whilst in blossom. I also dug up a another row of spuds. I still have twelve rows to dig up.
Before going to the lottie I had to empty the back of Degsy as it contained a load of Bee hive parts. I was given a hive a few weeks ago. When I got back from Donnington le Heath I parked Degsy back onto the garage. I took the harvest round to the back of the house. I tipped a couple of tubs of weeds from the lottie into the green bin at home. Then I set about cleaning up the "gift" hive. I got the blow torch out and the wire brush. I played the blow torch all over the hive boxes burning away the cobwebs and hopefully any bugs. The heat also softened the propolis which I scrubbed off with the wire brush. The hive parts were stacked up in the garage which required tidying up that side of the garage.
I noticed that Degsy was ticking over a bit quickly. When all the other jobs were done including sweeping out the back of Degsy I warmed up Degsy then backed off the throttle stop screw. When a fraction of slack could be felt on the throttle stop I then adjusted the slow running screw to set the tick over proper. I brought the tick over down until the "charge" light, on the dash board, started to glow. After a quick spin round the estate the tick was proved to be spot on.
Back at the lottie I decided to tidy up the plot and harvest some more spuds. I took down the bamboo frame for the French beans. I just left the vines on the soil. I went through the Pumpkins and harvested the fruits. They are not so big but big enough. I got the wheelbarrow and chucked in the spent bean vines. Pumpkin vines and Sweet Corn stalks. The ended up in the big compost bin. The compost I made last year just have had seeds from Don's Huckleberry plants. They grew very nicely but they are weeds. I worked through the top end of Bed1 cleaning up the Huckleberry plants, other weeds and the remains of the Pumpkins, Beans and Sweet Corn. The soil is still as dry as a bone but it makes weeding easy.
The nice job was to harvest the grapes. Not as many as last years as they got hit with a late frost whilst in blossom. I also dug up a another row of spuds. I still have twelve rows to dig up.
Before going to the lottie I had to empty the back of Degsy as it contained a load of Bee hive parts. I was given a hive a few weeks ago. When I got back from Donnington le Heath I parked Degsy back onto the garage. I took the harvest round to the back of the house. I tipped a couple of tubs of weeds from the lottie into the green bin at home. Then I set about cleaning up the "gift" hive. I got the blow torch out and the wire brush. I played the blow torch all over the hive boxes burning away the cobwebs and hopefully any bugs. The heat also softened the propolis which I scrubbed off with the wire brush. The hive parts were stacked up in the garage which required tidying up that side of the garage.
I noticed that Degsy was ticking over a bit quickly. When all the other jobs were done including sweeping out the back of Degsy I warmed up Degsy then backed off the throttle stop screw. When a fraction of slack could be felt on the throttle stop I then adjusted the slow running screw to set the tick over proper. I brought the tick over down until the "charge" light, on the dash board, started to glow. After a quick spin round the estate the tick was proved to be spot on.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Busy, busy, busy.
Friday a message was left on the home phone to say the tank and mudguards were ready. I went over to Swadlincote on Saturday to collect them from the painters. They have done a nice job.
I also got a call on Saturday from the farmer fretting about weed killer on the new allotments. I arranged to meet him and get the chemicals and knapsack sprayer off him. That done I went over to the lottie and following the farmers directions mixed the chemicals and walked up and down the new plots pumping and spraying. It was quite a still day and sun was shining so I took advantage of the moment. The wind, when it blew, blew across the plots carrying any over-spray away from the old plots. I gave the brambles a couple of doses. The contractors should be able to start the ground works in a fortnight. H and I went over to B&Q to pick up a few and pieces to finish dining room. After that I set about the fitting the remaining skirting boards. Then I fillered the holes and gaps. Next I fitted the oak capping on the stairs. I countersunk and piloted the holes. I screwed in the brass screws to secure the capping. It looks great.
Later on H and I went over to our friends in Measham for dinner. We had a lovely time.
It rained all night but brightened up towards the morning. After a pleasant breakfast and a short read of my book I started by sanding down the patched plaster in the dining room. I put some sugar and water on to boil. I was going to make some bee candy. Whilst the water warmed I mixed some wallpaper paste and liberally coated the new plaster. I finished off the candy and set it aside to cool. It prepped the room for papering. I had a eke that needed adjusting. I quick few passes with the electric plane and the job was done. I put the candy and eke in Degsy. Another brew and Degsy and I went off to collect the poo trailer and feed the bees.
The sun shone brightly but the wind was cold. As I walked up to the hives the wind dropped as I stepped in to the shelter of the hedges. The bees were flying and carrying pollen. That means the Queens are alive. When I took the hive roofs off I found that not all the candy had been eaten from the last feed. So regardless of my assistance the bees continue to do there own thing. I re-organised the ekes and feeders and dropped in the new candy. The bees were fairly active and a a bit cross but within ten minutes of finishing with the bees they had settled down. I picked up the trailer on the way back from the bees.
Another brew whilst a mixed the paste for the wallpaper. I set about the remaining wall. H had bought patterned wallpaper and it took quite a bit of work to get the paper to line up. In the end it worked out well enough but it was a trial. H got dinner going whilst I tidied up. I ran the poo trailer round to the lottie. I filled the bird feeders. I wanted to stay to a watch the sun set. It was very low but tea was nearly ready so I could not stay. I and drop in on Steve to collect some books. Tea was ready when I got home. We some very nice pork chops. That was a very busy weekend looking back on it. Day off tomorrow.
I also got a call on Saturday from the farmer fretting about weed killer on the new allotments. I arranged to meet him and get the chemicals and knapsack sprayer off him. That done I went over to the lottie and following the farmers directions mixed the chemicals and walked up and down the new plots pumping and spraying. It was quite a still day and sun was shining so I took advantage of the moment. The wind, when it blew, blew across the plots carrying any over-spray away from the old plots. I gave the brambles a couple of doses. The contractors should be able to start the ground works in a fortnight. H and I went over to B&Q to pick up a few and pieces to finish dining room. After that I set about the fitting the remaining skirting boards. Then I fillered the holes and gaps. Next I fitted the oak capping on the stairs. I countersunk and piloted the holes. I screwed in the brass screws to secure the capping. It looks great.
Later on H and I went over to our friends in Measham for dinner. We had a lovely time.
It rained all night but brightened up towards the morning. After a pleasant breakfast and a short read of my book I started by sanding down the patched plaster in the dining room. I put some sugar and water on to boil. I was going to make some bee candy. Whilst the water warmed I mixed some wallpaper paste and liberally coated the new plaster. I finished off the candy and set it aside to cool. It prepped the room for papering. I had a eke that needed adjusting. I quick few passes with the electric plane and the job was done. I put the candy and eke in Degsy. Another brew and Degsy and I went off to collect the poo trailer and feed the bees.
The sun shone brightly but the wind was cold. As I walked up to the hives the wind dropped as I stepped in to the shelter of the hedges. The bees were flying and carrying pollen. That means the Queens are alive. When I took the hive roofs off I found that not all the candy had been eaten from the last feed. So regardless of my assistance the bees continue to do there own thing. I re-organised the ekes and feeders and dropped in the new candy. The bees were fairly active and a a bit cross but within ten minutes of finishing with the bees they had settled down. I picked up the trailer on the way back from the bees.
Another brew whilst a mixed the paste for the wallpaper. I set about the remaining wall. H had bought patterned wallpaper and it took quite a bit of work to get the paper to line up. In the end it worked out well enough but it was a trial. H got dinner going whilst I tidied up. I ran the poo trailer round to the lottie. I filled the bird feeders. I wanted to stay to a watch the sun set. It was very low but tea was nearly ready so I could not stay. I and drop in on Steve to collect some books. Tea was ready when I got home. We some very nice pork chops. That was a very busy weekend looking back on it. Day off tomorrow.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Early start
Saturday AM was a bit of a rush. I was up early, not quite with the sun but earlier than usual. After a quick breaky I pulled on spark plug out of Degsy. It is burning correctly so fuel consumption must be right. I checked the manual and found where the throttle stop screw was sited. I found a screw driver to fit to the throttle stop and put it in the "glove box". I removed the near side indicator lens to replace the bulb. On removing the bulb I found the earth was corroded. I used a file to clean up the electrode. As you might expect as soon as the bulb was refitted it work as it should. the blister pack of indicator bulbs will have to go into the "store". I dipped the oil and topped it up with something like the right amount.
With indicator fixed, mixture confirmed and oil topped I headed off for the trailer then the bees. Luckily the weather was hot, hot, hot. The trailer was straight forward. I had a quick look round the lottie. I short ...dry but seeds are sprouting. I can only hope that the slugs are kept at bay because of the dry weather. The dry weather and hoeing last week is working out. More hoeing needed though.
Having returned the trailer to the stables I went over to the bees and looked them over. They seem fine if subdued. It might because I was there early and the temperature was lowish or the heavy dose of smoking or both together. Whatever the case the honey is flowing in. Having pressed on I found I was finished by 10.30 and Miss L did not finish until noon. Degsy took me over to a different meadow. I took a few minutes to walk along the river Mease stalking the fish. I found a big ole Willow by the river bank. I had a sit down and wrote in my journal for half an hour. The river is shallow at this point. There was a small school of Chub feeding in the shallows. Toads and birds were singing all very idyllic really but the real world world beckoned. I took a couple of pictures of Degsy looking cool by the river in the sun.
Time was ticking on. I trundled home for some lunch and to get ready to go Madchaester to party.
With indicator fixed, mixture confirmed and oil topped I headed off for the trailer then the bees. Luckily the weather was hot, hot, hot. The trailer was straight forward. I had a quick look round the lottie. I short ...dry but seeds are sprouting. I can only hope that the slugs are kept at bay because of the dry weather. The dry weather and hoeing last week is working out. More hoeing needed though.
Having returned the trailer to the stables I went over to the bees and looked them over. They seem fine if subdued. It might because I was there early and the temperature was lowish or the heavy dose of smoking or both together. Whatever the case the honey is flowing in. Having pressed on I found I was finished by 10.30 and Miss L did not finish until noon. Degsy took me over to a different meadow. I took a few minutes to walk along the river Mease stalking the fish. I found a big ole Willow by the river bank. I had a sit down and wrote in my journal for half an hour. The river is shallow at this point. There was a small school of Chub feeding in the shallows. Toads and birds were singing all very idyllic really but the real world world beckoned. I took a couple of pictures of Degsy looking cool by the river in the sun.
Time was ticking on. I trundled home for some lunch and to get ready to go Madchaester to party.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Mucking in
This was the first weekend for a great while that I did have not commitments on my time. Miss L was at work and H was doing a long walk. I had been out for a few beers the lottie chaps on Friday night and was feeling a little jaded. I had a good breakfast which set me up though. Degsy had been poorly and I figured it was the coil. I got one during the week and had put aside Saturday morning to deal with it. It was a slow process but I got it done. Degsy fired up straight away and ran strongly. I had a look at the carbs. I oiled the linkages in the hope of making it more responsive. I also took the opportunity to better route some of the cables and to make the seal on the air cleaner pipe a tighter fit. Feeling very pleased with myself I had a spot of lunch before heading to the lottie.
I loaded Degsy up with the things a needed and went to the lottie. Degsy did not miss a beat. I parked up at the lottie and had a chat the Steve and Grumpy Dave. Steve looked a little slow on the his feet, probably the Lemonades we had the previous night. Grumpy was, as usual, leaning on the spade and grumbling about this and that. The sun was bright, the snow had melted, just, so I was keen to get on whilst the weather was fine if cold.
I decided that I wanted to empty the muck bin on my plot. The muck has been mellowing since the previous spring and I need the room. I had long decided that when I got time to empty the bin it would go on Bed 4, the legume bed. This bed has all the greedy feeders, Peas, Beans, Squashes. First I got the fork and levelled out the soil a bit. There where small heaps of spoil from where the soil had be dug to form the edging. I took my 16 foot plank and dropped it on the soil length ways long the plot rather than across the width. I always plant the Peas and Beans growing in rows roughly north/south. In actual fact they are more north-west/south-east just because of the position of the plot. I do this because I figure the sun can shine along the rows, whereas if the rows were width ways across the plot the taller plants would shade their neighbours. Since it is difficult to second guess which plants are going to grow tall, and more importantly when, the length ways row seems a good hedge bet [no pun intended]. I dug a trench the length the plank using it as a straight edge. I dug from one end to other and piled the soil to the right. Then I went back up the trench, having taken the plank out of the way, deepening trench and piling the soil to the left. From the top of the excavated soil to the bottom the trench was a least the foot. Then the best bit, I wheelbarrowed muck from the bin and tipped it into the trench. Each trench took five barrow loads. I repeated the exercise three more times creating four long trenches. The soil level has been increase massively, not only by the turning over of the soil but by adding close to a ton of well rotted manure in a little less than 20 square yards. The soil and manure will compact over the growing season but cannot help but think the soil has been replenish. The ten percent of the muck from the bin must have been worms. I cannot believe just how many there were. They are now all in the soil getting busy. Again a good thing I think. That exercise had transformed about a third of Bed 4. The picture shows how deep the trench is and how the extra depth came about.
Whilst digging the trenches I harvested the last of the Parsnips. There was a bit of canker but not enough to stop them being made into spicy Parsnip and Apple soup. I filled up the bird feeders which the birds had completely emptied in a week. Whilst in the process of emptying the muck bin a noticed it really need repairing. Having pallets sitting in damp conditions is not the best way to make then last. Mind you they have been there for five years. The bin is not quite empty so the repairs will have to wait a little longer.
Steve, with his brew, came over for a chat . We sat on the bench at the top of my plot with sun on us, watching the birds on the feeder and chatted about lottie things; the job a had just done, the vine training, damage to my netting, progress of the vine cuttings, the possibility of more vines on the other side of the plot, my bees and of course Degsy. That was about that. The sun was getting low and the temperature with with it. Even so I had worked up a sweat fettling the land and it had been very pleasant time spent.
Whilst driving Degsy I noticed the steering wheel was not on right. I had taken it off when I was trying to get the dash of earlier that day. After I got home I got the tools from teh gargare and went for a spin round the block. On a straight bit of road I pulled up. Took the steering wheel off and positioned on the splines correctly and did up the nut and crimp washer. As I drove home Degsy started to play up again. It was exactly as before. So it was not the coil! I coaxed Degsy home but it conked out again and again. I had hold of the steering wheel and hauled myself upon it move my position in the seat. The oil and ignition lights came on!! Hummm.............I moved the steering wheel left and right...light still on. I heaved on the steering wheel against the steering column...the lights went out and when moved it the other way the lights came on. Now I could break it at will. I put tension on the steering column to make the lights come on, started Degsy, and drove home. So that was it, an elecrical fault somewhere on the steering column.
It snowed again overnight so fettling Degsy was going to cold with three inch of snow on the his roof and bonnet. I made Miss L and I breakfast, got warmly dressed and set about the dash board on Degsy. Long story short I found the problem. The spade connectors on the base of the ignition switch were just about hanging on. In fact the white wire, the ignition feed wire, came away in my hand. Shortly afterward so did the negative connector. It was a problem getting at the ignition base but I managed it. I toyed with the idea of bodging a fix. I looked on the internet and found they were only a tenner, I ordered one.
It does not look like it from the picture above but a couple of hours next Saturday and Degsy is fixed for another while. The coil was good buy because when Degsy was running he ran more strongly and cleaner. Roll on next Saturday.
I loaded Degsy up with the things a needed and went to the lottie. Degsy did not miss a beat. I parked up at the lottie and had a chat the Steve and Grumpy Dave. Steve looked a little slow on the his feet, probably the Lemonades we had the previous night. Grumpy was, as usual, leaning on the spade and grumbling about this and that. The sun was bright, the snow had melted, just, so I was keen to get on whilst the weather was fine if cold.
I decided that I wanted to empty the muck bin on my plot. The muck has been mellowing since the previous spring and I need the room. I had long decided that when I got time to empty the bin it would go on Bed 4, the legume bed. This bed has all the greedy feeders, Peas, Beans, Squashes. First I got the fork and levelled out the soil a bit. There where small heaps of spoil from where the soil had be dug to form the edging. I took my 16 foot plank and dropped it on the soil length ways long the plot rather than across the width. I always plant the Peas and Beans growing in rows roughly north/south. In actual fact they are more north-west/south-east just because of the position of the plot. I do this because I figure the sun can shine along the rows, whereas if the rows were width ways across the plot the taller plants would shade their neighbours. Since it is difficult to second guess which plants are going to grow tall, and more importantly when, the length ways row seems a good hedge bet [no pun intended]. I dug a trench the length the plank using it as a straight edge. I dug from one end to other and piled the soil to the right. Then I went back up the trench, having taken the plank out of the way, deepening trench and piling the soil to the left. From the top of the excavated soil to the bottom the trench was a least the foot. Then the best bit, I wheelbarrowed muck from the bin and tipped it into the trench. Each trench took five barrow loads. I repeated the exercise three more times creating four long trenches. The soil level has been increase massively, not only by the turning over of the soil but by adding close to a ton of well rotted manure in a little less than 20 square yards. The soil and manure will compact over the growing season but cannot help but think the soil has been replenish. The ten percent of the muck from the bin must have been worms. I cannot believe just how many there were. They are now all in the soil getting busy. Again a good thing I think. That exercise had transformed about a third of Bed 4. The picture shows how deep the trench is and how the extra depth came about.
Whilst digging the trenches I harvested the last of the Parsnips. There was a bit of canker but not enough to stop them being made into spicy Parsnip and Apple soup. I filled up the bird feeders which the birds had completely emptied in a week. Whilst in the process of emptying the muck bin a noticed it really need repairing. Having pallets sitting in damp conditions is not the best way to make then last. Mind you they have been there for five years. The bin is not quite empty so the repairs will have to wait a little longer.
Steve, with his brew, came over for a chat . We sat on the bench at the top of my plot with sun on us, watching the birds on the feeder and chatted about lottie things; the job a had just done, the vine training, damage to my netting, progress of the vine cuttings, the possibility of more vines on the other side of the plot, my bees and of course Degsy. That was about that. The sun was getting low and the temperature with with it. Even so I had worked up a sweat fettling the land and it had been very pleasant time spent.
Whilst driving Degsy I noticed the steering wheel was not on right. I had taken it off when I was trying to get the dash of earlier that day. After I got home I got the tools from teh gargare and went for a spin round the block. On a straight bit of road I pulled up. Took the steering wheel off and positioned on the splines correctly and did up the nut and crimp washer. As I drove home Degsy started to play up again. It was exactly as before. So it was not the coil! I coaxed Degsy home but it conked out again and again. I had hold of the steering wheel and hauled myself upon it move my position in the seat. The oil and ignition lights came on!! Hummm.............I moved the steering wheel left and right...light still on. I heaved on the steering wheel against the steering column...the lights went out and when moved it the other way the lights came on. Now I could break it at will. I put tension on the steering column to make the lights come on, started Degsy, and drove home. So that was it, an elecrical fault somewhere on the steering column.
It snowed again overnight so fettling Degsy was going to cold with three inch of snow on the his roof and bonnet. I made Miss L and I breakfast, got warmly dressed and set about the dash board on Degsy. Long story short I found the problem. The spade connectors on the base of the ignition switch were just about hanging on. In fact the white wire, the ignition feed wire, came away in my hand. Shortly afterward so did the negative connector. It was a problem getting at the ignition base but I managed it. I toyed with the idea of bodging a fix. I looked on the internet and found they were only a tenner, I ordered one.
It does not look like it from the picture above but a couple of hours next Saturday and Degsy is fixed for another while. The coil was good buy because when Degsy was running he ran more strongly and cleaner. Roll on next Saturday.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Landys, Landys Everywhere
I got up early on Sunday last, which is unusual enough to report. I made a couple of bacon butties and a brew, one of me and one for H. The reason for this madness was a show that was staged at the East of England Showground in Peterborough. I was at the showground about quarter past nine. As I pulled into the vast, well organised and appointed car park. The content of the car park was a clue to the reason for the event. Nine out of ten vehicles in the car park were Land Rovers of one sort or another. The event was the Land Rover Owners Magazine autumn show.
Having been mugged at the ticket office I went through the showground gates. I was very impressed with the facilities at the Showground. The event was quite small or was it that showground is so vast. In any case there must have been a thousand Land Rovers. I only saw four vehicles that were not an LR or one of the derivatives. There were stalls and clubs in attendance. Some of the stalls were more like an auto-jumble. You really have to know your stuff to identify one piece of grubby metal from another. It was all scrap to me. There were army surplus stalls. Lots of things you never knew you needed and all painted green. Then the specialist stalls, off road suspension and all the individual parts. Others stalls with special stainless steel panels and exhausts. Yet other suppliers of touring tents that fold into roof racks and yet others with storage solutions to fit out the back of the landy.
Then there were all the clubs. One for every marque and interest. Individual clubs; for Series 1, 2 and 3, Defenders, V8s, Forward control 101s, Paris Dakar, Lightweights, ex-military, Freelander, Range Rover, G4 and Camel rally and monster land rovers. Then clubs based on districts or geographical areas, off roading, green laning and over landing.
Later in the day, and on another part of the venue, there was a proper auto-jumble called the Sodbury Sortout. It was a bit of a disappointing turn out. However I did get a wheel brace for less than half price. I had a list of things to buy but it was as if the list was written upside down. The things I really needed, at the top of the list, were not to be had. The low priority items were found, a hasp for the filler cap, spring clips for the trailer and, of course, the wheel brace. I just need a length of scaffold tube to be a extension handle to the wheel brace.
In the main arena there was the usual parades, a bike stunt rider and bird of pray flying display. I went round lots of times, this way and that. Everything got a good coat of looking at......twice. Perhaps the best thing I got was not a Land Rover item. One of the stall sold tools. One of the gadgets was a "finger ratchet". Imagine a the ratchet that you use on sockets then saw off the handle. It is the handiest thing. There are lots of times when the room to swing the ratchet handle is restricted or you just need the spin a nut with a socket. the finger ratchet is just the job and cheap as chips. Coming across the finger ratchet just about clinched the day to justify the cost and getting early on a Sunday.
Having been mugged at the ticket office I went through the showground gates. I was very impressed with the facilities at the Showground. The event was quite small or was it that showground is so vast. In any case there must have been a thousand Land Rovers. I only saw four vehicles that were not an LR or one of the derivatives. There were stalls and clubs in attendance. Some of the stalls were more like an auto-jumble. You really have to know your stuff to identify one piece of grubby metal from another. It was all scrap to me. There were army surplus stalls. Lots of things you never knew you needed and all painted green. Then the specialist stalls, off road suspension and all the individual parts. Others stalls with special stainless steel panels and exhausts. Yet other suppliers of touring tents that fold into roof racks and yet others with storage solutions to fit out the back of the landy.
Then there were all the clubs. One for every marque and interest. Individual clubs; for Series 1, 2 and 3, Defenders, V8s, Forward control 101s, Paris Dakar, Lightweights, ex-military, Freelander, Range Rover, G4 and Camel rally and monster land rovers. Then clubs based on districts or geographical areas, off roading, green laning and over landing.
Later in the day, and on another part of the venue, there was a proper auto-jumble called the Sodbury Sortout. It was a bit of a disappointing turn out. However I did get a wheel brace for less than half price. I had a list of things to buy but it was as if the list was written upside down. The things I really needed, at the top of the list, were not to be had. The low priority items were found, a hasp for the filler cap, spring clips for the trailer and, of course, the wheel brace. I just need a length of scaffold tube to be a extension handle to the wheel brace.
In the main arena there was the usual parades, a bike stunt rider and bird of pray flying display. I went round lots of times, this way and that. Everything got a good coat of looking at......twice. Perhaps the best thing I got was not a Land Rover item. One of the stall sold tools. One of the gadgets was a "finger ratchet". Imagine a the ratchet that you use on sockets then saw off the handle. It is the handiest thing. There are lots of times when the room to swing the ratchet handle is restricted or you just need the spin a nut with a socket. the finger ratchet is just the job and cheap as chips. Coming across the finger ratchet just about clinched the day to justify the cost and getting early on a Sunday.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Holiday time
I have been on holiday for the past few week. Week one of the holiday was H and me walking the Cumbrian Way [click HERE] for a information courtesy of Dik. H will update her blog in due course. Miss L spent the week in Manchester being spoilt rotten by the grand-parents. The second week we spent together in a cottage in Cornwall. It was a classic journey. Solid traffic from a hundred miles out, eight hours sat in the car.
We toured about checking out the towns of Cornwall. We have never been in that neck of the woods before. We went all the way down to Porthen Leven which is right on the very end of the Cornwall, next stop America. We found a smashing restaurant called Kota [Click HERE] Very fresh food in stylish surroundings. Most of Cornwall seems to be pub food and Fish & Chips. Kota was different. Another evening we got the makings of a picnic, a nice bottle of wine and went to Trebarwith Strand. We sat on the cliffs and watched the surfers in the tide as the sun slowly sank in the west. It was a moment. I long moment but a moment. H wants to go back, that says it all.
At the end of the week we dropped Miss L off in Tiverton with her cousins to spend a week. H and I went back to work. Just before I went on holiday I decided that I needed to get aerobically fit and maybe lose a bit of weight in the process. Work has been getting in the way of Fencing and it has been telling. Whilst away I ate smaller portions and lots of fish. Well Cornwall is the place for fresh fish. I got a push bike just before my hols and whilst away bagged some cheap cycle shoes, pedals and cleats. When I got home it only took quarter of an hour the fit everything to the bike. I go out every evening for a six mile circuit. The first circuit was a killer. Luckily I need to stop to adjust the cleats, "a hem". Since then it has got a little easier.
Wednesday evening was the first warm evening with free time since I got back. H and I went up to the apiary. H installed herself by the river in the shade of the Willow tree with a book and left me to the bee fettling. It has been weighing on my mind whether or not the new Queen, introduced just before the hols, is viable. I happy to say she is. I was really chuffed. The other hive is in poor shape. I had put the clearer boards on to isolate the honey in the super before the holidays. I was able extract the honey and with a bit of luck there might be some more.
I had to go to Bournemouth on business on Thursday and was treated to lunch on the prom and to watch part of the air display of the Bournemouth air show. I was able to get back in time to meet Steve and Dave P to meet them in the Railway for the chat and a pint.
Saturday was a drag. We had to collect Miss L from Devon. We were to meet my brother and sister in law at Gardano services, on the m5 at a Avonmouth, to pass over Miss L. Brover and Ali were going to see U2 at Cardiff so it was should have been straight forward. However on the way down we discovered the M5 was suffering heavy traffic south bound due to an accident. We changed plans via the mobile to meet at Magor services on the M48, just a few miles from Newport. Our drive down the M50 was easy but the "A" road from Monmouth to Chepstow was beautiful. H was moved. The journey that should have took brov and Ali 45 minutes took more than two hours. The M5 was suffering from holiday makers going and returning from Devon and Cornwall, the "V" festival and 80,000 folk going to U2. The drive home from Magor was in heavy traffic but it was at least it was moving. We set off at 10am and get home at 18.00 so another eight hours in the car. As an antidote to the travelling we had been invited to a "do" at our neighbours Sheila and Graham on Saturday evening. Miss L's young man was invited too so the "love birds" were inseparable all evening, sweet really. We had a great time. I caved in at 1am. H came home much later but paid the price the next day.
On Sunday afternoon I had decided to exchange the contents of one the hives as it was on loan and has to go back soon. Fettling the bees on Sunday meant driving Degsey. It is a treat every time I have a spin in it but thank god I don't have to travel in it all the time. Max speed 40mph and vague steering and we will say nothing about the fuel consumption.
A quick thanks to Steve for watering the Toms whilst I was away.
We toured about checking out the towns of Cornwall. We have never been in that neck of the woods before. We went all the way down to Porthen Leven which is right on the very end of the Cornwall, next stop America. We found a smashing restaurant called Kota [Click HERE] Very fresh food in stylish surroundings. Most of Cornwall seems to be pub food and Fish & Chips. Kota was different. Another evening we got the makings of a picnic, a nice bottle of wine and went to Trebarwith Strand. We sat on the cliffs and watched the surfers in the tide as the sun slowly sank in the west. It was a moment. I long moment but a moment. H wants to go back, that says it all.
At the end of the week we dropped Miss L off in Tiverton with her cousins to spend a week. H and I went back to work. Just before I went on holiday I decided that I needed to get aerobically fit and maybe lose a bit of weight in the process. Work has been getting in the way of Fencing and it has been telling. Whilst away I ate smaller portions and lots of fish. Well Cornwall is the place for fresh fish. I got a push bike just before my hols and whilst away bagged some cheap cycle shoes, pedals and cleats. When I got home it only took quarter of an hour the fit everything to the bike. I go out every evening for a six mile circuit. The first circuit was a killer. Luckily I need to stop to adjust the cleats, "a hem". Since then it has got a little easier.
Wednesday evening was the first warm evening with free time since I got back. H and I went up to the apiary. H installed herself by the river in the shade of the Willow tree with a book and left me to the bee fettling. It has been weighing on my mind whether or not the new Queen, introduced just before the hols, is viable. I happy to say she is. I was really chuffed. The other hive is in poor shape. I had put the clearer boards on to isolate the honey in the super before the holidays. I was able extract the honey and with a bit of luck there might be some more.
I had to go to Bournemouth on business on Thursday and was treated to lunch on the prom and to watch part of the air display of the Bournemouth air show. I was able to get back in time to meet Steve and Dave P to meet them in the Railway for the chat and a pint.
Saturday was a drag. We had to collect Miss L from Devon. We were to meet my brother and sister in law at Gardano services, on the m5 at a Avonmouth, to pass over Miss L. Brover and Ali were going to see U2 at Cardiff so it was should have been straight forward. However on the way down we discovered the M5 was suffering heavy traffic south bound due to an accident. We changed plans via the mobile to meet at Magor services on the M48, just a few miles from Newport. Our drive down the M50 was easy but the "A" road from Monmouth to Chepstow was beautiful. H was moved. The journey that should have took brov and Ali 45 minutes took more than two hours. The M5 was suffering from holiday makers going and returning from Devon and Cornwall, the "V" festival and 80,000 folk going to U2. The drive home from Magor was in heavy traffic but it was at least it was moving. We set off at 10am and get home at 18.00 so another eight hours in the car. As an antidote to the travelling we had been invited to a "do" at our neighbours Sheila and Graham on Saturday evening. Miss L's young man was invited too so the "love birds" were inseparable all evening, sweet really. We had a great time. I caved in at 1am. H came home much later but paid the price the next day.
On Sunday afternoon I had decided to exchange the contents of one the hives as it was on loan and has to go back soon. Fettling the bees on Sunday meant driving Degsey. It is a treat every time I have a spin in it but thank god I don't have to travel in it all the time. Max speed 40mph and vague steering and we will say nothing about the fuel consumption.
A quick thanks to Steve for watering the Toms whilst I was away.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
40th Anniversary
Saturday was a mechanical day. My car is just coming up to 60,000 miles run so it is time again for a service. Holiday are coming up too so it is wise to get the car ready for the extra mileage. It only takes me 45 minutes to change the oil, filter, air filter and spark plugs. I topped up the coolant and checked the handbrake.
Degsy has been sounding a bit out of tune. I decided that I would reset the timing. Given I knew this day would come. The weather was fine and I had set aside time for the job. I remember the process from my younger days when this was I had to do all the time on both my bikes and cars. I found the timing marks which were on the flywheel. The marks are viewed through a little access plate which is buried at the back of the engine. It took a bit to find it and to get the plate open. The next job was to set the timing mark on the flywheel. To do that you have to turn the engine over until the timing mark on the flywheel lines up with a pointer on the access cover whilst cylinder one is approaching top dead centre. Land Rover were considerate in supplying a starting handle with which to spin the engine. The problem is the handle is at he front of the engine and the marks are at the back with the radiator and bodywork in the way. even the manual say to get a friend to spot the mark or turn the engine. I only had H to hand so she had to spot the mark. We only had to have two or three goes to get the marks spot on. You cannot crank the engine backwards so if you miss the mark you have to round again. Once the marks were lined up it was a simple job the set the points. I loosened the distributor and set the dwell angle. Bolted it up again and turn the ignition key. Vroom, it started. Now I know how to do the job I should be able to do quite quickly next time. I noticed that the distributor cap transfer bars are burned as is the rotor cap so I should get a new ones.
I fitted a flip up step on the near side for H to able get in and out more easily. I had to drill a couple of holes for bolts but it went on without much trouble. I also fitted the rear reflectors, a MOT requirement. I was done by early afternoon. I had a sandwich and a brew a went to see the Bees.
There is trouble at the bees. The queen is not laying and I am not sure what to do. Wait for the Queen is get mated on buy in a new laying Queen? I will have to think about this but I have to decided upon a course of action very soon.
On the way back from the bees I went to the lottie and dug up a row of spuds. They look really good if a little large for earlies. H was on the her way out for a evening do so I popped home to say goodbye and have a brew. I went back to the lottie a continued weeding. The birds were very untidy when eating their seeds during the winter so now I have wheat growing on my path. I had a general weed. New Stu came down so I we had a chat about Degsy. I was noting that the tyres were the noisiest in the world. Stu agreed. He could tell it was me 200 yards away just from noise off the tyres. He remember a friend of his might have some road bais tyres that might fit. A few minutes and a phone call later I was the owner of four newish tyres and two wheel for £20. I was to collect them the following day.
It started raining so I went home H was out for the evening and Miss L was at friends. I drew a bath and flopped into it for an hour. Nothing to do and I switched off my brain and just relaxed for the first time in weeks. I had to collect Miss L from her friends house so had to get dried and dressed. I went in Degsy. It fairly flew along. So much so the tyres were smelling as they overheated. Lucky I have got some spares coming. Miss L and I had a nice evening watching TV and chatting.
Next morning a had a few things to do but waited until H came home since Miss L was having a lie in. I loaded up Degsy with seed trays in readiness for a trip to the lottie later in the day. H and I went out to a garden centre in Newton Regis. H needed a brew but the tea room which normally has a organist tinkling the ivories had a stand in Saxophonist who was playing by numbers. We got what we went for a tottled back through the lanes to home. Another brew and judging that the showers would miss me, I went to the lottie. I got a couple of trays a seedling planted before the showers came in. New Stu had turned up to drop off some wood for his borders. I followed him home to get the tyres. The tyres were a major result. Part worn yes but with plenty of tread. Two of the tyres were on good wheels as well!. I want to paint the white to smarten Degsy up. He has two cream wheels and two black. I could easily put the two new wheels straight on the have the new tyres put on the existing white wheels which would give me four white wheels I am looking for. That gives me a spare to put on the bonnet and on for the garage.
Tomorrow, 20th July, is the 40th anniversary of man walking on the moon. I think I remember stay up to see it on TV. I am not sure I did, I was only eight and I have been to sleep a few times since then. I do remember seeing the grainy pictures at school and we have seen the iconic footage many times since. I have just started reading Buzz Aldrin's autobiography, Magnificent Desolation. It was an amazing feat of endeavour. More amazing when you think they flew with the state of the art computer with only 74k of memory and a 2 megabit processor. Modern mobile phones, never mind the laptops, have much more computer power than the Apollo 11 rocket. However they did have a back up.............a slide rule.
All in all a restful weekend. Only two weeks to my summer holiday.
Degsy has been sounding a bit out of tune. I decided that I would reset the timing. Given I knew this day would come. The weather was fine and I had set aside time for the job. I remember the process from my younger days when this was I had to do all the time on both my bikes and cars. I found the timing marks which were on the flywheel. The marks are viewed through a little access plate which is buried at the back of the engine. It took a bit to find it and to get the plate open. The next job was to set the timing mark on the flywheel. To do that you have to turn the engine over until the timing mark on the flywheel lines up with a pointer on the access cover whilst cylinder one is approaching top dead centre. Land Rover were considerate in supplying a starting handle with which to spin the engine. The problem is the handle is at he front of the engine and the marks are at the back with the radiator and bodywork in the way. even the manual say to get a friend to spot the mark or turn the engine. I only had H to hand so she had to spot the mark. We only had to have two or three goes to get the marks spot on. You cannot crank the engine backwards so if you miss the mark you have to round again. Once the marks were lined up it was a simple job the set the points. I loosened the distributor and set the dwell angle. Bolted it up again and turn the ignition key. Vroom, it started. Now I know how to do the job I should be able to do quite quickly next time. I noticed that the distributor cap transfer bars are burned as is the rotor cap so I should get a new ones.
I fitted a flip up step on the near side for H to able get in and out more easily. I had to drill a couple of holes for bolts but it went on without much trouble. I also fitted the rear reflectors, a MOT requirement. I was done by early afternoon. I had a sandwich and a brew a went to see the Bees.
There is trouble at the bees. The queen is not laying and I am not sure what to do. Wait for the Queen is get mated on buy in a new laying Queen? I will have to think about this but I have to decided upon a course of action very soon.
On the way back from the bees I went to the lottie and dug up a row of spuds. They look really good if a little large for earlies. H was on the her way out for a evening do so I popped home to say goodbye and have a brew. I went back to the lottie a continued weeding. The birds were very untidy when eating their seeds during the winter so now I have wheat growing on my path. I had a general weed. New Stu came down so I we had a chat about Degsy. I was noting that the tyres were the noisiest in the world. Stu agreed. He could tell it was me 200 yards away just from noise off the tyres. He remember a friend of his might have some road bais tyres that might fit. A few minutes and a phone call later I was the owner of four newish tyres and two wheel for £20. I was to collect them the following day.
It started raining so I went home H was out for the evening and Miss L was at friends. I drew a bath and flopped into it for an hour. Nothing to do and I switched off my brain and just relaxed for the first time in weeks. I had to collect Miss L from her friends house so had to get dried and dressed. I went in Degsy. It fairly flew along. So much so the tyres were smelling as they overheated. Lucky I have got some spares coming. Miss L and I had a nice evening watching TV and chatting.
Next morning a had a few things to do but waited until H came home since Miss L was having a lie in. I loaded up Degsy with seed trays in readiness for a trip to the lottie later in the day. H and I went out to a garden centre in Newton Regis. H needed a brew but the tea room which normally has a organist tinkling the ivories had a stand in Saxophonist who was playing by numbers. We got what we went for a tottled back through the lanes to home. Another brew and judging that the showers would miss me, I went to the lottie. I got a couple of trays a seedling planted before the showers came in. New Stu had turned up to drop off some wood for his borders. I followed him home to get the tyres. The tyres were a major result. Part worn yes but with plenty of tread. Two of the tyres were on good wheels as well!. I want to paint the white to smarten Degsy up. He has two cream wheels and two black. I could easily put the two new wheels straight on the have the new tyres put on the existing white wheels which would give me four white wheels I am looking for. That gives me a spare to put on the bonnet and on for the garage.
Tomorrow, 20th July, is the 40th anniversary of man walking on the moon. I think I remember stay up to see it on TV. I am not sure I did, I was only eight and I have been to sleep a few times since then. I do remember seeing the grainy pictures at school and we have seen the iconic footage many times since. I have just started reading Buzz Aldrin's autobiography, Magnificent Desolation. It was an amazing feat of endeavour. More amazing when you think they flew with the state of the art computer with only 74k of memory and a 2 megabit processor. Modern mobile phones, never mind the laptops, have much more computer power than the Apollo 11 rocket. However they did have a back up.............a slide rule.
All in all a restful weekend. Only two weeks to my summer holiday.
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