Alan Williams's Blog, page 59
April 5, 2016
Nobody Told The Sparrows
“Sparrow” Box
This is our “Sparrow” nesting box. It’s on the side of our garage, and was built for House Sparrows to nest in. The theory being, that as House Sparrows are communal nesters, the box with it’s three separate chambers (there are dividing walls between eat entrance hole), would be attractive to them. It has never housed a single Sparrow, nor have I ever seen a Sparrow showing the remotest interest in the box.
That’s not to say that we don’t get a good showing of House Sparrows in...
Quick Links 5th April 2016
Each week I’ll try and post quick links to things that I’ve seen, read or just sparked my interest in the previous week. Mostly gardening, cooking and environmental stuff but not always.
British health systems ‘unprepared for devastating effects of climate change’ [The Guardian]
EDF board member calls for Hinkley Point C project to be postponed [The Guardian]
The Week In Wildlife – In Pictures [The Guardian]
April 4, 2016
Nearly Knocked Over By a Deer This Morning
We were a bit earlier on our morning dog walk this morning, and I did wonder whether we might see the deer somewhere around the Fort, what I didn’t expect was to be nearly knocked over by one.
We were on our return leg of our regular circular walk when I heard a splash from the Fort’s moat, and then something crashing through the bushes. A female Roe Deer then jumped up onto the path, nearly knocking us over. I think she probably had just as big a fright as we did, and she took off along the...
March 31, 2016
First Quarter Review 2016
Each year for the past few years I’ve been doing a year end review; books I’ve read, films/tv programmes I’ve watched and other things related to work and the allotment. You can read the end of 2015 here, if you’re interested.
The problem I have is trying to remember stuff (that might be an age thing). I guess that the things that were really good, tend to stick in my mind, as they should, but some of the things that were okay but not outstanding, tend to get forgotten.
So I thought I’d try d...
March 29, 2016
Quick Links 29th March 2016
Each week I’ll try and post quick links to things that I’ve seen, read or just sparked my interest in the previous week. Mostly gardening, cooking and environmental stuff but not always.
Apple says you can “feel really good” about buying its products. Don’t believe them. [Grist Blog]
Ash dieback and beetle attack likely to ‘wipe out’ all ash trees in UK and Europe [The Guardian]
Small copper butterfly in ‘inexorable decline’, according to survey [The Guardian]
March 26, 2016
Allotment Update 26th March 2016
The weather has been much improved over the last few weeks, and it has continued to be very mild. I had hoped to be able to post a video update, but I’ve been having some rather odd camera trouble and none of the segments that I’ve recorded have been useable. I’m not sure what the problem is, but in the meantime I’ll try and describe what I’ve been up to .
I’ve planted my early potatoes (see above), they went in today (Easter Saturday), and all being well, they’ll be ready to harvest in 100...
March 22, 2016
Quick Links 22nd March 2016
Each week I’ll try and post quick links to things that I’ve seen, read or just sparked my interest in the previous week. Mostly gardening, cooking and environmental stuff but not always.
Did Native Americans Bend These Trees to Mark Trails? [Atlas Obscura]
Keeping Dogs Out of Harms Way [The Bark Blog]
Life Saving Carabiners [The Bark Blog]
The Obsessively Detailed Map of American Literature’s Most Epic Road Trips [Atlas Obscura]
Malta gives go ahead to shooting of 5,000 endangered turtle dove...
March 15, 2016
Quick Links 15th March 2016
No quick links last week, so here’s an almost double dose for the last two weeks:
Each week I’ll try and post quick links to things that I’ve seen, read or just sparked my interest in the previous week. Mostly gardening, cooking and environmental stuff but not always.
Runner Bean Chutney [Home Grown Kate Blog]
UK’s wildlife crime unit wins late reprieve from closure [The Guardian]
Florida drops bill to open fracking in the Everglades after public outcry [The Guardian]
March 13, 2016
Warming the Soil – Different Types of Cloche
David’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Virtualskyh…
And his website: http://www.virtualskyhomestead.com/
March 11, 2016
Otter Farm
As an allotment gardener, I’m sometimes asked why I grow my own veg and what I grow.
The answer to the second question is easy. I grow what I like to eat (with a little experimentation each year for new things). The answer to the first question is a little more complex. Let me try an explain.
I grow my own veg for a number of reasons. Firstly I like to try and be as self sufficient as possible, growing my own, means I cook with what I grow and am less reliant on supermarket produce, which is...
