Billy Young's Blog, page 10

14th June 2014

I've been fighting the great war on the weeds today again. After pushing the invasion of the natives back I fed my growing crop. The strawberries are fruiting though it will be at least a week before we get some for Magz to enjoy. I don't think we will have as many as in past years but there may still might be enough for a pot of jam. One thing I will need to do this weekend is protect the cherries. Though there aren't loads I would rather Magz gets them than sparrow in an early morning raid.
I got the cables from China. Yes I was surprised that they arrived so soon. Anyways I have connected the pi to the jally, I just hope I did it right, now I have to figure out the next part of the process. My son Calum isn't feeling very well so I'm not sure how much help he will be able to offer. The last thing I want is to make him feel worse. You know how it is yourself when your called to help someone with something and you aren't feeling real up to it. You might try but the best thing would have been to send them away. Mind it is easier to say that than it is often to do. No I think I will just try to figure out how to go about it without him. Not being very experience in Linux will mean I have a lot to work out. Maybe I should just leave it till tomorrow, you never know Calum may be feeling better by then, hehehe

7th June 2014

I was glad to see that my problems at work have finally been taken seriously by the head supervisor. Yes at last I have been freed of the supervisor that has been making my life ache through his bad attitude. Let us hope that this continues.
I was planning in getting out into the garden today. Sadly the rain has had other ideas. Good news on my peas another one decided to sprout to replace the one the birds assassinated earlier in the season. It has been the only sign of things picking up. Magz got me another tomato plant to replace the one the slugs got to. A bit at a time I am getting the garden back into some sort of order. Of course the is still a lot needing done. Things like fixing the side fence again. I will get to that though when I'm on holiday for two weeks at the start of July.
I ordered the cables I need to flash the jally. They are coming from china so it can take some time for me to get them. I didn't realise that I was ordering them from the far east when I ordered them via Amazon. That was until I got the email confirming that the had been dispatched. A well it means that I will have to wait a little longer to see if flashing will get the ASIC miner running or not. The cables are only part of what I will need though. I also need to learn more bout Linux with some help from my son.

31st May 2014

I'm still working and still getting grief from the supervisor. It seems like I will need to take really drastic action if I am to end this situation. I told the head supervisor that I wasn't working in labelling from now on. If he sends me there on Monday I will have to go straight to the office to lodge a complaint and if this has no effect... Well then I suppose it might mean that I have to seek legal advice again. Monday will tell me how things are going to be.
Today has been about forgetting the troubles of work by weeding around the strawberries. I could feel the heat of the sun on the back of my neck and it was good. No abuse being shouted, only birds singing. No snarling derogatory remarks, only the distant sound of grass being trimmed. Yes it was a peaceful day to wage war on those native plants that we gardeners dislike as they take all the nutrients from the crop we are trying to grow. Even my tubs aren't safe from these native invaders. Still that is part of the joy for us growers, the never ending battle to nurture our plants and defend them against all the pests that will rob us of our fun.
After the garden I had the joy of setting up the Raspberry Pi. This time it all went well. So now I am set for my son to help me flash the Jalapeno. Hopefully this will get mine up and working. There are just a few wires needed to connect the Jally to the Pi as well as some software to install on the Pi. Of course Calum knows more about Linux than me so he should know what to do. Or at least I hope, hehehe.

24th May 2014

So glad that I have a long weekend this week. More trouble from the bothersome supervisor at work created a stressful week. On Thursday at the end of the day he accused me of throwing an empty plastic bottle at him. I was as childish as him for my answer was to tell him if I did throw something it would be harder than a silly plastic bottle. He didn't like that and threatening to get rid of me. At which I walked away as it was time to go get changed to go home. I didn't even argue any further than telling him that was fine. I think that annoyed him more. Because he told me to go tell the boss. Well as I was waiting the last minute to clock out and the main man happened to be walking by so I did as he told me. He told me to talk to the head supervisor which I have in the past to no avail. This time though it seems to have worked as yesterday when I got to work I was told I had been, at last, moved to the butchers department. I get on well with Wee John the head there and I have worked there before. The reason for me being moved was because of me being trained on the retort. I still will have to cover those when Jim is off or on his break as well as after he leaves for the day. So no change there. I am free though of Storming Norman and that isn't because he's like the great general that he got that name.
As for this long four days off. Well It gives me time to do some weeding, relaxing and gaming. I've already done some relaxing plus weeding with a little bit more gaming thrown in to forget about work. I think that is just what we all do though. In our own ways that is. And it is especially true when it has been a troublesome week. I half expected to get the sack again. After all I don't know what Storming had to say but going on his accusations to me it wouldn't have been good. Luckily I still have a job.

17th May 2014

The hope of fixing the Jalapeno came to nothing as the Raspberry Pi failed to work. I was glad when Amazon arranged for it to be picked up from my home without further cost. So often when something you have ordered over the web goes wrong it cost us to send it back. Sadly as Amazon don't sell the Pi directly they couldn't just send a replacement so I am now waiting to be sure I have the refund before reordering to try again. Though at this stage I am wondering if my ASIC is jinxed. I know that is just plain silly but...
I was out in the garden replanting the seeds that have failed to come through. That includes my peas, sweet corn, and pumpkins. With some luck they will come through this time as the weather has warmed more than enough not to be an issue now. Maybe the local wildlife feasted on my seeds before and that is why nothing came of them. Or maybe just one night it was too chilly for the slowly emerging seeds. I have no idea if any of that was the reason for forcing the replant yet something that the cold would have affected ie coriander came up and is now gathering strength. Of course it is still got a bit to go before I'm sure I will get a crop to add to mayo with a little lemon juice, yum. Nothing like those summer recipes and fresh herbs from the garden make them even better.
What has excited Magz is that the strawberries are now beginning to flower. She does love her strawberries. She is also looking eagerly at the gooseberries which are swelling slowly. Yes the fruit side of things is looking good. Lets hope it continues and we also get some cherries for the first time.

10th May 2014

I was hoping to attempt to fix my Jalapeno ASIC miner today. I ordered a Raspberry Pi from Amazon during the week and it was delivered yesterday. Unfortunately after putting it together and plugging it in it failed to work. The good thing is that Amazon will pick it up from the house without cost. I was very pleased to see that. It is a pity all companies didn't offer that same customer care when their items don't turn out as promised. Sadly they couldn't just simply replace the item so I will need to reorder so I can try again to flash the Jalapeno.
Though I will never make any near what I paid out for the ASIC miner if I could get it to work. I still would like to see my money doing what I paid for so to say. Of course there is no real certainty that flashing it would get it working. Yet with all I have read after I got it, it would seem like there is half a chance that it will. After all my computer recognizes that it is connected but the mining software doesn't. Yes it does sound strange but the one I got for my son worked fine. Anyways from what I read I wasn't the only one this happened to and the general advice is to flash the device in question. So that is what I was planning as I couldn't afford to send it back to Butterfly Labs. It is a pity they weren't more like Amazon it would have saved me a little disappointment.

3rd May 2014

It has been cooler this week slowing growth in the garden. There s still much to begin growing. I did replant some seeds last weekend and now wait to see if they will come to anything. More waiting. Though on my inspection of my garden this morning I did notice that my gooseberry bush has started forming fruit. It will be a few months before they have ripened enough but the fat that they have begun is heartening.
At work my troubles with the supervisor have not eased much. Though it hasn't come as close to blows as it did a few weeks back it is still very strained. Yesterday for example he didn't speak to anyone not just me for most of the day. I must admit I thought that it was because of myself even though I hadn't done anything to set him off. I especially thought this when later and I was at the retort he cheered up towards the others in labelling. He was even smiling by the end of the shift. The truth though is this is quite normal for him of a Friday but with all the upset over the past few weeks I do become a little paranoid. Mostly I just try to ignore him when he starts though this isn't easy and I'm grateful when he goes in a huff as he did yesterday.
Hopefully the weather will improve over the coming week or so. That way my garden might give me the sanctuary I need after a long week. It will be good to see the ears of corn growing. And picking a fresh lettuce and mixing it with coriander straight from the garden for a great summer salad. Add a couple of baby carrots, some tomatoes for Magz, and a little feta cheese. What more could you ask for? Just the sun and a lazy day to enjoy it all.

26th April 2014

Patients is something that comes in handy in many things in life. Sadly mine is running short at the moment as I wait for all the plants in my garden to grow. What has caused this? Well so far only one of the peas I planted has decided to grow. Add to this that the cucumber and courgette that I planted have died. Then there was the tomato plant that the slugs destroyed. Yes this is par for the course when you do anything. You have the failures as well as the successes. At the moment though it being early in the season disaster is more common than the triumphs at the moment. Instead of looking at the problems of failed plants I should be looking at those small signs of the bounty that will come. Things like the cherry trees flowering. If the weather holds maybe this is the year I will get some cherries. Also my apple trees are now in bloom with the promise of another good year for them. Though my strawberries are needing weeded again, they also look like they are coming along nicely. I only need the summer warmth to encourage them to flower to gain their fruits so Magz can make some more jam this year. So really I shouldn't feel so down about the small fails after all I can always replant. Still I do get a little despondent seeing my efforts hitting the wall as they have. That is only human after all. But like most of us I will pick myself up and get on with it. After all we don't have much choice in the end. We can't just wallow can we. We have to get up and keep trying because if we don't then we will never achieve anything in life. I suppose though we've all heard that before. Though it doesn't make it any less true.

19th April 2014

The weather has been great this week so I have spent, as you can imagine, in the garden. Mostly just checking on my plants and pulling up any weeds trying to get a start in my tubs. Of course every day there are more to be found hiding. They seem to come up quicker than the seeds I have planted. My potatoes are growing, as are one of my peas. With time the others should catch up soon. No sign of the carrots though and I have to give the seeds I planted last week some time. Unlike the tomatoes that are doing well since being put out on Sunday along with the courgette. Sadly the lettuce that I got this week isn't doing as well. The tub I put them into got a little to water logged. I have since put extra holes in the base which has helped but I will have to give the lettuce time to see if they will make it. My fault for not paying attention when I was planting them into the tub. I should have noticed that the soil was a little too damp. I'm sure that they should survive now so no real harm done. I can't even say why I didn't take note as to how waterlogged the container was when planting. It wasn't until a day or two later that I became aware to the lettuce looking a bit limp. It was only then that I really checked how wet the soil was and became alarmed. As I said though they should make it to plate by the summer. That is what it is all about after all.
Sadly my holiday is fast coming to an end. Yes it is back to the soul consuming job next week which leaves little time to enjoy the garden. Still we have to make our living some way, right? And at least I have a job. It may be draining but it is better than nothing. And it does allow me to afford to buy the plants that I fuss over so much, hehehe.

12th April 2014

I'm on holiday for the Easter break, yeah. A full week off and a chance to see to my garden. Today I was away buying some seeds, corn, basil, coriander, and parsnips to plant in the coming week. I also got lettuce, courgette, and tomatoes that were already started off. Those I will plant tomorrow as I heard there might be a frost tonight so want to spare them that. Sometimes we treat plants like they were children don't we. Forgetting that they are a lot tougher than we think. Mind it doesn't do any harm and unlike our kids they won't complain if we molly cuddle them. I still have to visit the garden centre at the bottom end of town in the coming week to get anything else that I need for the coming season. I will also need to decide what other greenery I wish to try to grow for the plate this year. I already have potatoes in their sack, carrot seeds in one pot and of course onions in their tubs in the veg. department. And thyme, rosemary, mint, and oregano in the herb. Then we have my apple trees, cherry trees (which I still have yet to get a crop from), gooseberry bush, blueberry bush, rhubarb, and strawberries. For such a small garden we do quite well in growing some crops for our enjoyment which isn't just in the eating, hehehe. Of course it ain't all joy as the war on local fauna has started all over again. Yes weeds as we gardeners call them are a very resilient lot forcing us into the never ending battle to protect our cherished gardens from their assault. We may never really win but still we shall battle to give out baby plants a chance to grow to full deliciousness.