365 day challenge - posting 4

Time for an update with my challenge.

As posted previously some days are harder than others to recall what I've either seen or learned on any one day. Here are the latest things...

Day 49: 31-August
While digging a client's border & preparing for planting, I found 3 large white grubs. Researched & found out these were chafer grubs.

Day 50: 1-Sept
On the BBC Click programme, learned that it is possible to laser print on fruit without damaging the fruit. Use will likely be in retail labelling for use-by-dates and advertising.

Day 51: 2-Sept
Back in July, Fabien Cousteau spent 31 days at the underwater Aquarius Lab in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

Day 52: 3-Sept
Alstromeria plant originated in South America (known as Peruvian lily).

Day 53: 4-Sept
Discussion over coffee at Snowshill Manor, practice by Roman soldiers of flogging tired legs with stinging nettles to stimulate circulation. Known as Urtification.

Day 54: 5-Sept
Intel has launched a generation of processors with the smallest transister ever featured in a commercial product.

Day 55: 6-Sept
Church social visit to St Fagans Museum of Welsh Life - lovely gardens and some fascinating insights into Welsh history.

Day 56: 7-Sept
The RHS is investing £100M into horticulture over the next 10 years. Part of the plans include a new RHS garden and two urban gardens.

Day 57: 8-Sept
New series of classic children's TV programme "The Clangers" is to have Michael Palin as narrator.

Day 58: 9-Sept
Salisbury spinal injuries treatment centre featured on Gardeners' World. Amazing power of the impact of the gardens- designed by Cleeve West.

Day 59: 10-Sept
Tour of Britain cycle race - stage passed through Snowshill. First time the race has been there, and first time I've seen the race up close.

Day 60: 11-Sept
Reminded about plant Echinops perennial - decided to do some plant research to be better informed on this genus.

Day 61: 12-Sept
SanDisk has created an SD card with highest capacity ever (512Gb) price ~£490

Day 62: 13-Sept
Ragwort is misunderstood - too much is destroyed where it poses no threat to grazing stock/horses. It supports many pollinators.

Day 63: 14-Sept
Plant - Trachelospermum jasminoides pruning takes place in Spring. Thin congested, weak, badly placed shoots. If necessary to renovate, cut all shoots back by two thirds to side shoots or flowering spur.

Day 64: 15-Sept
Severn rail tunnel under the river Severn uses pumps to clear underground water. If these fail the tunnels flood within 3 minutes.

Day 65: 16-Sept
Visited 4 clients gardens today (a full on day, very tiring)

Day 66: 17-Sept
Watched TimeTeam special and found out Castle Drogo, Devon, was designed by architect Edwin Lutyens.

Day 67: 18-Sept
Noticed the Snowshill Arms new pub sign.

Day 68: 19-Sept
Identified clipped shrub at Snowshill Manor cottage (Honors) as Lonicera nitida 'Yellow Beauty'.

Day 69: 20-Sept
Had cooked apples, sugar and cinnamon for evening dessert today. Intriged to know where Cinnamon originates - comes from the (dried) inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum.

Day 70: 21-Sept
Cobnut: - a type of hazelnut, introduced in southern England in the 19th century.

Day 71: 22-Sept
The 'curry' plant herb name is Helichrysum serotinum.

Day 72: 23-Sept
Given some Bergamont 'cordial', homemade. Never heard of this before, or tasted either. Apparently Earl Grey tea is made from the leaf of Bergamont plant.

Day 73: 24-Sept
Noticed new retirement flats being built at the Lower High Street Cheltenham;
location is not where I would choose to live (very busy, noisy road junction)

Day 74: 25-Sept
Visited Kew gardens (business training day); first time of visiting - very enjoyable and impressive gardens.

Day 75: 26-Sept
Kew garden specimen; the Chinese Nettle Tree - Celtis sinensis.

Day 76: 27-Sept
Current mobile phone ownership in the UK is reflected by the number of phone contracts (83 million).

365 day challenge - posting 3

Well, my observations continue. Some days are easier than others, but at least it's making my brain work!

Here are the next lot of observations..

Day 35: 17-August
Celebration 30th wedding anniversary afternoon tea with family & friends together. Some folk had not met previously, but got on really well which was very encouraging.

Day 36: 18-August
China has 'invented' the "face-kini"; a face mask to protect the face against UV Sun's rays.

Day 37: 19-August
Watched our 20 month old grand-daughter learning how to roll balls in the house & the look of pleasure and delight on her face.

Day 38: 20-August
Article in the RHS Garden magazine about poppies - realised we have an annual poppy in our garden "Papaver somniferum" and confirmed many instances of perennial poppy "Papaver cambricum" (welsh poppy) at Snowshill holiday cottages.

Day 39: 21-August
Also discovered poppy "Papaver atlanticum" growing in Diston's holiday cottage garden in Snowshill.

Day 40: 22-August
Noticed a temporary sign on the Broadway to Snowshill road (Church Lane) "Col du Snowshill" - ready for the Tour of Britain cycle race.

Day 41: 23-August
A photo on Twitter of Robin's Pin Cushion; caused by wild rose gall wasp - on a rose stem. Saw some of these at Snowshill.

Day 42: 24-August
Mobile phones have a unique International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI). If your phone is lost or stolen, you can contact your service provider to have the phone immobilised. The number can be displayed using the sequence *#06#

Day 43: 25-August
Cooked some plums (Golden Egg), picked from Diston's holiday cottage at Snowshill, ate with vanilla ice-cream. Very tasty, first time I've eaten this plum variety. Not one for eating straight from the tree!

Day 44: 26-August
Ship building in London started at Chatham in 1500.

Day 45: 27-August
Found out how to add a short-cut to an application on the Start screen of Windows 8.1

Day 46: 28-August
Scottish plant hunter George Forrest went on 7 expeditions to Western China between 1904 - 1932.

Day 47: 29-August
Crab apples routinely produce five to ten times more pollen than eating apple varieties.

Day 48: 30-August
Microsoft's Messenger service is to be switched off (in China) in Oct 2014, marking 15 years of worldwide operation. Launched in 1999, it was switched off for most users in 2013, but retained in China.

Observations challenge - 2

365 day challenge
Learn or observe something new

My next set of observations, continuing from 2-August-2014

The challenge is just that, challenging. On some days I see plenty of things, other days almost devoid. Not sure why this is, but I've managed to put together the following:

Day 21: 3-August-2014
Pruning Eleagnus ebbingei - noticed it has long, sharpe thorns - didn't realise this plant had thorns.

Day 22: 4-August-2014
Article on BBC news; "Bubble Tea" - a drink becoming popular in the UK. Often brightly coloured tea served with milk, with a layer of jelly like globules - tapioca balls that settle at the bottom of the cup. Drunk through an extra thick straw.

Day 23: 5-August
Ceramic poppies being placed around the Tower of London to represent loss of life in WW1 - over 800,000

Day 24: 6-August
Heard shocking statistics relating to sexually motivated attacks on young Indian women (as they walk from their homes to places in the countryside to do their toilet 'business') all as a result of lack of basic sanitation in the home.

Day 25: 7-August
China plans 'Christian Theology' according to BBC, China may try to create a theology based on Christianity - that integrates the religion with Chinese culture and is compatible with the country's socialist beliefs. Senior official says "the construction of Chinese Christian theology should adapt to China's national conditions". (Something tells me they don't understand Christ and what it means to follow Christ. Christ doesn't adapt!)

Day 26: 8-August
Found out how to reset and disable service warning messages on my VW van.

Day 27: 9-August
People are using small canisters of Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) to get a 'high' or 'relaxation fix', by inflating balloons and then inhaling the gas. STUPID PEOPLE!

Day 28: 10-August
Visiting speaker in church today explained how there are some innocent women in prison in Cochabamba, Bolivia; with no idea why they are in prison or any date when they might be released.

Day 29: 11-August
Found out about the LIST function on Twitter, will have to have a play..

Day 30: 12-August
The site in Cheltenham that housed the main Vauxhall dealership has been flattened, in readiness for new housing development.

Day 31: 13-August
In Birmingham there are at least 15000 'old' (pensioner aged) people living on their own and lonely.

Day 32: 14-August
Saw a vole today (first time ever), stuck in an old tin (half full of water); managed to rescue it though it was soaked it proved to be very feisty and would have administered a bite!

Day 33: 15-August
The Yazidi people in Northern Iraq being persecuted. Read a brief description about their beliefs - it appears a complex mix. Some outsiders consider them devil worshippers.

Day 34: 16-August

If the plant 'Box'; Buxus Sempervirens is left unclipped, it is less likely to succumb to box blight.

Time to change - start looking

Yes, I know it's been ages since the latest entry - just been working hard and not having the time...

My blog entries have mainly focused on gardening and allotment activities, but for a while I'm changing this.

A couple of months ago we met up with our daughter, husband and children and visited a local farm during an open farm weekend. While have some refreshments I was watching our little grand-daughter walking and she was distracted by a summer flower display. Obviously something she hadn't seen before and so took time to have a look - and learn. This got me thinking; just how much we adults just don't notice, or even take time to learn, or look at something new.

Well, I've set myself some sort of challenge; a 365 day (a whole year) challenge of daily looking out for something new, learning or seeing something I didn't know the day before. Hopefully I can do this; and am writing short notes daily to force myself to think about what happened during the day and was anything new to me.

Here are the first set of 'observations' -- things I didn't know when I started on the 14th July 2014.

Hopefully you might find something new yourself as you read!

365 day challenge
Learn or observe something new

Day 1: 14-July-2014
Doing some gardening for some clients I totally missed seeing new handrails installed on the front steps of the garden. When these were pointed out to me - I informed the client of the 365 day challenge and how I thought about starting this, so I've decided to start with a picture of the new hand rail.

Note to self - must do better to observe!


Day 2: 15-July-2014
Watched episode of BBC Click. Learned new development of drone technology - an autonomous capability that allows a drone to fly and follow a person and also film at the same time.

Day 3: 16-July-2014
Saw photo of 20 month old grand-daughter 'play feeding' her 'doll' friend; how quickly do young children learn!

Day 4: 17-July-2014
Saw a family group of house sparrows; mum, dad & 5 youngsters. All 5 small birds were feeding off weed seeds on our rough pathway in the garden. This brought home to me that plants we may consider a pain or having no purpose can support life! Being too tidy has an impact we may not be aware of.

Day 5: 18-July-2014
At the National Trust Snowshill Manor; noted items being thrown away. I spotted a large bracket and an old set of working sacktrucks. It was ok to take them. I hate seeing serviceable items being scrapped. Good to keep eyes open to spot opportunities.

Day 6: 19-July-2014
Installing software on new PC - found out that Microsoft stopped upgrading & support of MSMoney in 2007.

Day 7: 20-July-2014
Bought 2nd hand book from Snowshill fete book stall, about history of Minchinhampton Common. I didn't know that there is a long barrow (or tump) upon which in 1743 the Methodist preacher George Whitefield addressed a crowd some 20,000 strong.

Day 8: 21-July-2014
One of the most important things in life is knowledge, but this can only be applied through understanding. Both overcome ignorance.

Day 9: 22-July-2014
Useful to be assertive with clients sometimes when discussing what jobs to do (and which to delay), when the weather is very hot.

Day 10: 23-July-2014
Microsoft announce future strategy to bring a common operating environment across hardware platforms.

Day 11: 24-July-2014
In the Bible, in the Kingdom of God, the expression "for His name's sake" actually refers to God's reputation.

Day 12: 25-July-2014
Electricity supply had tripped out at Snowshill office, now know how to reset/restore supplies.

Day 13: 26-July-2014
Read news that the power station cooling towers at Didcot are to be demolished on 27-July-2014.

Day 14: 27-July-2014
At daughter's birthday party her friend's young daughter played guitar and sang; appears to have a natural gift to play a range of instruments - all self taught.

Day 15: 28-July-2014
Whilst working at a client's garden, a neighbour drew my attention to overgrown shrub, concerned something should be done to prevent further overhanging or blocking light. Decided not to get involved - leave such discussions to happen between neighbours - don't do others bidding.

Day 16: 29-July-2014
Read a story about convenience marriages in Yemen. If a brother & sister in one family marry a sister & brother from another family no doweries are paid. However, if one couple subsequently divorce, the other couple are forced to separate - what a bizarre tradition!

Day 17: 30-July-2014
Changes in law to allow further trials of 'driverless' cars on UK roads! Why?

Day 18: 31-July-2014
On BBC news - on the Internet there is a 'hidden' "darknet" used for and by drug dealers/distributors. This has a worldwide reach, taking drug dealing off the streets - drugs are mailed direct and anonymously to any address.

Day 19: 1-August-2014
Learned that NASA will be attempting to 'make' oxygen on MARS during the next mission to this planet.

Day 20: 2-August-2014
Checked someones Twitter profile - said they aim for ARCADIAN lifestyle. ARCADIAN = simple, rural, peaceful & contented life.

Colour, beauty and youth

In a previous blog entry entitled 'endings-and-beginnings'

I included an image of some plant pots within which I'd planted tulip bulbs, with much hope and faith for some spring colour.

The tulips have performed well, with a good show. They wouldn't have won any horticultural prizes but we were pleased to have such a range of shapes and colours to brighten the season. The very dark, almost black tulips had the look of natural silk - amazing to think of the miracle that happens to transform a hard, brown bulb to such a thing of beauty.

So for your pleasure I've included a few images below.

And... when we had a recent visit from our daughter and family, I was especially pleased to see our 17 month grand-daughter walking around our garden, taking a very early interest in gardening. Start em young I say..

A 'budding' young horticulturist in the making

Under way ..

The gardening season is well under way.

I'm back working with all my regular clients together with a new customer. Already I'm enjoying this new garden as the work will not only consist of maintenance activities, but helping the owner consider and implement some changes to the borders.

It's been very busy since mid March as all my client's gardens have needed loads of clearing/tidying to do.

The seasonal gardening job at Snowshill National Trust holiday cottages also features in my weekly garden visits. As there are 5 gardens to look after there has been much to catch up with, given that the gardens remained untended since I left them last year in early December.

Health wise this year hasn't been the best, a short list since mid January:
January - Cold/virus - knocked me hard for a week and a half.
Early April - Pulled back muscle(s) (1 day work lost).
Early April - Some ugly cold/virus - razor blade throat and major chest cough - approx 2 weeks in duration (1 week work lost).

So, now that I'm back to some degree of health normality I'm hopeful that the year ahead will be kinder to me.

With some settled weather this month it's been a pleasure to be working outside. Seeing spring arrive, with the glorious colours and fresh foliage appearing everywhere. I've managed a few visits to the allotment and so far the early potatoes are in. Onion sets are in pot trays at home, just starting to grow. I've learned the usual hard way that planting sets in open allotment ground is a fraught experience. Birds tend to get interested in new green shoots appearing and pull out the sets just as they start growing and in the past I've lost quite a few sets that way. So like most things destined for the allotment I start things off at home first in trays/pots. The allotment is a wild place....

I'm on Twitter and was interested to spot a new gardening group start up called @Oldhorts. This is a group of like minded gardeners interested in sharing their experiences. The organiser of this has also set up a network group called Old Horts at http://groupspaces.com/OldHorts. This looks like an interesting initiative which I've joined in with. As I understand,  interest in Horticulture with the younger generation is at a fairly low level, so anything that the established horticulture/gardening fraturnity can do to encourage each other and our youth has to be a good thing.

Preparation, preparation...

With a break in the wet weather, and with a little spare time available before I restart gardening for my customers, I managed to get to the allotment last week.

The primary activity was addressing the repair or replacement of a number of fence posts. All of the posts needing attention had rotted off within the ground. As I dug new holes for the replacements I hit very high ground water, literally 10-12 inches beneath the surface. Some wire fencing also needed attention having been in situ for over 10 years.

In addition to the repairs, the area of the plot that has the espalier apple trees has been tidied up, with lateral growth tied in and any wayward shoots pruned out.

Today another visit to feed all the fruit in this plot: apples, raspberries (summer and autumn varieties), blackcurrants; using pelleted chicken manure. After applying the feed I applied a mulch of compost (made on site). I was very pleased with the condition of this compost, being dark, rich and moist.

I attempted to apply a (late) winter wash to the apple trees to kill off over wintering pests, but as luck (or not) would have it, before I could complete the task, my 2 litre hand sprayer packed in and stopped working. Looks like a replacement is needed as I couldn't fix it even after washing it out.

The rhubarb is growing very well now, up at least 18 inches and we've already sampled the first pulling. Got some more today so rhubarb crumble must be on the Sunday lunch menu.

A few pictures are below just showing the fruit tree plot - up together, set for spring...