Day 200 reached !

A milestone reached in my 365 'observe & learn' challenge; 200 days...

Hope you find at least one entry interesting and perhaps learn something you didn't already know !


Day 163: 23-Dec-14 The WMF factory famed for producing German Art Nouveau items, typically silver plated and polished pewter

Day 164: 24-Dec-14 King Henry VIII died in 1547

Day 165: 25-Dec-14 How times change; Christmas Day, some family members live away:- using Skype on Christmas Day afternoon to see and talk with them.

Day 166: 26-Dec-14 In 1832 the Dent family acquired Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe, Gloucestershire.

Day 167: 27-Dec-14 According to the Great Garden Revival programme, we import approx 90% of our fresh fruit into the UK.

Day 168: 28-Dec-14 Sir George Gilbert Scott designed the Victorian Albert memorial in London.

Day 169: 29-Dec-14 Learned that the author of Spot (the dog) books passed away this year.

Day 170: 30-Dec-14 Learned that Ian Fleming (James Bond author) wrote 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'.

Day 171: 31-Dec-14 Figs have been grown in the UK since 1550.

Day 172: 1-Jan-15 The Asian caterpillar newly arrived in the UK attacks ornamental Box (Buxus) plants.

Day 173: 2-Jan-15 Anglo-Saxon refers to settlers from the German regions of Angeln + Saxony, began attacking Roman Britain in AD410.

Day 174: 3-Jan-15 The owner of 'Cragside'; William Armstrong - inventor; built from scratch complete with 4Km(sq) gardens.

Day 175: 4-Jan-15 The Docklands railway in London has driverless trains.

Day 176: 5-Jan-15 60% of our fruit trees have disappeared since the 1930's (according to the National Trust).

Day 177: 6-Jan-15 When the sailing ship Cutty Sark traided with China, it brought 600 tonnes of tea to Britain each trip.

Day 178: 7-Jan-15 The planet Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh.

Day 179: 8-Jan-15 Hamamelis x intermedia 'Orange Peel' - witch hazel:



Day 180: 9-Jan-15 Enjoyed a shared first cup of coffee in the 'Boston Tea Party' cafe in Cheltenham.

Day 181: 10-Jan-15 Christian Fletcher of Mutiny On the Bounty fame was born in Cockermouth.

Day 182: 11-Jan-15 Just a reminder; how greatful I am to enjoy fresh, clean water in my home.

Day 183: 12-Jan-15 In 2014, 70,000 road accidents were caused by collisions with deer.

Day 184: 13-Jan-15 Another opportunity to say how much I appreciate having electricity in my home.

Day 185: 14-Jan-15 Eastnor Castle (Herefordshire) was built in the first part of the C19 - its architect was Robert Smirke.

Day 186: 15-Jan-15 And it is wonderful that I have a constant supply of gas to my home.

Day 187: 16-Jan-15 The Humber Estuary is 5 miles wide at its widest point as it flows in to the North Sea.

Day 188: 17-Jan-15 The combination of water, electricity and gas enables my central heating system - miraculous!

Day 189: 18-Jan-15 It's Winnie The Poo day today!


Day 190: 19-Jan-15 Nine years in creation, Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.

Day 191: 20-Jan-15 The Metropolitan railway was the first underground line in London (and the World!).

Day 192: 21-Jan-15 Made aware of a woman's dress style known as "A Shift Dress" - features straight lines, doesn't hug the body and is typically sleeveless.

Day 193: 22-Jan-15 Learned that a 'Lancet' window is a tall, narrow window with pointed arch at its top - typically seen in Gothic styled churches.

Day 194: 23-Jan-15 On my Raspberry Pi computer learning about external interface programming with interrupts (trying to keep my mental activity stimulated!).

Day 195: 24-Jan-15 During 1854/55 Dr John Snow deduced that water carried cholera, from his studies in Soho, London.

Day 196: 25-Jan-15 Computer USB 3.0 has a top data transfer speed of 5Gbps. USB 3.1 doubles this to 10Gbps.

Day 197: 26-Jan-15 The USB Type-C port is about the size of a Micro-B USB connector; both ends of the cable are the same which enables reversible plug-and-play with no worries about plugging in connectors up-side-down.

Day 198: 27-Jan-15 The Humber Bridge was opened in 1981; at that time it was the longest single span suspension bridge in the world.

Day 199: 28-Jan-15 The word Pugnacious; an adjective meaning, Eager or quick to argue, quarrel or fight.

Day 200: 29-Jan-15 William Armstrong invented the world's first water powered hydraulic crane (He of Cragside hydro-electric fame).

Leading up to Christmas..

More observations, things heard, seen and inwardly digested with my 365 day challenge..


Day 129: 19-Nov-14 Learned about Quatrefoils:
 
 decorative panels on medieval / Tudor buildings; Little Moreton Hall has examples.

Day 130: 20-Nov-14 Word 'unalloy' meaning = of emotions, complete and unreserved

Day 131: 21-Nov-14 PINETUM = conifer collection

Day 132: 22-Nov-14 Gertrude Jekyll 1843-1932; designed a walled garden planting plan on Holy Island, Northumberland; but she never saw the completed garden in her life-time.

Day 133: 23-Nov-14 The Gold Coast of Australia is so named after the financial & property development after the 2nd World War (not a descriptor of the beaches sand colour)

Day 134: 24-Nov-14 Peel Island south of Brisbane, Australia once housed a leper colony.

Day 135: 25-Nov-14 The Bridgewater Canal, 1st canal in the UK between Worsley & Manchester started construction in 1759, length 10.5 miles, cost £50k opened in 1765. Annually generated £75k revenue.

Day 136: 26-Nov-14 Chief Engineer, "James Brindley" of the Bridgewater Canal.

Day 137: 27-Nov-14 The height of the tallest spire of Truro cathedral is 250ft (it has 3 spires).

Day 138: 28-Nov-14 MONDRIAN wall - Dutchman Piet Mondrian geometric compositions

Day 139: 29-Nov-14 At RHS London Harvest Festival show 7-8 October, heaviest pumpkin weighed 305kg / 673lbs.

Day 140: 30-Nov-14 Risk to Eucalyptus trees in the UK from Eucalyptus leaf beetle

First found in Ireland 2007, has been noted in London in 2012.

Day 141: 1-Dec-14 In 1913, Ford Motor Company began operating the world's first moving assembly line for the mass production of cars.

Day 142: 2-Dec-14 During the last 500 years, 800 species have become extinct.

Day 143: 3-Dec-14 Reminded of lovely ornamental grass - Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'


Day 144: 4-Dec-14 First practical steam powered paddleship 'Comer', constructed & sailed on River Cylde (Scotland)

Day 145: 5-Dec-14 On BBC Bargain Hunt; learned about how Burr Walnut is formed.

Day 146: 6-Dec-14 Bruce Forsyth's great(x4) grandfather was plantsman & royal gardener (William Forsyth), born in 1737. The plant genus 'Forsythia' was named in his honour by Danish-Norwegian botanist Martin Vahl.

Day 147: 7-Dec-14 "Stokesay Castle", Shropshire, is England's oldest moated & fortified manor house built in the late 13th Century.

Day 148: 8-Dec-14 The word 'Antecedent'; a thing that existed before or logically precedes another, or a person's ancestors.

Day 149: 9-Dec-14 The inventor of Boolean logic, George Boole died 150 years ago aged 49.

Day 150: 10-Dec-14 The Waverley steam powered passenger paddle steamer is the last ocean going steamer in the world.

Day 151: 11-Dec-14 Abbotsberry sub tropical garden in Dorset has 3500 species from around the world.

Day 152: 12-Dec-14 Cumbernauld in Scotland - famed for IRNBRU production (by the Barr's company)

Day 153: 13-Dec-14 Saw a picture of a snowshoe hare (new animal to me)

Day 154: 14-Dec-14 Linithgow - birth place of Mary Queen of Scots

Day 155: 15-Dec-14 New word (from BBC Pointless game); Merlons - the parts of parapet walls between embrasures.

Day 156: 16-Dec-14 Saw a one legged robin close to me in a client's garden; it was still happy to sing!

Day 157: 17-Dec-14 Read article about OLED flat panel lighting - easier on the eye than bulbs - Acuity

Day 158: 18-Dec-14 On my RaspberryPi computer; finally succeeded in configuring file sharing across the network using SAMBA

Day 159: 19-Dec-14 Joined Facebook; so I can be part of the OLDHORTS group; also on Twitter & formerly Groupspace.

Day 160: 20-Dec-14 Joined ALLHORTS group on Facebook.

Day 161: 21-Dec-14 Learning about profile security on Facebook.

Day 162: 22-Dec-14 Saw article on TV how fresh garden peas are harvested & processed.

It's getting more difficult

My 'self-imposed' 365 day observing challenge continues, and it's becoming harder than I thought. Here is the next batch, the source of some of these has been quite surprising. If you find only one item interesting then I'd be pleased to hear from you..

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Day 109: 30-Oct
New word to me: 'deleterious' = harmful, injurious, hurtful.

Day 110: 31-Oct
Latin name for the horse chestnut tree = Aesculus hippocastanum


Day 111: 1-Nov
Received my Toilet Twinning certificate

Day 112: 2-Nov
Learned (on Put Your Money where Your mouth is programme) that the Chrysanthemum is the national flower of Japan (the crest and seal of the Emperor).

Day 113: 3-Nov
Plant 'Red Valerian' (Centranthus ruber) a common plant whose name I keep forgetting! This plant may be annuals or perennials - a woody based perennial, grey-green leaves, dense clusters of crimson, pink or white - slightly fragrant
flowers.

Day 114: 4-Nov
Watched a programme about soil - fascinating insights and some techniques to protect soil & prevent water run-off.

Day 115: Black spots on Sycamore tree leaves (tar spot - Rhytisma acerinum) - essentially a harmless virus.


Day 116: Came across a new word to me: Aphorism = a terse saying embodying a general truth, or maxim.

Day 117: Plant Nicandra physalodes - common name is the shoo-fly plant.


Day 118: The RHS was founded in 1804.

Day 119: Read a brief description about the future version of MS Windows operating system (Windows 10).

Day 120: The plant Buxus (Box) suffers from Box Blight (Cylindrocladium buxicola). Symptoms are dark brown leaf spots, black streaks on stems & severe leaf loss.

Day 121: The 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics - awarded for the invention of the blue light emitting diode; Red leds were invented in the early 1960s.

Day 122: The word 'mercurial' - in the context of gardening conditions; unpredictable.

Day 123: Amethyst; a violet coloured variety of quartz; semiprecious, birthstone for February.

Day 124: Flyer through the door advertising 'Ear Candling' - new one on me; suggest you might want to read this first at Quackwatch

Day 125: Leeds Castle in Kent; a castle has been on site since 1119.

Day 126: Found out today that Dr Myles Munroe, an inspirational Christian teacher & leader of the Bahamas Faith Ministries International, died in an aircraft crash (9-Nov-2014)

Day 127: Sourced an electronic component (a thermal fuse) to repair the blower fan in my van, cost was £1.29. Recent garage bill previously to source & replace previously was £63.19 inc labour!

Day 128: Building technique known as 'Jettying' introduced in C14/15th - used in medieval timber-frame buildings where an upper floor projects beyond the dimensions of the floor below. Stokesay Castle is a good example