Category Archives: Environment

Memory Lane, 21st December 2022: Winter solstice

Posted on April 17, 2024 by james

So what on earth are these dandelions up to?

Posted in Environment | Leave a comment

Memory Lane, 5th November 2022: What time of year is it again?

Posted on April 3, 2024 by james

Wandering around the garden today, I see dandelions flowering: Blackberries in bud: Nasturtiums (hiding under the leaves) and pot marigolds (calendula) in flower: Clary in flower: And borage, too: Strawberries flowering as well: Lots of flower on the chile plants … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged | Leave a comment

Is it possible to build an ark out of ply?

Posted on March 28, 2024 by james

Because I think I might need to 😀 Today has been possibly one of the most grim days weatherwise that I can recall here. My wife apparently woke up to blue skies and (unforecast) frost. By the time I’d dragged … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged | Leave a comment

Memory Lane, 26th October 2022: Zombie caterpillar

Posted on March 24, 2024 by james

I’ve not noticed this before, but it seems to have been a pretty good year for Large White caterpillars and therefore presumably for their predators. I was confused as to what was going on at first, what the little yellow … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , | Leave a comment

It’s the end of the anemometer as we know it…

Posted on February 27, 2024 by james

We’ve had really quite cold north-easterly winds for the last few days, and fairly strong with it as there’s absolutely nothing at all to provide shelter from that direction. I noticed the anemometer for my weather station was looking a … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Early celandines

Posted on February 16, 2024 by james

Mid-February feels very early for celandines to be flowering here, but they’re definitely giving it some serious thought. Even the daffodils aren’t out yet, though by the look of the buds they won’t be too long now.

Posted in Environment | Tagged | Leave a comment

Storm Eunice damage

Posted on February 21, 2022 by james

Our house is in quite an exposed position being pretty much on the top of a hill with little to shelter it from the wind in any direction, but despite being on the edge of the Met Office’s “red” warning … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Great Leek Scape

Posted on January 7, 2022 by james

Or perhaps not, given today’s weather, but the weather is presumably what is responsible for the behaviour of this particular leek that I noticed in the veggie plot yesterday and photographed today after a snow shower with the biggest snowflakes … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Smallholding, Veg plot | Tagged | Leave a comment

Growing Degree Days

Posted on January 7, 2022 by james

I’ve come across the concept of Heating Degree Days or Cooling Degree Days in work I’ve done (basically the number of days where the temperatures has crossed some specific threshold where heating or cooling of a building is required) and … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

The rain gauge is playing up again :(

Posted on December 6, 2021 by james

When I put it back up things seemed to be going well, but over the last few days the rain gauge has been giving some very strange results. I suspect it has been counting bucket tips when there aren’t any, … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Projects | Tagged | Leave a comment