Sometimes I do wonder what the Met Office are thinking

Posted on June 22, 2026 by james

From today’s forecast:

So, at midday they’re showing a less than 5% chance of precipitation, but showing a “showers” icon. Then from 1pm there’s a 20% chance of precipitation, but no “showers” icon.

Errr, what?

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Speidel apple press bleed valve replacement

Posted on June 22, 2026 by james

Some time back I posted a photo of one of these presses where the top of the (brass) bleed valve had snapped off flush with the top of the central stainless steel support for the bladder.

In an attempt to escape the heat (successful) and humidity (not successful) today, I repaired to the workshop to see what could be done.

I tried to drive the remainder of the valve anti-clockwise with a drift to undo it, but it wasn’t really working that well. At that point I was contemplating sawing off the top of the valve “plunger” to try to get access to more of the threaded section of the valve. Then it occurred to me to try driving something into the gap between the plunger and valve body to the point where it was stuck fast, and then just turn the entire thing out with a pair of pliers.

Having cast aside a number of possible “wedges”, I found a self-drilling Tek screw. It filled the gap and drove in until it was nicely stuck in the gap. Pliers weren’t up to the job, but a set of Mole grips (a tool no self-respecting workshop should be without 😀 ) did the job in a few seconds. Easy peasy.

It took a few more seconds to fish out the old spring (beneath the plunger) with a bit of wire, then drop the new spring and plunger into place and screw the new valve body down.

I still need to give the press a quick test to make sure the valve vents properly, but thus far it looks like a job well done. And just as well given that a replacement press is now over £900!

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I think this dog must be quite ill

Posted on June 22, 2026 by james

It has been throwing up all over my polytunnel…

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A shaggy inkcap story

Posted on June 22, 2026 by james

At least, that’s what I think this is. I discovered it, all by its lonesome, in the polytunnel when I was watering this evening. If my identification is correct then I gather they’re considered very tasty, but you have to eat them pretty much as soon as you find them so it’s too late for this one already.

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What a storm!

Posted on June 22, 2026 by james

This is the lightning strikes map for the storm that passed overhead today (as mentioned in my previous post). Different colour dots represent strikes that occurred in various time ranges from up to ten minutes (red) to between fifty minutes and an hour (blue). I’ve never seen a storm so big. The thunder was basically continuous, though I didn’t see that many bolts of lightning, I assume because the cloud was so thick.

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No dig diary, 22nd June 2026

Posted on June 22, 2026 by james

With a forecast of ridiculously high temperatures here in the wilds of West Somerset starting today, I got out early and opened up the greenhouses and polytunnel (which was already very hot). Some of the peppers were looking rather droopy, but a good splash of water fixed that and they’re now back to normal.

The main job of the day was to get all the large brassicas covered with butterfly netting and remove the insect mesh that they’ve been under since being planted out as they’re getting too large for it. In the heat and humidity it was quite an unpleasant job, but then everything changed. The sky turns exceptionally dark, torrential rain began to fall and thunder started to crash around me. In fact the thunder was pretty much non-stop. Rain stopped play at that point. I don’t mind getting a little damp (in fact it would have been quite nice at the time), but soaked to the skin is less fun.

Once the weather had settled down again I finished getting the netting on the first row and removed the mesh, but I still need to remove the hoops (not least because I want to use them elsewhere) and tidy up/remove a few weeds and volunteer potatoes.

Tomorrow I must get another half-row covered as they’re getting too big, too.

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My Dog Vomit slime mould is bleeding!

Posted on June 22, 2026 by james

Sort of 😀

Looks like it is, though clearly that can’t be the case. I can’t find any information on what the liquid is though.

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And once again…

Posted on June 22, 2026 by james

This is getting predictable now…

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It’s called what?!

Posted on June 21, 2026 by james

This appeared in the polytunnel today. I’m not certain, but I think it’s a slime mould that’s commonly known as “Dog Vomit Fungus”, despite looking an awful lot like scrambled egg.

I’m not sure if this is the same thing at a later stage of development.

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No dig diary, 21st June 2026

Posted on June 21, 2026 by james

The most important thing to do today was to dig up the first of this year’s crop of potatoes to have with dinner. I went to one of the plants at the end of the bed, pulled all the haulms together and lifted. Wow! There were clearly quite a few potatoes there! I picked out the ones I could see and then explored for more. And more. And they just kept coming! This is the entire harvest from that one plant.

Close to 2.3kg in total. I can’t imagine all the plants will be as productive, but if they are then I can see us eating potatoes with every meal until Christmas 😀

I also needed to get started on replacing the insect mesh over the brassicas with bird/butterfly netting. I got a fair way with that, but eventually ran out of time. Not least because it was just so unpleasantly hot and humid today. At one point I came indoors for a drink and was almost literally sitting in a puddle of my own sweat. Euwww.

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