Category: Gardening

The Wattage Two Day Cure for all Ailments

It’s true, doesn’t matter if it is lumbago, rheumatism, arthritis, sciatica or a bout of the gout this is guaranteed to cure the lot in two days.

Firewood, cut it, split it, stack it on the woodpile.

firsts

There are three trees worth here, a Hickory, an Oak and a Maple, all hardwoods, probably totaling about three cords when cut and stacked, seasoned it should weigh about six tons, wet as it is it probably weighs twice that. The big stuff with the dark heartwood is the hickory. Bitternut is the variety that grows around here and it is very heavy wood, and one of the best in terms of heat content for firewood.

Continue reading “The Wattage Two Day Cure for all Ailments”

May-ish Photo Comp. – Trees.

Abject apologies for the lateness of this, I have been busy repairing some winter damage to the other house but that is no real excuse for my dereliction.  Anyway here we are and May is almost gone and photographic opportunities abound.  So how about we make the subject “Trees”.   It can be one, a few or a whole forest if can get them in the viewfinder.  I like trees and can often see the Ent in many of them.

Here are a few I took this morning wandering around the yard (me that is, the trees were their usual stationary selves).  t3cs

The conifer in the middle was our 1994 Christmas tree, now about 50 feet and thriving.

Continue reading “May-ish Photo Comp. – Trees.”

Rote learning

Before the 11 plus our primary school classroom would be full of the sound of children’s voices chanting their times tables, and other important facts, such as length from inches up to miles, depths in fathoms, areas in hectares and acres, weights up to tons….but most of these facts are lost to me, partly I suppose because of decimalisation, negating the need to know in so much detail. I didn’t find rote learning a useful tool, quite often finding myself speaking the ‘Nine eights are…’ then mumbling the rest. I do know of course now know my most of my times tables and have strategies for checking my memory! What I remember from those classroom days are random things like the texture of the speckled paint, the smells, the anxieties, the friendship inconsistencies, the risk of having one’s head knocked sideways for not knowing the value of a minim….

I wonder if any of the Charioteers can remember the wordings for rest of these classroom chants…. this is to do with a poetry project I’m working on. Interweb searching has not yielded results!

And just to prettify the post, here is a picture. Continue reading “Rote learning”

Gin and Fat.

Well this started out as a comment on Sipu’s recent post, then as usual it got so long and convoluted I decided it better belonged here.

A number of unforeseen consequences of Whitney’s cotton gin followed rapidly after its wider application.  The rapid growth in cotton fibre production in the southern states was accompanied by a huge supply of cottonseed, for every bale of cotton (480 lbs) an astonishing 700 pounds of cottonseed were produced, most of it was dumped in the nearest river (gins were often water powered) or simply left on the ground to rot.

Continue reading “Gin and Fat.”

Snakes

Here’s an interesting article from this morning’s weekend read…

Puff adder

AN INCREASE in snake sightings around Port Elizabeth has prompted experts to issue a warning as summer heats up, with residents cautioned against confronting the reptiles when they come across them.

Snake catcher and Sandula Conservation director Mark Marshall said he had received about 150 calls this month, averaging about five calls a day.

Snakes that have been caught in recent months include puff adders, cobras and boomslangs.

“Boomslangs have been reported in Pari Park and Bushy Park, puff adders in Sardinia Bay, Summerstrand and Walmer, while both cobras and puff adders are in Westering and surrounding areas,” Marshall said.

“There are very various contributing factors. Developments in residential areas have seen snakes seek refuge in other gardens and areas. Another major problem is illegal dumping of rubble and garbage which is where snakes hide and seek refuge.

“This is what keeps snakes in the area,” he said. Continue reading “Snakes”

A mountain to……shift

This is a pile of gravel similar in size to mine. I’ve just spread 10 cubic metres of the stuff around our yard and entrance area, with a little help from my wheelbarrow and a shovel. I reckon that’s enough to fill a fair sized minibus. So now I’m knackered/stoned/laid but proud/relieved/superior.

Do any of you lay claim to  stupendous physical achievements of late?