These times are changing it’s been five years, I’ve been blogging, and the software I’ve been using has run it’s course and it’s time to upgrade to something more current. Over the next coming months, I will try and merge aquablog and our house blogs into one blog, with different categories, rather than two seperate blogs which is how they exist at present. This will allow me to blog in more specific categories, fish house, garden DIY, car, computers, internet etc, you get the general idea. So you can select a category (section) to read, rather than ready all the rubbish I blog about. The FishHouse Blog! and Our House blogs haven’t moved and are still there. Just click the links to access them. Eventually they will be merged into categorys (sections) here.
Posts Tagged ‘house’
These times are changing…
Friday, April 3rd, 2009Real-Time Energy Usage on Blog
Thursday, April 2nd, 2009Real-time energy usage readout of electricity used in our house is now available for all to see. Average consumption is approx 3000 watts (3kW). If it increases to approx 6000 watts (6kW) then someone in the household has put the kettle or cooker on for tea! Between the hours of 12.30 – 7.30 GMT Economy 7 starts and in the winter the storage heaters turn on, so expect some high wattage readings between these hours.
Just refresh the web-page to see it change.
I blogged about this here.
Real-Time Energy Usage on Twitter
Monday, March 30th, 2009I blogged about my gadget Wattson,[here] if you missed it.
Well with some super software from Crispin called Powometer over at myenergyusage.org, I can now link my Wattson to the Internet and update twitter on my energy usage!
UPDATE 2nd April 2009 Crispin has done some work that now allows me to show you all LIVE power usage in watts!
Hawthorn hedging
Thursday, March 26th, 2009I’ll just tell it how it is, after the local council sprayed around the village notice board, the exact same width of hedge behind the notice board died!
After some discussions, ERYC sent me some free plants. Many Thanks to ERYC.
So, I decided to also order 50 x 110-125cm Hawthorn bareroot hedging plants, canes and spirals to patch the holes that have appeared in our old hedge that surrounds the front garden. They were ordered from Scot Plant Direct in Scotland, as they were very competitively priced, arrived the next day in great condition, and been living in moist compost since. But I must plant them out soon.
110-125cm Hawthorn bareroot hedging plants
Hawthorn bareroot hedging plants from ERYC
Tomatoe Seedlings transplated to 3″ pots
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009I transplanted all Tomatoe Seedlings into 3″ pots today. These will stay in these pots, until moved to their final position, in large pots or growbags, not decided yet! I may give some away, as there’s too many here for me! These are currently growing without heat, in the porch, I’ve now turned off the heated propagators.
View from above. Tomatoe Seedlings into 3″ pots.
View from side. Tomatoe Seedlings into 3″ pots.
“Pyrex Cloches” in use
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009Here are the glass “Pyrex Cloches” in use protecting my tomato plants. This variety is Totem, a bush variety, suitable for containers and patios.
I’m determine to get a crop of tomatos this year, and hence, I’m trying to get a head start by risking moving two plants outside in late March. In the warm weather the cloches get removed, but I leave them on in the cold wind and rain, and I night I put them to bed and cover them up.
“Pyrex Cloches” in use
At night the cloches get wrapped in large bubble-wrap, and covered with a draw-string frost protection fleece.
UPDATE 29th March 2009 It got that hot today, in the first hour between 11.00-12.00, that one of the tomato plants in the cloche, got fried! I don’t think it’s going to pull through! Umm!
Pyrex Cloche or Bell Jar?
Monday, March 23rd, 2009I use them as garden cloches to protect the plants from frost, the wind and rain, I cannot remember how they came into my possession, but I’ve had them roughly 10 years now, they’ve been stuck behind the greenhouse for the last 2-3 years, but I want a head start on my outdoor tomatoes this year, so I’ve cleaned them ready for use to protect my tomato plants from the cold winds and frost.
If you know what they are, answers on a postcard to …
Pictured from the top, it has a metal pipe screwed into the top, sealed with a rubber seal.
The makers stamp can be clearly seen. Manufactured by Pyrex, Made in England
I have two of these glass items, and as you can see, they’ve had special metal frames that carry them. They are open at the bottom, and the glass fits the frame exactly.
What’s in the Greenhouse
Sunday, March 22nd, 2009Well it’s not really a greenhouse or is it, it’s a plastic 6ftx4ft greenhouse, I purchased it from Littlewoods when they closed down for very little money, but the plastic cover only lasted one season and I had to renew it, special order from Gardman in Lincs, just down the road! They don’t really do Mail Order, but I couldn’t get a replacement cover anywhere, I don’t think my greenhouse was originally a Gardman, but the cover fits. I don’t think any of the Gardman garden products are made in the UK, I think they are all made in China, but could be proved wrong!
Anyway back to what’s growing in the greenhouse, the porch is full of Tomato seedlings and chitting potatoes, and the greenhouse is full of the following:-
- Sweat Peas Lathyrus odoratus
- King Size Navy Blue
- Midnight
- Blue Velvet
- Mutacana
- Blue Ripple
- Nasturtium majus
- Black Velvet
- Milkmaid
I’ve gone for a blue and purple theme this year with the sweat peas, and black and white again with the Nasturtium, although last year some of the Milkmaid turned out to be red and orange! Here’s a picture, I took to show Thompson & Morgan. Their excellent customer service department, sent me four packs of seeds free of charge for the inconvenience. Thank You!
Nasturtium majus MilkMaid “Red”
So until these get planted the green house is full to the brim.
Sweat Peas in Green House No.1
Sweat Peas in Green House No.2
Sweat Peas in Green House No.3
Sweat Peas in Green House No.4
Sweat Peas in Green House No.5
One day I’d love a real greenhouse or poly tunnel!!!
I always purchase my flower and vegetable seeds from Thompson & Morgan. Great value, fantastic stock, and let us not forget fabulous customer service.
Chitting Potatoes
Saturday, March 21st, 2009To chit or not to chit, that is the question?
Chitting Potatoes
Not very exciting, I’ve got four varieties to try and plant this year, First and Second Earlies, a Salad and Main crop.
- First Earlies Epicure
- Second Earlies Edzell Blue
- Salad Anya
- Maincrop Organic Lady Balfour
I’ve got plenty of compost in the compost heap, and this year I’ve purchased 14 and 36 litre plastic exhibitor bags. Not that I’m entering any competitions, it was just cheaper, than purchasing ready made filled compost bags!
Tomatoe Seedlings
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009Some of the seeds I’ve been growing this month, determined to get a head start this year, and get a crop of tomatoes, (weather permitting). I’ve placed tomatoe and chilli seeds in heated propagators to get the seeds germinating quicker and to give me a head start.
Heated Propagators
Once, they’ve germinated I’ve removed the seedlings into un-heated propagators (these are B&Q heated propagators, but not plugged in!).
Un-heated Propagators
Propagators with the covers off.
Click image for a close-up of seedlings
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