Early Winter Bits and Bobs.

[robo]

I had a quick look around our allotment when I went to feed the chickens today only looked at about 6 of the nearby plots, 2 pollytunnels missing the roof off a shed gone no sign of it anywhere one greenhouse has some glass panels missing the guy that owns it has wrapped the whole greenhouse in cling film to stop anymore damage various sheds have felt on the roofs ripped and flapping around and the winds are forecast to get stronger overnight

[Ricard with an H]

The power source for our WiFi has blown down in the strong winds, solar panel glazing is smashed though I think the wind turbine just took a knock. It's all been taken down and away so we're left powered by the batteries, I don't know how long they will last. Nor do I know what plans the installers have for replacement.

It must have been very dangerous for them just disassembling the bits, I walked up there yesterday morning, the wind was so strong it was difficult walking in a straight line.

This installation was always going to be part of a learning curve for the installers, I inspected the installation myself and couldn't fault it though in hindsight a smaller wind turbine might have survived.

No other damage to roofs or trees, just one of the farm gates has sheared the eye-bolt hinge so it's flapping around on one hinge.

[Pa Snip]

Morning Richard, there's nothing like going away to make us realize, there's no place like home.....

I hope Pa Snip is alright, as he hasn't been on here for a few days!!!!

Hi There OH
Thanks for the thought.

I'm fine, just been taking a break from the site having become a little disillusioned one way and another recently.

My magazine subscription is due up for renewal and I am debating with myself whether to bother. May switch to another mag.
Have not been impressed recently by the delays in receiving the magazine, some months I could have got it in the shops quicker. December issue finally arrived November 16th after I rang the office. Now the January issue hasn't turned up yet and I have received a reminder informing me I have now received my last issue, which is actually the January one.

Another reason for being quiet is I have been indulging myself with my new camera, been out buying a variety of new lenses, spent a few grand on myself. Bit self indulgent but so what.

Weather not been conducive for going up the plot much, up until Wednesday of last week I had been up once about three weeks ago. Went up Wednesday and started filling the new raised beds. I managed to shift three tonnes of topsoil and about fifteen hundred litres of the composted manure into them by Friday.

Still got a lot of end of season tidying up to do and changes to make

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Interesting sky out there this morning, looking out as I type this it has a lot of grey clouds in with white cloud which has a slight reddish hue, blowing in from the west

[oldherbaceous]

Good morning Pa Snip, i think most of us have that feeling now and again at this time of the year.....but very nice to see a post from you. I still haven't started any winter digging yet, but there's plenty of time for that.

We have been very lucky here, regarding the wind and rain, with just minimal damage....but my heart goes out to anyone that has suffered any damage.

[dan3008]

Firstly welcome back pa

Another reason for being quiet is I have been indulging myself with my new camera, been out buying a variety of new lenses, spent a few grand on myself. Bit self indulgent but so what.

ooo, new camrea and lenses Always a nice way to indulge. Between me and my wife we have £3000 worth of lenses (ish, the cost of most of them has droped as new ones come out) and 2 versions of the same camera body... lol
Lets not start a brand loyalty war though we all know nikon are the best ;p lol

Well its nice to see you back, and even if you cancel your subscription, do keep posting here its quiet when you dont

[snooky]

Nikon? Second best to Pentax!

[dan3008]

Nikon? Second best to Pentax!

You had to go there... Pentax are ok if you just want a point an shoot, and their bridge cameras are the best by far. but they should have kept out the DSLR market... Specially since Nikon supply Pentax lens's lol

[Geoff]

My Canon EOS of over 10 years seems a bit behind now.

[oldherbaceous]

Yours sounds quite modern compared to my Box Brownie, Geoff....

[Primrose]

Good to see you back Pa Snip and the photos which look as if they've been having a trial run with the new camera. That is a lot of composted manure shifting but the raised beds look good.

Do tell though. What are rhe inverted bottles on sticks for ? Are they just to avoid poking your eyes out or some kind of miniature wind balloons for the nearby airfield ??

We dug our oldest compost heap out today and apart from the several pounds of unsolicited potatoes we harvested, was very surprised to see a lively frog leaping out and hopping around . I guess despite the gales the weather has been very mild and he hadn't yet fully hibernated. . He still has another compost cage to settle down in and hibernate for the rest of winter.

Do hope everybody is able to get their storm dsmage rectified soon. It's very dispiriting to see all your building and DIY work wrecked. I think the guys teying to sort out the damaged power lines have a particularly unpleasant job to do working in such wet and windy conditions. .

[Pa Snip]

Dan,
Thanks for the welcome back
Spot on on the brand. I sit firmly in the Nikon camp.
Have had a D70 for many years with the following Nikon lenses
18-70mm
28-80mm
70-300mm
plus 1 x 170mm - 500mm Sigma lens

Recent purchase is a Nikon D750 with the following lenses
16 - 35mm (the lens used for the two pictures on my last post.)
28 - 300mm
80 - 400mm

Now looking for 2 x converter and a new camera bag to suit

Geoff
Nowt wrong with a Canon EOS, popular camera in its day, like so many cameras and phones though if its more than a few months old its probably already been superseded



Primrose
There is a popular myth that the clatter of plastic bottles in the wind scares birds away. Myth it certainly is, bit like hanging old cd's around.
However plastic bottles are effective against poking yourself in the eye, or elsewhere, with a sharp stick. They also provide some weather protection for the plant labels that I use Dymo tape labels on.

[Ricard with an H]

Cameras, I've been there, still have an old E-something. Just under the F3at the time and a wonderfull brass-bodied piece of kit though useless for me compared to modern digital. I just have two point and shoot type camera that I find useful for the Internet.

I once won a competition run by a developer of film, it wasn't particularly my skill that won the award rather being in the right place just at the time. I was in Pennsylvania USA and photographed autumn colour. It was sensational.

Both my cameras take good snaps but you can still mess up, my partner has never grasped that even with auto-focus you have to help the camera and-she nearly always ends up with foggy snaps.

My very last project was 25 years ago, old/ancient gate posts and parts of ancient walls. No one understood my expressions so I threw my toys out and never took a serious photo again.

I did more recently spot an opportunity on a slate cliff face where a piece of thrift was happily growing all by itself, the colour was fabulous and I managed a decent composition with a tatt camera. I must find that snap for you. Some people still just stare at that snap when I display it.

[Geoff]

I can't post another wind chart - my weather station succumbed to the storm. The transmitter part of it failed while it was under warranty some years ago and they sent me a complete new station so I have had a supply of spare parts but this time the transmitter has failed again after the whole thing came crashing down; I was unlucky it hit a post supporting netting round the cabbages.
So anybody know anything about weather stations? With my good internet connection I'm considering setting up one I can broadcast on the Wunderground network with a webcam showing our view down the valley to the Lake District mountains but I haven't so far come up with a plan. There are quite a few models with a big price range with little to suggest what is good value. There are diy projects too based on things like Raspberry Pi so any experience most welcome.

[Pa Snip]

Geoff,

That sounds like a project idea and a half.

Like the sound of the webcam view down the valley

Unfortunately I have no knowledge of such things other than my hand held anemometer

Sorry I cant provide anything other than encouragement

[Ricard with an H]

Same happened to mine Geoff, I have a few pals who ran weather stations and it was always electronics that failed.

Our wifi array possibly failed through a classic problem that the installers hadn't considered because they hadn't come across it before. Wind sets up vibration, if you add a wind turbine you get more so those mini U bolts they use to terminate steel cables need a waterproof thread-lock and where the cable bends you should use thimbles. Vibration loosens the tightest nuts and wears through steel cables.

Do you know about "vortex shedding" ?

I don't think they do.

If you do install a new station you'll need a domain and someone to host it, most of the installation logistics recommended won't consider our often extreme conditions so be obsessive.