Bits and Bobs No 15.

[alan refail]

Round these parts we're hoping the forecast rain arrives this afternoon. A few days of wet and warm might get the grass growing in the brown fields.

[Geoff]

Anybody talking about a drought yet? Parched brown fields all round here with the farmers still feeding the sheep. Had a picnic beside Manchester's reservoir at Thirlmere last week and we were sat on tree stumps that should have been well under water.

[Clive.]

A gentle refreshing shower would perhaps be good round here....
....but do let me get a few jobs done on the ground first ...
We have been a bit busy inside painting a greenhouse this week.

Clive.

[Geoff]

Probably a question for Clive. Heard a noisy aircraft this afternoon and when it appeared out of the clouds it was large and seemed to have 6 turboprops. I have a Jane's Fourth Edition 1989 but can't find anything like it. Could have been coming from Northern Ireland. A Short's product or a figment of my imagination? I was too far from the house to get the camera in time.

[Clive.]

Hello Geoff,
Could this have been one of the older models of C130 Hercules transports.?? They can have a large fuel tank on each wing between the engines..thus it can appear that there are 6 engines. The older models are quite noisey and smokey beasts whilst the newer ones (I can't remember the designation ) are much more quite with some new fangle clever props and don't sound much louder than those single turboprop Tucano trainers that wizz about..

It seems to have been a busy couple of days for things flying about...the newish Sentinel surveillance? machine has been about several times today...and this afternoon a now quite old HS125 Dominie navigator trainer..flew by up the main lawn...with the emphasis on flew by and not flew over.

We have at the local RAF base an evaluation squadron that is currently operating a Tornado GR4 that has a flare pod fitted that once empty makes a really raucous howl...it is well impressive. ...as it screams past en route back to base...it was about a few times earlier in the week.

Meanwhile, in between aircraft spotting I have been laying a few slabs today in front of the greenhouse that is under rebuild...

Clive.

[oldherbaceous]

Let me just fetch my spirit level!

[Monika]

Hope the slabs went down level, Clive! We were doing something very similar, putting a long concrete border to a flower bed which, until then, has always been spilling over onto the limestone chippings path, particularly with blackbirds pecking in the soil and throwing it about! Now its a lovely tidy border, still looking a bit new and stark, but it will be good to keep it tidy.

About the rain, Geoff: we are still waiting for rain, too. For the whole of March, we have had just 3mm of rain so far and everything is really dry. Lovely to dig, but I have had to water the long rose hedge and pyracantha hedge we planted last year because I was getting worried about their water uptake. The lambs in the fields around us are scratting about for a bit of greenery now they are starting on "solids".

Should be wet overnight and tomorrow - I'll believe it when I see it.

[Clive.]

Let me just fetch my spirit level!

Spirit level not very applicable even if I was paying full attention.
Due to some interesting levels..or not levels...of the general area. I just hope I have estimated the height correctly that the greenhouse builder is going to cast the new door threshold at ..or else I may well be typing of laying slabs again next week

Clive.

[Geoff]

That does look possible Clive. It went back later but I was in the house and reacted too slowly to get a better look or a photo - perhaps it will be back.

Monika - it was only increasingly cloudy then but now we have gentle rain. Sheep are still being fed hay round here as no grass growing. With the amount of muck and slurry that has been spread I guess it will all green up pretty quickly when it rains. Must service the mower!

[Clive.]

Hello Geoff,
Having had a nosey around on another forum that I sometimes frequent re the things that fly by...I see that a USAF MC130P Hercules Combat Shadow? was about in N. Wales yesterday doing some low level stuff through the Pass that they seem to refer to as Cad.?
I see it has 2 fuel? pods on each wing...so another possibility if you see and 8 "engine" one about.

10mm rain overnight here.


Clive.

[Monika]

It's raining, it's raining! Nearly 11mm since last night and more forecast for today. That should green things up a bit. And a sunny day for tomorrow!

[glallotments]

It's raining here too but the ground has never been as dry as many have said. We didn't have many days on rain in February but what we did have brought us to about 93% of the expected monthly rainfall.
We crossed the Pennines last week and the reservoirs that we passed (over Woodhead Pass) were full.

[alan refail]

Hello Geoff,
Having had a nosey around on another forum that I sometimes frequent re the things that fly by...I see that a USAF MC130P Hercules Combat Shadow? was about in N. Wales yesterday doing some low level stuff through the Pass that they seem to refer to as Cad.?
I see it has 2 fuel? pods on each wing...so another possibility if you see and 8 "engine" one about.

10mm rain overnight here.


Clive.

Hi Clive

"Cad Pass" is the A487 below Cadair Idris between Tallyllyn and Dolgellau

HERE on Streetview

[Clive.]

Thank you for the link Alan...

A few years ago I did help to build a stone wall below Cadair Idris...but was on the North side.....and didn't get to see the aeroplanes..

Can't win 'em all...........

Clive.

[Geoff]

Weeding the bed under a conifer tree I came across this strange object. Might not show up too well but it is about the size of a coconut, very light and with the remains of a thin branch running through it. I thought it might be an old wasp's nest but when I cut it open it was just like brown balsa wood. I guess it is some sort of gall, anybody seen one or got any other ideas?

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