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... the sky is baby blue, and the just-unfurling leaves ...
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Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sun Jun 30, 19 8:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Houses tend to be like that. Good luck with your pipe. The nettles sound like a good place to investigate as they like that sort of thing.

Yes, all went well at the crematorium. We had a wake afterwards at the social club that Mum and Dad had patronised, and we hope to have a barbecue in the woods later in the summer as a family get together. It seems a good way to celebrate Mum to get all together.

It was very hot here yesterday, so apart from delivering some charcoal, we didn't do a great deal. I managed to do a little more digging in the evening, but didn't do too much as it was too hot. Watered the greenhouse and newly planted cabbages and gave the root crops a bit of water. I then made the mistake of weeding them rather than doing it the other way round.

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Sun Jun 30, 19 2:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Daytime temperatures in the low 90s Fahrenheit. Not so brutal as France is experiencing but still - it's uncomfortable.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Mon Jul 01, 19 7:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

That sounds pretty hot Jam Lady. We had one day in the low 80s F, and that was far too hot. We don't have air conditioning in most houses here, so temperature has to be kept down with judicious use of open windows to let any wind in.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 19 2:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Our weather is also summer, but clearly not as hot as "down there" or across "the pond". It is warm and comfortable, not so hot that people are getting agitated with each other-just right- for most folks anyway.

To continue the sewer pipe end is still elusive! I am wondering if it crosses the road at an angle I am putting water into it but at present it is backing up to allow water to escape before it crosses the road, although we have had some water appear on the other side but an insignificant quantity in relation to the amount put down. Once the end is located we can rod it and, hopefully, it will work without too much bother-ha-ha. The nettles are the separation area where the "goodness" settles- it is blocked well before there I need to find a pipe that takes it across the road. I have suggested to the man who is helping that we cut the pipe and start rodding, but as he says we have a 90 degree bend in 2 places before we get a straight run with the last 90 deg. bend right by the road. We have tried a diviner but no joy there! I am getting the pennies ready for a mechanical system from the house to a field and ditch with a purifier between. My former neighbour has such a system and it has been operating for 20 years or more, and I haven't got that amount of time left-well if I have then "they" will be robbing me blind of my savings and pension in a retirement home!

I have chopped kindling this last 2 days, so am getting a few extra nets done. As well I have been cutting timber to length for the man with the kindling machine who supplies me out of the larger cross section wood-saves me hours of hard hitting. I cut the wood 3/8ths of an inch longer for his machine, because the machine doesn't like 6inches it wants 6 and 3/8ths inches, otherwise the kindling comes out all shapes if it is not the right length for the machine, and I want them straight for ease of packing, so I comply with his wants!

I hope the weather cools for you Jam Lady, and that you are not having to do too much watering plants outside. How are they coping?

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Tue Jul 02, 19 3:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

A week with temperatures in the high 80s / low 90s Fahrenheit can really stress the plants. Last real rain we had was on June 25. I don't consider the dribble of .01 or .02 inches of much help.

I'm working on a batch of sour cherry jam with lime zest, lime juice, lavender sugar. Should be rather nice.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Jul 03, 19 6:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Pity your diviner didn't work Gregotyn. We have had some success at divining, but never tried anything like your sewer pipe which seems to have a life of its own. I hope you find the end soon.

Jam Lady, we had just one very hot day and since then it has been low 20s C, which is much more comfortable. Our ground still seems to be moist, but if we get much longer without rain I will have to do some watering. I am watering the things in the greenhouse at least every other day at the moment and have been giving the root crops a bit now and again, as well as the newly planted cabbages.

Your jam sounds good. The English cherries have started, but they only seem to give a reliable crop in some places, so most of ours are imported. I had some from the Isle of Wight last week and they were beautiful.

Yesterday I did some log nets as one of our outlets has ordered some. Sadly, most of our outlets seem to have ordered charcoal, so we have orders for the stuff we already have plus the kiln full that we will be firing today, plus a bit more too.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Thu Jul 04, 19 1:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Our temperature is high they tell me, but I am still working in a pullover, so it is not as hot as they think-or is it that I am old and wearing a pullover? We are not as hot as America by the sound of it! I would not be able to cope now with such high temps as you have, Jam Lady. I am lucky in that I live high up at home, but I am still too warm at night. The further up the hill we are the cooler it seems to be here, in Wales, till I get into bed, then I cook! Soon be raining again. I want the weather to stay warm for another week as I have hay to be cut, conditioned, baled and carted. I'm hoping the man has cut it today.

Going back to the pipe search, I know it goes under the road from the house for certain. I have excavated the other side of the road where it comes out in theory; and excavated the point where the pipe goes down from the house side to the road. Then I have attached a hose pipe into a hole in the waste pipe from upstairs and filled the waste with water; then after a few minutes there is a build up of water outside the out flow, but then after a few more minutes the is a small fold the other side of the road, where I think the pipe is; during this weekend coming I will have a serious go at seeking the pipe for real and hopefully get the draining rods on the move to clear any blockage. It could all change by tomorrow!
The diviner probably had the points of the main outlet pipe fairly close from the outset, but we didn't dig deep enough believing that the pipe was higher than it is-but we still have not located the real deal point of exit into the dilution area.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Jul 05, 19 6:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It was quite warm here again yesterday, and overnight I got a bit too hot, but generally the temperature has been reasonable here; warm enough for short sleeves, but not so hot that you feel hot doing any work. Perhaps that is it Gregotyn, you are the only one doing any physical work.

Jam Lady, I forgot to wish you and Slim Happy 4th of July yesterday. Did you have any celebrations?

Charcoal deliveries and emptying the kiln yesterday. More deliveries today, and don't know what they will get up to other than that apart from more bagging today. I have food bank, and biscuits to bake when I get home.

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Fri Jul 05, 19 1:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yesterday's high temperature was 95 degrees Fahrenheit / 35 C. And humid. Mostly stayed indoors with the air conditioning.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Fri Jul 05, 19 1:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Today is hot here though nothing compared to your heat, Jam Lady.
I haven't been home yet from work so hoping the hay has been cut and worked, but I doubt it; not done yesterday as I hoped..
I had a disaster this morning-well it felt like it to me! I arrived at work as usual around 5 am and got into my working "shed" opened the doors to the great outside backed the motor up to the roller door and unloaded my tools and food for the morning-all normal-set about dealing with the over night deliveries and distributing the parts to fitters shelves. Then found some wood to take home and proceeded to cut it to fit in the back of the van, filled it up and went to park "mitzi" in the car park. All standard procedure. Then I needed something else out of the back of the motor walked back flicked the opening button for the doors and all worked at the front but the rear door refused to open. Managed to survive without opening back door, and decided to go see as many people who have garages on the way home I saw 3 none could help. Decision to go to a man I know after library, parked up and checked the rear door and it "swear" opened. I often wondered if motors had personalities. Well it appears this one can be as big a pain as I can!

We are in a heat wave up here today-warmer than yesterday. My bedroom had been hot at night, even though I keep the curtains drawn all the time to keep it warm at night but, hopefully, some of the day's heat out, but it, 'the heat', doesn't seem to be thinking on my wavelength! Different in the winter when it gets really cold- has anyone got an idea of how I could capture the heat in summer, concentrate it and then release it in the winter; are there such things as long term heat banks? Feed rocks I suppose?

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45375
Location: yes
PostPosted: Fri Jul 05, 19 5:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

heat stores are either low tech, live in a deep cave, solar fan and broken bottles under the greenhouse floor etc, etc or rather high tech and purpose specific.

i would not fancy a cellar full of molten sodium

solar water boost heating is cost efficient, ditto panels, water power, heat pumps in the right circumstances etc etc but summer to winter heat store is a big jump.
unless the structure does it anyway it is probably impractical

you have wood, wood is good.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sat Jul 06, 19 7:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It was a bit warm for us too, but not sure what the temperature was. Managed to finish planting everything out yesterday evening, but looks as if watering will be on the agenda for the foreseeable future. We have water storage under the greenhouse and a hand pump, so used that yesterday, but had to walk back up the garden again to get a can of water as it decided it needed priming first. That's the first time since new washer was fitted.

Gregotyn, I agree that vehicles have characters. I am sure husbands first car didn't like me driving it. I must admit I was a not too good learner driver, but it did take advantage I think. His second was rather better and very forgiving of one or two of my errors. Currently all our vehicles behave very well with me and allow me to drive in a fairly decorous way.

We are currently trying to keep the bedroom cool by using various windows opened to get a flow of air through, but that only works if there is some air movement.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Sat Jul 06, 19 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Air movement is one critical factor in keeping cool(er). Getting the hot stuff up and out essential. I am lucky at home in that I have a well for watering, when I garden. I am surprised that it maintains its depth regardless of the weather, so I am guessing it comes from higher up, where I have a ditch which runs all year round and filters down. My knowledge of how water 'works' is not so good, but the ditch is around 50 feet above the house. There must be a run off point in the top of the well as it never overflows-not something I have looked for-just use the water when I need and don't interfere with the status quo.

Mitzi is behaving this morning-must be because of the lie-in on Saturdays! I can see you MR driving into town on a tractor to do the shopping with a small trailer behind. I have been to my local man to collect a large pallet with my small trailer this morning-broken the pallet up into sawing sizes and it will be in 6 nets tomorrow, depending on if the man who is helping with the sewer turns up, in which case it will be Monday! He is also promising to let me go to see his polytunnel, with the massive broad bean plants so that I can confirm that he is doing what he says organically, and that biochar really does keep the slugs at bay

The cellar, dpack, full of heat for winter would be better than the 6 inches of water that accumulate in there over winter and disappear as soon as spring appears. As you say I have wood-wood is very good to me. Funny really, but I often see things in the wood I am chopping, and put that bit on one side, with a mental note "I'll make that into a 'whatever', sometime!" Madness in reality as I never have the time to do other things.
It is going to rain after a lovely morning so far. I need to go and get this wood under cover asap!

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sun Jul 07, 19 6:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Your well could be part of a spring system and just be passing through Gregotyn. Round here we are on an aquifer where all the water for Portsmouth and surrounding areas comes from; in fact part of the woods is in a sensitive area, so we have to be a little careful as anything put on the ground there could end up in the drinking water. There are several 'spring line' villages near us, and further down our village springs were always popping up.

We had our volunteer group yesterday, and they were kind enough to help fill the kiln with wood, so we will be firing again on Monday all being well. One other person and I did flora surveying as it was more to her taste, and although we did an area of quite dark beech plantation we got quite a lot of different species. I was glad to see that the cudweed was coming up again, as we didn't have any for a couple of years for some reason.

Did quite a lot of watering yesterday evening using the hand pump from the greenhouse tank. I am hoping that will help bring things along even though we haven't had much rain and are not expecting much in the foreseeable future.

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Sun Jul 07, 19 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Weather continues disgustingly hot and humid. All told from yesterday's various rainstorms we got better than an inch of rain. Later in the afternoon my cell phone started squawking and warning of tornadoes, get to basement or other secure area. We did not retreat, did not have a tornado, but there is a clip online of a parked car picked up and flipped upside down, somewhere south of us.

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