Tales from a down-shifted family
- Making the most of modest means
Springwatch starts tonight on the BBC. As mentioned elsewhere in this blog, this year (and for the next couple of years at least) they are coming live from Ynyshir RSPB Nature reserve in the Dyfi Valley, just up the road from us here in West Wales. It’s the perfect place for them with stunning scenery,...
The Aberystwyth Beekeepers Association has a photographic competition coming up, so Morgan and I are going to enter. The categories are: Inside the Hive Beekeepers Other Bees (not the honey bee) We are only allowed one photo per category so I now have to choose a single photo for each. I have to make sure Morgan...
There’s lots going on at Ynyshir RSPB reserve at the moment. Spring Watch will be coming from there in a couple of weeks so it is all go getting things ready for the production. A studio is being set up overlooking the lake and various nest boxes are being modified to accept cameras – I...
We’ve been watching the hives on and off over the last few days. I think the bees have settled into the relaxed way of life here in Ynyslas. They don’t seem to really get going until midday but are then pretty busy all afternoon. Both hives have been lively whilst the sun is out and...
The caterpillars are back, creating their weblike nests in the trees. This year they are in a Willow tree rather than the hawthorn at the moment, but once again I think they are the caterpillar of the Lackey Moth. Morgan discovered them this year and took this photo to show me.
The moth trapping has been fairly slow so far this year. there have been a few moths each time we put the trap out but no huge numbers and nothing too exciting. Last night was the same with only 14 moths in the trap from 11 different species. The Treble Bar was a new garden...
The Bank Holiday weekend was gorgeous here – That ‘s almost worth a blog post in its own right, but we also spent much of Monday in Aberystwyth and had a lovely walk through the Penglais Woods nature Reserve. The Bluebells are really early this year and are actually coming towards the end of their...
Like almost everyone in the country, we’ve been enjoying the spring sunshine, sometimes from within our new conservatory which is now finished and is a lovely place to sit and watch the world go by, other times from within the garden itself. We’re not the only ones either, the plants and flowers seem to be...
After fencing all day and a warm evening, it looked like a nice night for some moth trapping so out went the trap and then Morgan and I examined it this morning. There weren’t huge quantities in there but there was a nice selection including some more impressive ones. 7 x Shoulder stripe 1 x...
The weather is improving and as the forecast was for a warm,, dry, windless night I put the moth-trap out before heading off for a mountain bike ride in the Dyfi Forest. On the drive home there were bats flying everywhere. They must have been out catching moths and other insects so it looked as though it should be a good...
Fitness / Technology / Triathlon
Fixing the Altimeter on my Garmin Forerunner 910XT
Monday, March 17th, 2014
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Fuerteventura – Days 4 & 5: From Windsurfing to Wave Watching: A Coastal Escape
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