Pirate radio connects us all

Posted on August 30, 2026 by onedeckpete

We’ve just finished a new mix for an up-and-coming Imaginary Stations related project and found this lovely bit of Electronica from Classical Mechanics called Porphyry off the “Sealand” LP on Bandcamp and you know we anything Guy Maunsell related! More on Sealand (AKA Fort Roughs or Rough Towers) here and here.

And one that got away. Thanks to DJ Frederick for spotting this cracking version of The Horse on the GRC site after we chose another classic from a collection on there. Drum solo!

And as Fred pointed out, The Horse by Cliff Nobles & Co was an important tune on Radio Veronica (we just read it was the signature tune for their popular travelling mobile disco, the Veronica Drive-In Show). There’s always a radio connection and it certainly connects us all! Have a good Sunday all.

Preparation, preparation, preparation

Posted on August 16, 2026 by onedeckpete

This afternoon we cleared an area (which once housed a greenhouse many moons ago) in preparation for a polytunnel which will arrive sometime this week. Thanks to Alan C who gave us some great advice about purchasing one, as we didn’t know much about what was on offer out there.

We weren’t the only ones that were excited today, there were a Blackbird and a Robin who swooped down a few times even when we walked a little way away, we must’ve disturbed some food in the area or someting.

Road sign of the week

Posted on August 11, 2026 by onedeckpete

Thanks to Debby H for sending us this great “geese crossing” road sign from her locality in north London. “The geese used to live by the pond in North London Business Park. That area has been (and is still being) redeveloped. We don’t know if the pond is still there, or if the contract work has frightened the geese away. We haven’t seen them lately.”

“When we first moved here, the geese would cross the road to go to a grassed area, then cross back again later, to go back to their pond in the business park. There would be a small procession of them crossing the road, and the cars would all stop for them. They didn’t hurry either!”

Brilliant stuff Debby!

Suggs went to Herne Bay Pier once (and it was news)

Posted on August 5, 2026 by onedeckpete

Here’s a very chilled 6.04 minutes by High Skies called The Shipping Forecast off an LP called Fluidities by Jonathan Hughes with guests. An excellent ambient track with a nautical theme.

And talking about nautical themes, here’s a photograph of the sea from Herne Bay taken yesterday evening. Zoom in with a magnifying glass and you’ll see from left to right, a very tiny Red Sands Sea Fort, a container ship passing through the wind farm and next to that an even smaller Shivering Sands Sea Fort.

If you remember, Red Sands Sea Fort was where the classic Dangerman Not So Jolly Roger episode was filmed in 1996. Pictures from the show above and below, and the whole episode is up online here. The picture below features the very large (250 ft) Medium Wave antenna of Radio 390 that was still in operation on the fort.

And here’s a version of a important tune that featured in the show. For more on the actual tunes played on the show, have a look here.

Tell me why, tell me why, tell me why?

Posted on July 17, 2026 by onedeckpete

Here’s a book we discovered again in the Weeds gardening bookcase (above). It’s a wonderful book, interviewing gardeners and asking them that one big question “Why do you garden?” All sorts of mad stuff in here from a man who mows grass for the council to commercial rhubarb growers in Yorkshire who grow it under candlelight (below).

We’re asking you the same question. “Why do you garden?” Answers on a postcard or to one deck pete (at) gee male dot com.

Enjoying the heat with that wonky leg?

Posted on July 13, 2026 by onedeckpete

We have a bit of a minor leg injury due to carrying heavy stuff about a week Sunday, so we took it very easy in the garden yesterday. After a very light “tip around with a pair of secateurs” we tuned into WAVE from Imaginary Stations on the ATS – 20+ shortwave radio we bought earlier this year. It’s a cheap and cheerful radio and it has some faults but overall, it isn’t bad for the cheap price.

We heard the great mix from our mate Kit G5KIT in Bristol live on air and quoting him a few days ago “I don’t know what it is, but both Dub and Eastern European music both seem to really suit short wave propagation, they just sound …right.” He’s so correct there! Tune in to the studio recording below and Kit’s mix is at 30 minutes in.

Here’s the track listings:
Deep Reggae Sound System – Midnight Dub Waves
Pat Flashman – Summer Dub
The Heptones – Sea of Dub
Groovy Waters – Rock the Casbah

And here’s a few from the Weeds garden including a very small baby sun rose we were given by a friend from work on Friday which was feeling sorry for itself when we put it in the Belfast sink later that evening but on Sunday we even had a flower!

The teasel is attracting all sorts of bugs and pollinators (above) and the cardoon (below) which we bought many years ago at Shannon’s (RIP) survived a blackfly attack after we sprayed some very diluted washing liquid water on it.

And the Globe Thistle is doing well too! Happy gardening everyone.

Around the garden while watering

Posted on July 8, 2026 by onedeckpete

It’s going to be silly hot today (around 32 degrees C), so we did a bit of watering this morning before it goes too mad. The first (above) is from our Marvel of Peru (AKA Four o’clock plant) that we grew from seed and the first flowers are just forming. It’s a bit of a different kind of plant as in the flowers usually open from 4pm attracting all sorts of moths and pollinators. Supposedly the flowers have a great smell too! More on that here.

A new arrival to the Weeds garden (above) that we saw when we went to the Chelsea flower show. It’s a Lychnis flos-cuculi “Petit Henri” and giving us some clusters of great small white flowers and it’s a perennial too! More here.

We’re even getting some progress on the tomatoes (above) at the moment. Nothing ripening yet and still small, but there is fruit!

And meanwhile down the pond our Echeveria is kicking out some great plastic looking flowers! We do love this gardening lark!

We’ve also been checking out an interesting Jamaican gardening blog called Hopey’s Garden. It’s an interesting read if you want to try different type of vegetables and stuff. The article above is very interesting and has some nice tips contained on there so do give it a look over.

Gardening tool of the year

Posted on July 1, 2026 by onedeckpete

Cheers to our good friend in Cincinnati, Justin Patrick Moore for letting us know about a favourite gardening tool purchase of his, a Cobrahead Hand Hoe. Wow! It looks great to us here. As it says on the blurb here, “It weeds, cultivates, scalps, edges, digs, furrows, plants, transplants, de-thatches, and harvests with ease” and “It can even dig 12″ holes in even the hardest Ozark garden soil.” Brilliant stuff, thanks for letting us know Justi. It looks a versatile tool.

Any pictures of your favourite gardening tool? Pics please to one deck pete (at) gee male dot com.

Pop don’t go the teasel

Posted on June 24, 2026 by onedeckpete

The teasel is a very odd plant but we love the way the flower grows, very strange white mini flowers are now coming from the head. Odd but very interesting! We just hope they don’t take over the garden.

You cannot escape the stones (not Jagger and co.)

Posted on June 23, 2026 by onedeckpete

Thanks to Justin Patrick Moore for sending this book cover from Fred Vargas to us. Crazy coincidences of a stone circle kind. Any one drying the dinner dishes tonight with a standing stone tea towel? We await your pictures…

Weeds up to me knees

Madtone, gardening and life

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